Dispensing device

Abstract

The article sorting and dispensing device includes a pick-and-place mechanism consisting of a nozzle and a metal tank. The nozzle tip is replaceable, and the pick-and-place mechanism is configured to move the nozzle in a translational and rotational direction about at least one axis. The metal tank is in fluid communication with the nozzle through at least one conduit. The apparatus further includes at least an article container that holds small items and can rotate about a predetermined axis, and a control unit that controls the pick-and-place mechanism and the items. The control unit includes a processor and a memory unit in electronic communication with the processor. The memory unit is configured with modules that store instructions for execution by the processor. The instructions include rules for the translational and rotational movements of the pick-and-place mechanism and the container so that small items are picked and dispensed from the article container. The apparatus further includes a feedback mechanism that generates feedback for the control device.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to article dispensers, and more particularly to electronic article dispensers that use a pneumatic pick-and-place mechanism to retrieve and dispense articles. [Background technology]

[0002] Small items, such as supplement tablets and capsules, can be difficult to manage once removed from their packaging. Similarly, small electronic and mechanical components, such as resistors, diodes, chips, capacitors, nuts, bolts, and screws, can also be difficult to manage once removed from their packaging. It can be difficult for users to identify items, especially when they are present in a similar shape, size, or color. For example, it can be difficult for users to distinguish between two identically colored items that may have different uses. Similarly, for example, users may have difficulty distinguishing between two similar-looking diodes. This problem is exacerbated when users are elderly or have cognitive issues. Furthermore, some people with physical disabilities have difficulty precisely handling small objects. For example, patients with Parkinson's disease have difficulty holding and manipulating small objects. For another example, users with dementia may forget where such objects are. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The article dispensing device may use a pneumatic pick-and-place mechanism for picking up and dispensing the articles. The article dispensing device may further include a pick-and-place mechanism.

[0004] The pick-and-place mechanism may include a vertically disposed arm configured to move in the Z-axis and the X-axis using a stepper motor. The arm may be movably coupled to the stepper motor using a rack-and-pinion gear. The arm may have teeth disposed on an outer surface forming a vertical rack. The vertical rack of the movable arm may mesh with a Z pinion coupled to the shaft of a Z stepper motor to form a rack-and-pinion gear system. The Z stepper motor rotates the Z pinion, thereby moving the movable arm in the vertical direction (i.e., the Z-axis) due to the meshing of the first pinion with the vertical rack of the movable arm.

[0005] The pick-and-place mechanism may further include an X stepping motor movably coupled to the arm. The pick-and-place mechanism may further include a horizontal rack that may be configured to mesh with an X pinion disposed on the axis of the X stepping motor. The X stepping motor may further be configured to move the arm and the Z stepping motor together in the horizontal direction (i.e., the X axis) due to meshing between the X pinion and the horizontal rack.

[0006] The arm is further configured to include at least one nozzle at a lower end, and the nozzle tip is further configured to include different types of nozzle tips. In one example, the nozzle tip may include, but is not limited to, a rubber padded tip, a bellows tip, a magnetic tip, tips with different opening diameters, etc.

[0007] Furthermore, the article dispensing device may further include an article box assembly. The article box assembly may further include at least one article box and a box rotator. The article box is configured to store small items to be dispensed by the article dispensing device. The box rotator may be configured as a circular plate for holding the at least one article box. Furthermore, the article box may include a magnet disposed on a bottom of an article holder, and the article box rotator may include a holder rotator, at least a portion of which is ferromagnetic, for enabling the article holder to magnetically engage with the holder rotator.

[0008] Furthermore, the article dispensing device may further include a container assembly. The container assembly may further include at least one article container and a container rotator. The container is configured to accommodate articles already dispensed by the article dispensing device. The container rotator may be configured as a circular plate for accommodating the at least one container. Furthermore, the container may include a magnet disposed at a bottom of the container, and at least a portion of the container rotator is ferromagnetic so that the container magnetically engages with the container rotator.

[0009] Additionally, the article dispensing device may further include a feedback mechanism configured to provide feedback on various steps of the article dispensing device.

[0010] The accompanying drawings, in which like numerals refer to identical or functionally similar elements throughout the different views, and together with the following detailed description, are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification and serve to further explain embodiments incorporating the claimed inventive concepts and to explain various principles and advantages of these embodiments. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1a] 1 is a perspective view of an article sorting and dispensing device. [Figure 1b] 1 is a perspective view of an article sorting and dispensing device. [Figure 2]FIG. 2 is a front view of the inside of the article sorting and dispensing device. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a pick and place mechanism. [Figure 4] FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a pick and place device without a housing. [Figure 6a] This shows an article sorting and dispensing device without an upper support plate. [Figure 6b] This shows an article sorting and dispensing device without an upper support plate. [Figure 7a] 1 shows an assembled view and an exploded view of the container rotation device and the article container, respectively. [Figure 7b] 1 shows an assembled view and an exploded view of the container rotation device and the article container, respectively. [Figure 8] A cross-sectional view of the lower part of the article sorting and dispensing device. [Figure 9] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an unassembled item box and item box rotator. [Figure 10a] FIG. [Figure 10b] FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an article sorting and dispensing device. [Figure 12] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an article selection and dispensing device in communication with a database and other computing devices. [Figure 13] 1 shows a flowchart for filling or refilling small items in an item sorting and dispensing device. [Figure 14] 10 shows a flowchart illustrating steps taken by an article dispensing mechanism when it receives a dispensing command.

[0012] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to provide a better understanding of embodiments of the present invention.

[0013] The components of the apparatus and methods are appropriately designated by conventional numerals in the accompanying drawings, and only certain details relevant to an understanding of the embodiments of the invention are shown so as not to obscure the content of the disclosure in detail, and these details will be apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the description herein. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] In order to better understand the principles of the present disclosure, various examples are specifically described below, but it will be understood that the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and that modifications and further amendments to the present disclosure may be easily conceived by those skilled in the art.

[0015] The articles "a" and "an" are used herein to refer to one or to more than one (i.e., to at least one) of the grammatical object of the article. By way of example, "an element" means at least one element and may include two or more elements. In this disclosure, "comprises," "includes," "containing," and "having," etc., have the meanings ascribed to them and can mean "comprises," "includes," etc. "Consisting essentially of" or "consisting essentially of" likewise have the meanings ascribed to them, and these terms are open-ended, allowing for the presence of more than what is recited, but excluding prior art examples, so long as the basic or novel characteristics of the recited subject matter are not changed by the presence of more than what is recited.

[0016] Here, an "article" may be defined as a small, uniform object having a predetermined shape and form. An "article" may also be defined as a grouping of multiple such objects. By way of example, the article may include, but is not limited to, screws, nuts, bolts, tablets, pins, buttons, or electronic components such as capacitors, resistors, diodes, or food products such as chocolates, toffees, etc. Furthermore, the above-defined article may be interpreted to encompass a broader range of other small objects.

[0017] Unless otherwise defined, all technical terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs.

[0018] 1a and 1b are different perspective views of an article sorting and dispensing apparatus 100. As can be seen from FIG. 1a, the article sorting and dispensing apparatus 100 is in the form of a box. As shown in FIGS. 1a and 1b, the article sorting and dispensing apparatus 100 may include a housing 102 having a first side wall 104 and a front wall 106, a second side wall 108 and a rear wall 110, a top wall 112, and a bottom wall 114. When joined together, these walls form the housing 102 of the article sorting and dispensing apparatus 100. Furthermore, the front wall 106 includes an access door 116 and a push button 118. The push button 118 is configured to open the access door 116 of the housing 102 for a user. Furthermore, a cavity 710 is visible within the housing 102 through the front wall 106, forming a storage enclosure 120. An item bin 122 is mounted within the storage enclosure 120 for easy access of items from the item sorting and dispensing apparatus 100. Additionally, a strap 124 may be attached to an end of the top wall 112, preferably toward the front wall 106. The housing 102 of the item sorting and dispensing apparatus 100 may further include a touch screen 126 mounted to the top wall 112.

[0019] FIG. 2 is a front view of the interior of the article sorting and dispensing apparatus 100 with the housing 102 removed (excluding the top wall 112). Here, the article sorting and dispensing apparatus 100 may include a pick-and-place mechanism 200 for picking up small items and dispensing them according to a user's instructions. The pick-and-place mechanism 200 may be pneumatically actuable. Furthermore, the article sorting and dispensing apparatus 100 may include a container assembly 202. Furthermore, the container assembly 202 may include at least one article container 204 that is removably attached to a container rotator 206, allowing rotation of the container rotator 206 of the container assembly 202 to rotate the article container 204. Furthermore, the container rotator 206 may be configured with a partition plate 208 for attaching the article container 204 to the container rotator 206 (shown in FIG. 5). In one example, the article selecting and dispensing device 100 includes a plurality of article containers 204 attached in a circular pattern to a partition plate 208 of a container rotating device 206 .

[0020] Furthermore, the article sorting and dispensing apparatus 100 may further include an article box assembly (shown in FIG. 6 ), which may include an article box 122 for storing articles dispensed from the pick-and-place mechanism 200. The article box 122 may further have slots 318 for storing different articles according to a user's instruction for the article sorting and dispensing apparatus 100. Furthermore, the article box assembly may include an article box rotator 210. Furthermore, the article box 122 may be attached to the article box rotator 210, allowing the article box 122 to rotate by rotation of the article box rotator 210. Furthermore, the article box 122 may be disposed within the storage housing 120.

[0021] Furthermore, the article sorting and dispensing device 100 may further include a touch panel 126 as a medium for a user to input instructions or display information to a user. Furthermore, the pick-and-place mechanism 200 may be mounted using an upper support plate 212. Furthermore, the container rotator 206 may be mounted using a lower support plate 214. The upper support plate 212 and the lower support plate 214 may be connected to each other by at least support posts 216. In one example, the upper support plate 212 and the lower support plate 214 are connected to each other by four support posts 216. The support posts 216 used for connection may have the same shape, size, and weight. Furthermore, the box rotator 210 may be mounted above the bottom wall 114 of the housing 102.

[0022] The article sorting and dispensing apparatus 100 may further include a push button 118 that can open the access door 116 to easily access the article container 204 in the housing 102. The article sorting and dispensing apparatus 100 may further include a transfer chute 218 (shown in FIG. 6) that connects the article container 204 with the article box 122. In accordance with a user's instruction, an article picked up by the pick-and-place mechanism 200 from the article container 204 moves through the transfer chute 218 to be dispensed into the article box 122 via a chute outlet 220. The dispensing of the article may be indicated to the user visually via the touch screen 126 or audibly via a speaker 222 in the storage housing 120. The article sorting and dispensing apparatus 100 may further include a dehumidifier chamber 224 molded in the rear wall 110 of the housing 102.

[0023] FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the pick-and-place mechanism 200. As shown in FIG. 3, the pick-and-place mechanism 200 includes a frame 300 that secures all components of the pick-and-place mechanism 200. The pick-and-place mechanism 200 may further include a vertically disposed arm 302, which is used to pick up and place small items. The pick-and-place mechanism 200 may further include a Z-stepping motor 304 movably coupled to the arm 302 for moving the arm 302 in the Z-axis direction. The pick-and-place mechanism 200 may further include an X-stepping motor 306 movably coupled to the upper support plate 212 (shown in FIG. 4), thereby moving the pick-and-place mechanism 200 in the X-axis direction. As can be seen in the figure, the X-stepping motor 306 and the Z-stepping motor 304 are fixedly connected to the frame 300. In another embodiment, the X stepper motor 306 and the Z stepper motor 304 are removably coupled to the frame 300. Additionally, the pick and place mechanism 200 can move independently of the upper support plate 212.

[0024] Additionally, the arm 302 of the pick-and-place mechanism 200 may be configured to have a U-shaped cross-section, or to form a U-channel 308. In another embodiment, the arm 302 of the pick-and-place mechanism 200 may be configured to have a cylindrical or relatively rectangular cross-section, or to form a T-channel. Additionally, the arm 302 of the pick-and-place mechanism 200 may be configured with a vertical gear rack 310 integrated into one of the arm's three exterior surfaces. In one embodiment, the gearing of the vertical gear rack 310 can be customized to better suit pick-and-place operations. Furthermore, the shaft of the Z stepper motor 304 may be movably coupled to a Z pinion 312. The Z pinion 312 may be coupled to the arm's vertical gear rack 310. In one embodiment, the Z pinion 312 may be formed as a helical gear or a spur gear to correspond to the gear of the vertical gear rack 310 of the rack-pinion gearing. The Z pinion 312 is movably coupled to the arm's vertical gear rack 310, allowing rotation of the Z pinion 312 to move the arm 302 in the vertical direction. Furthermore, movement of the arm 302 is constrained by an arm stopper 314 that prevents movement beyond the vertical length of the arm 302. The arm stopper 314 may be formed on the arm 302 toward the end of the vertical gear rack 310 and can prevent rotation of the Z pinion 312. Furthermore, the pick-and-place mechanism 200 may further include an arm plate 316 attached to the frame 300 between the Z stepper motor 304 and the Z pinion 312. The arm plate 316 is configured to couple with an arm cover 404 (shown in FIG. 4 ) to prevent unwanted movement of the arm 302 other than Z-axis movement. Furthermore, the arm plate 316 includes a vertical slot 318 corresponding to the arm 302 including at least one slot slide 320 embossed along the vertical length of the arm. Additionally, a similar slot 318 may be included on the arm cover 404 and a similar slot slide 320 may be included on the opposite side of the arm.Slot slides 320 slide within slots 318 in the arm plate 316 and cover plate to prevent movement except in the Z axis direction. Additionally, the arm plate 316 can be removably coupled to the frame 300 of the pick and place mechanism 200 using spacers.

[0025] Additionally, the shaft of the X stepper motor 306 of the pick-and-place mechanism 200 may be fixedly connected to the X pinion 322. The X pinion 322 may be movably coupled to the horizontal gear rack 324 (shown in FIG. 4 ). In one embodiment, the X pinion 322 may be formed as a helical gear or a spur gear to correspond to the gear of the horizontal gear rack 324 for a rack-and-pinion gearing system. The horizontal gear rack 324 may be configured to be formed on the upper support plate 212 and may be immovable. Rotation of the X pinion 322 coupled to the horizontal gear rack 324 may allow the frame 300 to move horizontally relative to the horizontal gear rack 324. Thus, the pick-and-place mechanism 200 may cause the frame 300 (together with the attached component) to move laterally in the X-axis direction due to relative motion between the horizontal gear rack 324 of the X stepper motor 306 and the X pinion 322. Similarly, the pick and place mechanism 200 can move in the Z-axis direction due to relative motion between the vertical gear rack 310 and Z pinion 312 of the Z stepper motor 304, which causes the arm 302 (with the attached part) to move in the Z-axis direction.

[0026] Additionally, the arm 302 of the pick-and-place mechanism 200 may include a nozzle 326 at its lower end. The nozzle 326 is configured with a nozzle tip 328 that can be removably attached to the nozzle 326. The tip of the nozzle 326, i.e., the nozzle tip 328, can be replaced depending on the requirements of the small item. For example, the tip of the nozzle 326 may be a rubber pad, a magnet, metal, or similar material. For example, if the item is metallic, a magnetic nozzle may be employed. However, if the item is non-magnetic, the tip may be a rubber pad that can secure the item with negative pressure. Furthermore, in another configuration, the pick-and-place mechanism 200 may employ multiple nozzles 326, each with the same or different types of nozzle tips 328 attached, so that multiple items can be picked and dispensed at one time. In another example, the nozzle 326 may be one or more of, but not limited to, an electric gripper, a pneumatic gripper, a suction cup, a magnetic gripper, a mechanical gripper, an impact gripper, a penetration gripper, a non-distortion gripper, a continuous gripper, a Bernoulli gripper, an electrostatic gripper, a capillary gripper, a cryogenic gripper, an ultrasonic gripper, a penetration gripper, and the like.

[0027] Additionally, the pick-and-place mechanism 200 may further include a vacuum pump 330 that may be fluidly connected to the nozzle 326 of the robot arm. The vacuum pump may include a thick-walled metal tank 336 capable of containing very high and very low pressure fluid. The vacuum pump 330 is used to generate negative pressure within the nozzle 326, enabling the pick-and-place mechanism 200 to create suction between the nozzle tip 328 and a small item. This allows the nozzle to pick up the small item, which is then removed by vertical movement of the arm. Additionally, the pick-and-place mechanism 200 may further include an air filter 332 employed to clean the air before it enters the vacuum pump 330. The air filter 332, the vacuum pump 330, and the nozzle 326 may be fluidly connected to each other via a conduit 334. Furthermore, the vacuum pump 330 is independent of the frame 300 and does not move when the frame 300 moves relative to the upper support plate 212. In another embodiment, the nozzle 326 may be configured to operate using electrical energy instead of pneumatic energy by using various sensors and / or motors.

[0028] FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the upper support plate 212. As can be seen, the pick-and-place mechanism 200 is assembled on the upper support plate 212. A frame 300 of the pick-and-place mechanism 200 may be removably attached to the upper support plate 212. In one example, the frame 300 is attached to the upper support plate 212 using nuts and bolts. Furthermore, an X pinion 322 of the X stepper motor 306 may mesh with a horizontal gear rack 324 attached to the upper support plate 212 in the width direction. Furthermore, the side of the frame 300 opposite the X pinion 322 rests on a slide channel 400 running parallel to the horizontal gear rack 324. The slide channel 400 may be attached to channel mounts 402, which may be disposed on both ends of the slide channel 400. The slide channel 400 may be circular, rectangular, or any desired shape, but is not limited thereto. As an example, the slide channel 400 may be cylindrical. The frame 300 of the pick-and-place mechanism 200 may include a bearing that slides on the slide channel 400. In one embodiment, the frame 300 of the pick-and-place mechanism 200 includes a circular slide bearing (not shown) fixedly connected to the frame 300 of the pick-and-place mechanism 200, which engages with the slide channel 400 and allows the pick-and-place mechanism 200 to slide along the slide channel 400. Furthermore, the pick-and-place mechanism 200 is cantilevered on the horizontal gear rack 324 by the engagement between the X pinion 322 and the horizontal gear rack 324. Furthermore, the pick-and-place mechanism 200 is supported on the other side of the slide channel 400 by a slide bearing of the frame 300 that slides on the slide channel 400. By supporting either one of the frames 300 of the pick-and-place mechanism 200, the pick-and-place mechanism 200 can move independently in the X-axis direction independent of the upper support plate 212. Additionally, the horizontal gear rack 324 is mounted horizontally or widthwise to the upper support plate 212 such that the arm 302 of the pick and place mechanism 200 can traverse a distance of at least half the width of the upper support plate 212 .

[0029] Furthermore, the article sorting and dispensing apparatus 100 may further include, but is not limited to, one or more pick-and-place mechanisms 200. In one embodiment, the article sorting and dispensing apparatus 100 may employ two pick-and-place mechanisms 200, with one pick-and-place mechanism 200 traversing in the X-axis direction and the other pick-and-place mechanism 200 traversing in the Y-axis direction. Similarly, in one embodiment, the article sorting and dispensing apparatus 100 may include two pick-and-place mechanisms 200, with both pick-and-place mechanisms 200 traversing in the X-axis direction or the Y-axis direction. Furthermore, the article sorting and dispensing apparatus 100 may employ a pick-and-place mechanism 200 in which the horizontal gear rack 324 is circular, thereby allowing the pick-and-place mechanism 200 to rotate on a rotation axis. In another example, the pick-and-place mechanism 200 is fixed and rotatable about a fixed Z-axis, thereby allowing the arm to be tilted at an angle about the X-axis or Y-axis before extending the arm into the article container. According to the above embodiment, the article selecting and dispensing apparatus 100 can access the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis according to system requirements. Furthermore, the article selecting and dispensing apparatus 100 may be optimized to access the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis in the shortest possible time. Furthermore, the article selecting and dispensing apparatus 100 may further include an NFC reader 406 in the vicinity of the pick position of the arm 302 of the pick-and-place mechanism 200, as can be seen in FIGS. 2 and 4 .

[0030] 4 also shows a portion of a locking mechanism 500 of the article sorting and dispensing apparatus 100 (shown in FIGS. 10a and 10b). The locking mechanism 500 includes, but is not limited to, a push button 118 for opening the access door 116 of the article sorting and dispensing apparatus 100. Furthermore, the pick-and-place mechanism 200 may be seen with an arm cover 404 that can be removably coupled to an arm plate 316. Furthermore, the arm plate 316 and the arm cover 404 may include vertically or depth-grooved slots 318. The slots 318 of the arm plate 316 and the arm cover 404 can engage with opposite sides of a slot slide 320 of the arm 302 of the pick-and-place mechanism 200 to prevent movement of the arm 302 in any direction other than the Z-axis.

[0031] 5 is a perspective view of the pick-and-place device excluding the housing 102. As can be seen from the figure, the article selecting and dispensing device 100 includes a pick-and-place mechanism 200. The pick-and-place mechanism 200 further includes a frame 300 attached to an upper support plate 212. The pick-and-place mechanism 200 further includes an arm 302 attached to an arm plate 316 and an arm cover 404. The pick-and-place mechanism 200 further includes a Z stepper motor 304 coupled to a vertical gear rack 310 of the arm 302 via a Z pinion 312, and an X stepper motor 306 coupled to a horizontal gear rack 324. The frame 300 of the pick-and-place mechanism 200 slides on a slide channel 400 attached to a channel mount 402 using a plain bearing. Rotation of the Z pinion 312 moves the arm 302 in the Z-axis direction, and rotation of the X pinion 322 moves the pick and place mechanism 200 in the X-axis direction. Additionally, a nozzle 326 attached to the arm 302 of the pick and place mechanism 200 may be in fluid communication with a vacuum pump 330 using a conduit 334. 2 and 4, the item selection and dispensing device 100 may include an NFC reader 406 near the pick position of the arm 302 of the pick-and-place mechanism 200. Via the NFC reader 406, the item selection and dispensing device 100 can read the NFC tags (described in more detail below) of the item containers 204 for each item container's unique NFC identification in order to determine the correct item container 204 needed to dispense the item. Additionally, the article sorting and dispensing apparatus 100 may further include a Hall effect sensor 1032 (not shown) that may be disposed inside the arm cover 404. Correspondingly, the arm 302 of the pick-and-place mechanism 200 may include a magnet 336a disposed thereon, allowing the magnet 336a to move along the arm 302, thereby forming a magnetic field around itself. Furthermore, changes in the magnetic field may be sensed by the Hall effect sensor 1032. Furthermore, the article sorting and dispensing apparatus 100 can determine whether the arm 302 has moved by the Hall effect sensor 1032. Furthermore, in another embodiment, without limitation, an optical sensor may be used instead of the Hall effect sensor 1032.

[0032] Additionally, the item sorting and dispensing apparatus 100 may further include a dehumidifier chamber 224 for maintaining a humidity level within the housing 102 of the item sorting and dispensing apparatus 100. The dehumidifier chamber 224 may use any of the known dehumidification technologies, such as refrigerants, desiccant, or whole-house dehumidification technologies. In one embodiment, the dehumidifier chamber 224 of the item sorting and dispensing apparatus 100 includes a desiccant dehumidifier, such as silica gel beads. Furthermore, one of the walls of the dehumidifier chamber 224 may be separate from the other walls, and such separate wall may allow for slots 318 to be inserted into the remainder of the dehumidifier chamber 224. The separate wall of the dehumidifier chamber 224 allows for easy access to the silica gel beads when they are removed, if needed. Furthermore, the dehumidifier chamber 224 allows components within the housing 102 of the item sorting and dispensing apparatus 100, including small items that may be dispensed, to remain within the required humidity level.

[0033] The article sorting and dispensing apparatus 100 may further include a container assembly 202. The container assembly 202 may include a container rotator 206 and at least one container 204. The container 204 may be configured so that multiple containers 204 are arranged adjacent to one another in a circular configuration. In one embodiment, the containers 204 may be configured in a relatively triangular shape when viewed from above, with one end of the container 204 being wider than the opposite end so that the containers 204 are arranged in a circular configuration. Furthermore, the container rotator 206 may include at least one partition plate that can function as a receiving area for mounting the container 204 on the container rotator 206. In another embodiment, the container rotator 206 may include, but is not limited to, a container 204 that is originally constructed as a single piece.

[0034] The article sorting and dispensing apparatus 100 further includes a locking mechanism 500 for the access door 116 attached to the front wall 106 of the housing 102 of the article sorting and dispensing apparatus 100 (described in detail in FIGS. 10a and 10b). The locking mechanism 500 may include a mechanical lock, such as a bolt lock or a push button lock, an electromechanical lock, or both. In one embodiment, the article sorting and dispensing apparatus 100 includes both a mechanical and an electromechanical lock for the access door 116. As can be seen in the figures, the article sorting and dispensing apparatus 100 further includes a lower support plate 214. As can be seen in the figures, the lower support plate 214 may include a protrusion 502 toward the front side of the article sorting and dispensing apparatus 100, which forms part of the storage housing 120. The access door 116 may be installed in such a manner that one edge of the access door 116 is hinged to the protrusion 502 of the lower support plate 214. Additionally, the access door 116 is hinged to a protrusion 502 of the lower support plate 214 using a door hinge 504. Additionally, the access door 116 may be hinged using any of the edges of the access door 116. Additionally, the door hinge 504 may be one of a strap hinge, a butt hinge, a spring-loaded hinge, a concealed hinge, a piano hinge, an overlay hinge, a concealed barrel hinge, or the like. In one embodiment, the access door 116 of the item sorting and dispensing apparatus 100 uses a spring-loaded hinge to open and close the access door 116. In another embodiment, the locking mechanism 500 may include a biometric sensor, such as a fingerprint reader, installed on the access door 116, allowing a user to unlock the locking mechanism 500 using the biometric sensor. Additionally, such a sensor may also be used to authenticate the user.

[0035] 6a and 6b show the article sorting and dispensing apparatus 100 without the upper support plate 212 and the components mounted on the upper support plate 212. Furthermore, as can be seen from FIGS. 6a and 6b, the article sorting and dispensing apparatus 100 further includes a lower support plate 214. Furthermore, the article sorting and dispensing apparatus 100 further includes a lower support plate 214, which may include a protrusion 502 toward the front side of the article sorting and dispensing apparatus 100 that forms part of the storage housing 120. Furthermore, the article sorting and dispensing apparatus 100 may further include a Y-stepping motor 600. The Y-stepping motor 600 may enable the article sorting and dispensing apparatus 100 to displace articles in the Y-axis direction. Furthermore, the container rotation device 206 is assembled on the lower support plate 214. The container rotation device 206 may be rotatably coupled to the Y-stepping motor 600. Furthermore, the shaft of the Y stepper motor 600 is immovably coupled to a Y pinion 602. In one embodiment, the Y pinion 602 may be formed as a pinion gear for an internal gear, which may be a helical gear, a spur gear, or the like. Furthermore, the bottom side of the container rotator 206 may include an internal gear formed on the inside of the outer periphery of the container rotator 206, which may be a helical gear, a spur gear, or the like that corresponds to the gear of the Y pinion 602. In one embodiment, the internal gear on the inside of the outer periphery of the bottom of the container rotator 206 may be coupled to the Y pinion 602 of the Y stepper motor 600. Furthermore, rotation of the shaft of the Y stepper motor 600 causes rotation of the Y pinion 602, which in turn may rotate the internal gear of the container rotator 206, thereby rotating the container rotator 206.

[0036] Additionally, the lower support plate 214 may include at least one support column bushing 604 for supporting at least one support column. The support column bushing 604 may be an external bushing that is fitted into the upper surface of the lower support plate 214 and the lower surface of the upper support plate 212. Additionally, the support column bushings 604 may be pre-formed on the upper surface of the lower support plate 214 or the lower surface of the upper support plate 212 during the manufacturing process that forms the support plates. In one embodiment, the support column bushings 604 are attached to the four corners of the upper surface of the lower support plate 214 and the lower surface of the upper support plate 212 such that each support column bushing 604 on the upper surface of the lower support plate 214 is axially aligned with each corresponding support column bushing 604 on the lower surface of the upper support plate 212. The support bushings 604 are axially aligned at each corner so that a support bushing 604 mounted on the upper surface of the lower support plate 214 can receive one end of a support pillar, while the other end of the support pillar 216 can be received in a corresponding support bushing 604 mounted on the underside of the upper support plate 212 at the same corner, such that the axes of the bushings on the lower plate, the axis of the support pillar 216, and the axis of the bushings on the upper support plate 212 are vertically aligned.

[0037] Furthermore, the container rotator 206 may include at least one container 204. The container 204 may be configured so that multiple containers 204 are arranged together in a circular configuration. In one example, the container 204 may be configured so that one end of the container 204 is wider than the other end, forming a relatively triangular shape when viewed from above, so that the containers 204 are arranged in a circular configuration. Furthermore, the container rotator 206 may include at least one partition plate that can serve as a receiving area for attaching the container 204 to the container rotator 206. As described above, rotation of the shaft of the Y stepper motor 600 causes rotation of the Y pinion 602, which in turn can rotate the internal gear of the container rotator 206, thereby rotating the container rotator 206. The partition plate 208 can prevent unwanted movement of the container 204 in the X and Y axes during rotation of the container rotator 206. Therefore, the item sorting and dispensing device 100 can move items in the X-axis direction through the pick-and-place mechanism 200, in the Y-axis direction through the rotation of the container rotation device 206, and in the Z-axis direction through the arm 302 of the pick-and-place mechanism 200.

[0038] The article sorting and dispensing apparatus 100 may further include a storage housing 120 that houses an article box assembly 606. The article box assembly 606 may further include a box rotator 210 (as can be seen in FIG. 2 ). The box rotator 210 may be formed as a circular plate that rotates on a fixed axis. The bottom wall of the storage housing 120 may include a notch 608 that connects the interior space of the storage housing 120 with the space below the storage housing 120. In one embodiment, the article box 122 is attached to the article box rotator 210. The box rotator 210 may be attached to the bottom wall 114 of the storage housing 120 below a lower support plate 214, and the bottom wall of the storage housing 120 functions as a support for the box rotator 210. The article box assembly 606 may include an article box stepper motor 610, which may be attached above or below the storage housing 120. Here, the item box rotation device 210 may be mounted below the bottom wall 114 of the storage housing 120, and the item box 122 may be mounted above the bottom wall 114 of the storage housing 120, and the cutout 608 in the bottom wall 114 of the storage housing 120 allows the item box rotation device 210 to be exposed to the storage housing 120 and to communicate with the item box 122.

[0039] Additionally, the box rotator 210 of the item box assembly 606 may further include a circular gear 614, which may be formed as an internal or external gear. The circular gear 614 may be an externally formed gear and attached to the bottom side of the box rotator 210, or the box rotator 210 itself may be manufactured with the circular gear 614 formed on the bottom side of the box rotator 210. Additionally, the shaft of the item box stepper motor 610 may have an item box pinion gear 612 attached to one end thereof. The item box pinion gear 612 may mesh with the circular gear 614 of the box rotator 210. Thus, whenever the shaft of the item box stepper motor 610 is rotated, the pinion gear rotates, which in turn rotates the circular gear 614, thereby rotating the box rotator 210.

[0040] 7a and 7b are assembled and exploded views of a container rotator 206 and an article container 204, respectively. FIG. 7a specifically illustrates the article container 204 assembled in a circular configuration. As can be seen, the article containers 204 may be formed so that multiple article containers 204 are arranged together in a circular configuration. In one embodiment, the article containers 204 may be formed in a relatively triangular shape when viewed from above, with one end of the article container 204 being wider than the opposite end so that the article containers 204 are arranged in a circular configuration. Furthermore, the container rotator 206 may include at least one partition plate that serves as a receiving area for attaching the article containers 204 to the container rotator 206. In one embodiment, the container rotator 206 has multiple partition plates, each partition plate 208 having a space capable of receiving one article container 204. Furthermore, the article containers 204 are assembled so as not to occupy space on the rotation axis of the container rotator 206, thereby leaving a relatively cylindrical space on the rotation axis of the article rotator. This remaining relatively cylindrical space may be occupied by the delivery chute 218 of the article sorting and dispensing device 100.

[0041] 7b shows an exploded view of the article container 204. The article container 204 may include an outer casing 700 that houses a receptacle 702. The receptacle 702 is configured to be received within the outer casing 700 of the article container 204. The receptacle 702 may be formed in a relatively conical shape, with the inner end of the receptacle 702 being relatively smaller than the outer end. Here, the inner end of the article container 204 may be the end that is closer to the rotation axis of the container rotation device 206 when the article container 204 is assembled to the container rotation device 206, while the outer end of the article container 204 may be the end that is farther from the rotation axis of the container rotation device 206 when the article container 204 is assembled to the article rotation device. Furthermore, the outer ends of the outer casing 700 and the article container 204 may be wider than the inner ends. Furthermore, the bottom wall of the receptacle 702 may be formed as an inclined surface 704. In one embodiment, the bottom wall of receptacle 702 is formed as a sloped surface 704 such that the outer end of receptacle 702 is deeper than the inner end. Furthermore, sloped surface 704 of receptacle 702 increases from the inner end to the outer end of receptacle 702. Furthermore, sloped surface 704 of the bottom wall of receptacle 702 is configured such that an item held within receptacle 702 slides off the inner end due to sloped surface 704 of the bottom wall and collects at the outer end of receptacle 702, such that the outer end of receptacle 702 is deeper than the inner end of receptacle 702.

[0042] Additionally, the receptacle 702 may have a lip 706 extruded on the outer periphery of the receptacle 702. Here, the lip 706 of the receptacle 702 may act as a support for the outer casing 700 when the receptacle 702 is received within the outer casing 700. Furthermore, the opening of the outer casing 700 may be configured to receive the lip 706 of the receptacle 702, which may rest on the upper edges of the four walls of the outer casing 700. Furthermore, the receptacle 702 may include an NFC tag 708 affixed to one of the walls of the receptacle 702. In one example, the NFC tag 708 is affixed to the outer surface of the wall at the outer end of the receptacle 702. Furthermore, the NFC tag 708 may be configured so that its outer surface has a flat surface that may be configured to be used as a writing or printing surface. Additionally, the outer casing 700 may be configured to be made of a transparent or translucent material so that the NFC writing or printing surface is visible from outside the outer casing 700.

[0043] Additionally, as can be seen, the outer casing 700 can have a cavity 710 formed in the inner surface of the bottom wall. The cavity 710 is configured to receive the magnet 336b therein. In one example, the inner surface of the bottom wall of the outer casing 700 has the cavity 710 for receiving the magnet 336b. Furthermore, the container rotator 206 can further include a ferromagnetic element that corresponds to the position of the magnet 336b in the outer casing 700 of the item container 204, thereby magnetically attaching the item container 204 to the container rotator 206. This can prevent unwanted movement of the item container 204 on the container rotator 206 in the X-axis and Y-axis, as well as any movement of the item container 204 in the Z-axis.

[0044] Additionally, the item container 204 may further include a container lid 712, which may be defined by the top wall 112 and a sidewall derived from the top wall 112. Furthermore, the container lid 712 may be formed to fit snugly into the top opening of the receptacle 702. Furthermore, the bottom edge of the sidewall of the container lid 712 is configured to rest on the lip 706 of the receptacle 702. In one embodiment, the container lid 712 is used to cover the receptacle 702 of the item container 204 so that an item that the receptacle 702 may hold does not shift outside the item container 204. Furthermore, in another embodiment, the outer casing 700 of the article container 204 receives the magnet 336c within a cavity 710, on which a receptacle 702 is mounted and supported by a lip 706 of the receptacle 702 on an edge of the sidewall of the outer casing 700, and a container lid 712 is used to close the opening at the top of the receptacle 702. Furthermore, the lid may be any of, but is not limited to, a screw-top lid, a flip-top lid, a sports cap lid, a cork stopper lid, etc.

[0045] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the lower portion of the article sorting and dispensing apparatus 100. As can be seen from the figure, the article sorting and dispensing apparatus 100 may include a transfer chute 218. The transfer chute 218 may be used to transfer an article when a user instructs the article to move through the transfer chute 218. Furthermore, the article sorting and dispensing apparatus 100 may include a chute slide 800 through which an article to be transferred to an article holder passes. The chute slide 800 may be connected to the chute outlet 220, thereby forming a path for transferring an article using the transfer chute 218, the chute slide 800, and the chute outlet 220. As an example, the article to be transferred passes through the transfer chute 218, the chute slide 800, and the chute outlet 220 in this order before being dropped into the article box 122. Additionally, the receiving housing 120 can house the chute slide 800 and the chute outlet 220 , while the transfer chute 218 extends vertically from the axis of the container rotator 206 towards the receiving housing 120 .

[0046] Furthermore, the article sorting and dispensing apparatus 100 may further include a control room 802 that can accommodate a control unit 804. The control unit 804 may include a processor 806 for controlling the article sorting and dispensing apparatus 100, a storage unit 808, Internet 810, etc. Furthermore, the article sorting and dispensing apparatus 100 may include an article box 122 attached to a box rotator 210 within the storage housing 120. The box rotator 210 may be driven by an article box stepper motor 610 connected to the box rotator 210 via a gear set including an article box pinion gear 612. Furthermore, as can be seen in the figure, a notch 608 in the storage housing 120 allows the article box 122 to be attached to the box rotator 210, thereby allowing the article box 122 inside the storage housing 120 to be attached to the box rotator 210 outside the storage housing 120. Additionally, the housing 120 may further include a speaker 222, which can provide audible notifications to the user.

[0047] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of an unassembled item box 122 and the box rotator 210. As can be seen, the item box 122 is formed with a relatively circular cross section. The item box 122 can have at least one item section 900. In one embodiment, the item box 122 can have multiple item sections 900. Furthermore, the item box 122 can include a box cover 902 that functions as a lid for the item box 122. The box cover 902 can be fitted to the item box 122 using, but is not limited to, a snap fit, or can be screwed onto the item box 122. Furthermore, the box cover 902 can be any of, but is not limited to, a screw-top lid, a flip 706 lid, a sports cap lid, a cork lid, or the like. Furthermore, the item box 122 can be attached to the box rotator 210 using a magnet. Furthermore, a magnet 336c can be installed on the item box rotator 210 in response to the item box 122 having one or more iron plates installed on its bottom. Alternatively, the magnet 336c may be installed on the bottom wall of the item box 122, corresponding to the ferric plate that may be installed on the box rotator 210. Furthermore, each item section 900 of the item box 122 may have an NFC tag installed on the outer wall of each item section 900. Correspondingly, the NFC reader 406 may be installed below the item box 122. In one example, the NFC reader 406 may be installed below the item box rotator 210 so that the NFC reader 406 does not rotate with the item box 122 or the box rotator 210. Furthermore, the item box 122 may include a section indicator 904 that may be attached to the center of the item box 122, and this section indicator 904 may associate a section number 906 with each section of the item box 122. This section number 906 may be associated with an item to be dispensed from the item section 900 of the item box 122. Furthermore, FIG. 8 shows a cross-sectional view of the assembled item box 122 attached to the rotator for better understanding.

[0048] 10a and 10b are exploded perspective views of a locking mechanism 500 of the article sorting and dispensing apparatus 100. As can be seen from the figures, the locking mechanism 500 may include an access door 116 for accessing an article receptacle 204 on the receptacle rotator 206. As previously described, the access door 116 may be hinged to a protrusion 502 on the lower support plate 214. The hinge through which the access door 116 is attached to the protrusion 502 on the lower support plate 214 may be a door hinge 504. The door hinge 504 may include a hinge mount 1000 that functions as a frame 300 to which the components of the door hinge 504 are assembled. The hinge mount 1000 may be attached to the lower support plate 214, through which the access door 116 may be attached to the door hinge 504. In one embodiment, the access door 116 opens outward from the article sorting and dispensing apparatus 100, and may be horizontally hinged using two door hinges 504 on either side of the access door 116. Additionally, the access door 116 may be opened and closed using a hinge spring 1002 mounted on one of the hinge mounts 1000, allowing the access door 116 to be spring loaded. Additionally, the door hinge 504 may include a hinge gear 1004 attached to the hinge mount 1000. The hinge gear 1004 may mesh with a similar gear coupled to the access door 116 at the door hinge 504. The hinge gear 1004 may rotate to allow the access door 116 to be opened and closed. In one embodiment, the door hinge 504 on one side of the access door 116 may include a wound spring and be attached to a hinge mount 1000, and the door hinge 504 on the other side may include a hinge gear 1004 attached to the hinge mount 1000. In one embodiment, the hinge spring 1002 allows for spring opening and closing of the access door 116 and may also allow the access door 116 to have a soft open / close.

[0049] Additionally, the access door 116 may further include a door tab 1006 at an upper central portion of the access door 116. The door tab 1006 may engage with the locking mechanism 500 to close the door. Additionally, the inside of the access door 116 may include a support rib 1008 across the area of ​​the access door 116. The support rib 1008 may act against any flexing or bending that may occur in the access door 116. Additionally, the locking mechanism 500 may include a lock mount 1010. The lock mount 1010 may function as the frame 300 to which the components of the locking mechanism 500 are assembled. The locking mechanism 500 may be attached to the front side of the upper support plate 212 using the lock mount 1010. Additionally, the locking mechanism 500 may include a latch 1012 that engages with the door tab 1006 of the access door 116. Additionally, the locking mechanism 500 may include a latch pin 1014 mounted on the lock mount 1010 about which the latch 1012 pivots. Additionally, the locking mechanism 500 may include a push button 118 mounted on the lock mount 1010. Additionally, the push button 118 may be spring loaded, with a push button spring 1016 wrapped around the push button 118, thereby allowing the push button 118 to retract to its original position without manual intervention.

[0050] Furthermore, the lock mechanism 500 can include a button lever 1018 that can interact with the push button 118 on one side and with the latch 1012 on the other side. Furthermore, the button lever 1018 can pivot on a lever pin 1020, where the button lever 1018 and the lever pin 1020 are attached to the lock mount 1010. Furthermore, when the push button 118 is pressed, the button lever 1018, which is in contact with the push button 118, can swing on the lever pin 1020, thereby pressing the latch 1012. When pressed by the button lever 1018, the latch 1012 can pivot on the latch pin 1014, thereby allowing the latch 1012 to move and engage / disengage with the door tab 1006. Furthermore, the latch 1012 engages / disengages with the door tab 1006, allowing the access door 116 to be opened and closed.

[0051] Furthermore, the locking mechanism 500 may further include a solenoid 1022 mounted on the lock mount 1010. The solenoid 1022 may further include a shaft 1024 that reciprocates back and forth each time the solenoid 1022 is energized. Furthermore, one end of the shaft 1024 may contact the latch 1012. This allows the solenoid 1022 to move the shaft 1024 in a direction such that the latch 1012 is pushed by the shaft 1024, thereby pivoting the latch 1012 on the latch pin 1014 and thereby disengaging the latch 1012 from the door tab 1006. Furthermore, the locking mechanism 500 may further include an electromagnet 1026 mounted on the lock mount 1010. The electromagnet 1026 may be mounted on the lock mount 1010 such that a magnetic surface of the electromagnet 1026 faces toward the access door 116. Correspondingly, the inside of the access door 116 includes a ferric disk 1028 attached to the door such that the magnetic surface of the electromagnet 1026 matches the ferric disk 1028 attached to the access door 116. Here, the electromagnet 1026 can magnetically attach to a ferric plate on the access door 116 whenever the electromagnet 1026 is energized. The electromagnet 1026 can close the access door 116 and prevent it from opening when the electromagnet 1026 is energized. Conversely, the door can also be opened when the electromagnet 1026 is not energized.

[0052] Additionally, the item sorting and dispensing device 100 may further include a feedback mechanism 1030. The feedback mechanism 1030 may include, but is not limited to, sensing the movement of the arm 302 of the pick-and-place mechanism 200, the selection of the correct item container 204, the removal of an item from the item container 204, the presence of an item box 122 on the box rotator 210, an open access door 116, etc. Furthermore, the feedback mechanism 1030 may include an NFC tag 708 and an NFC reader 908. Furthermore, as can be seen in FIG. 7b, the feedback mechanism 1030 may include an NFC tag 708 on the receptacle 702 of the item container 204, which may be affixed to one of the walls of the receptacle 702. In one example, the NFC tag 708 is affixed to the outer surface of the wall at the outer end of the receptacle 702. Furthermore, the NFC tag 708 may be configured such that its outer surface has a flat surface that may be configured to be used as a writing or printing surface. Furthermore, the outer casing 700 may be configured to be made of a transparent or translucent material so that the NFC writing or printing surface is visible from outside the outer casing 700. Furthermore, in response to the NFC tag 708 on the receptacle 702 of the item container 204, the feedback mechanism 1030 includes an NFC reader 406 near the pickup zone of the arm 302 of the pick-and-place mechanism 200, as can be seen in FIGS. 2 and 4 . The pickup zone is defined by the volume of space occupied by the arm 302 of the pick-and-place mechanism 200 immediately before the arm 302 moves into the item container 204. In one example, the pickup zone is the volume of space around the arm 302 of the pick-and-place mechanism 200 when the arm 302 is fully retracted and the trajectory of the arm 302 in the Z-axis substantially coincides with the opening of the item container 204. Additionally, the feedback mechanism 1030 may be able to read the NFC tags 708 of the item containers 204 via the NFC reader 406 for each item container's unique NFC identification to determine the correct item container 204 required for dispensing the item.

[0053] Furthermore, the feedback mechanism 1030 may include an NFC tag 708 on the item box 122 of the item sorting and dispensing device 100, which may be affixed to the bottom wall of each item section 900 within the item box 122. In one example, the NFC tag 708 is affixed to the outer surface of the wall at the outer end of the receptacle 702. Furthermore, the NFC tag 708 may be configured so that its outer surface has a flat surface that may be configured to be used as a writing or printing surface. Furthermore, the item box 122 may be made of a transparent or translucent material so that the NFC writing or printing surface is visible to the user. Correspondingly, the feedback mechanism 1030 may include an NFC reader 406 installed below the item box 122, as can be seen in FIG. 9. In one example, the NFC reader 406 may be installed below the item box rotator 210 so that the NFC reader 406 does not rotate along with the item box 122 or the box rotator 210. Additionally, the feedback mechanism 1030 may be able to read the NFC tags 708 of the item sections 900 of the item bin 122 via the NFC reader 406 for the unique identification of each item section 900 to determine the correct item section 900 needed to dispense the item. In one embodiment, the user may be notified of the item dispensed.

[0054] 4, the feedback mechanism 1030 may further include a Hall Effect sensor 1032, which may be disposed inside the arm cover 404. Correspondingly, the arm 302 of the pick and place mechanism 200 may include a magnet 336a disposed thereon, allowing the magnet 336a to move along the arm 302, thereby forming a magnetic field around itself. Further, changes in the magnetic field may be sensed by the Hall Effect sensor 1032. Furthermore, the feedback mechanism 1030 may be able to know whether the arm 302 has moved by the Hall Effect sensor 1032.

[0055] Additionally, the feedback mechanism 1030 may include monitoring the current and resistance of the Z stepper motor 304 and the vacuum pump 330, specifically, the average (or smoothed) resistance supplied to the Z stepper motor 304 and the vacuum pump 330, which may be preset. In one embodiment, changes in the resistance of the Z stepper motor 304 and the vacuum pump 330 determine whether the arm 302 of the pick-and-place mechanism 200 has reached the inside of the container 204 and whether an item has been picked up by the arm. Additionally, the feedback mechanism 1030 monitors the resistance of the Z stepper motor 304 and the vacuum pump 330 such that changes in the current of the Z stepper motor may determine whether the arm 302 of the pick-and-place mechanism 200 has reached the bottom of the container 204. An increase in the load on the motor may cause the resistance of the current supplied to the Z stepper motor 304 to change from a predetermined value, such that the arm 302 may not be able to clear the bottom of the container 204. Thus, a change in resistance in the current supplied to the Z stepper motor 304 may indicate that the arm 302 of the pick and place mechanism 200 has reached the bottom of the article bin 204 .

[0056] Additionally, the feedback mechanism 1030 can monitor the resistance of the current supplied to the vacuum pump 330. In one embodiment, changes in the resistance of the current supplied to the vacuum pump 330 are monitored by the feedback mechanism 1030 to determine whether an item has been picked up by the arm 302 of the pick-and-place mechanism 200, specifically, by the nozzle 326 of the arm. When the arm 302 reaches the bottom of the article container 204, the article sorting and dispensing device 100 turns on the vacuum pump 330 to generate negative pressure inside the nozzle 326 of the arm 302, allowing the nozzle 326 to perform suction. Here, the feedback mechanism 1030 can monitor the average (or smoothed) resistance of the current supplied to the vacuum pump 330. Furthermore, suction at the nozzle tip 328 causes the negative pressure to cause the article in the article container 204 to adhere to the nozzle tip 328. Furthermore, adhesion of the article to the nozzle tip 328 can change the load on the vacuum pump 330, causing the resistance of the current supplied to the vacuum pump 330 to change from a predetermined value. Thus, a change in resistance in the current supplied to the vacuum pump 330 may indicate that an item has been picked from the item container 204 by the nozzle 326 of the arm 302 .

[0057] Additionally, the feedback mechanism 1030 may further include an infrared transmitter and an infrared receiver. The infrared sensor may be mounted below the box rotator 210. Furthermore, the infrared receiver may be mounted inside and on the top wall 112 of the storage housing 120. Furthermore, the box rotator 210 and storage housing 120 are configured to allow infrared red light to travel from the infrared transmitter to the infrared receiver without interference or obstruction. Furthermore, the item rotator may be configured to hold a drinking glass 1034 or other similarly shaped item container 204 without an NFC tag 708, such that the presence of such a drinking glass 1034 on the box rotator 210 is detected by the infrared transmitter. Furthermore, placing such a drinking glass 1034 on the box rotator 210 may block the infrared light transmitted by the infrared transmitter, thereby allowing the feedback mechanism 1030 to determine that the drinking glass 1034 has been placed on the box rotator 210 regardless of feedback from the NFC reader 406.

[0058] Additionally, the feedback mechanism 1030 may further include an optical sensor. The optical sensor may include, but is not limited to, sensing item size, item shape, item texture, item number, etc. Furthermore, the optical sensor may be attached to the upper support plate 212 and the lower support plate 214. In one embodiment, the optical sensor of the feedback mechanism 1030 may be attached to the underside of the upper support plate 212, with the optical sensor facing toward the container rotator 206. Furthermore, in one embodiment, the optical sensor of the feedback mechanism 1030 may also be attached to the bottom surface of the lower support plate 214, with the optical sensor facing toward the box rotator 210. The optical sensor of the feedback mechanism 1030 may be, but is not limited to, a gas line optical sensor, a photovoltaic solar cell, a semiconductor optical sensor (photodiode), an infrared sensor, a CMOS sensor, a camera sensor, etc. In one embodiment, the optical sensor of the feedback mechanism 1030 includes a camera sensor. In one embodiment, the feedback mechanism 1030 may also include a gyro sensor for determining the change in the rotation angle of the item sorting and dispensing device 100 per unit time, thereby determining whether or not there is any tilt in the position of the item sorting and dispensing device 100.

[0059] FIG. 11 shows a block diagram of the article sorting and dispensing apparatus 100. As can be seen, the article sorting and dispensing apparatus 100 may include a control unit 804 that controls the operation of the apparatus. The control unit 804 may include, but is not limited to, a processor 806, a storage unit 808, and a communication interface 1100. The processor 806 may be a general-purpose single-chip or multi-chip microprocessor 806 (e.g., an ARM (Advanced RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer) machine)), a special-purpose microprocessor 806 (e.g., a DSP (Digital Signal Processor)), a microcontroller, a programmable gate array, or the like. While only a single processor 806 is shown in the article sorting and dispensing apparatus 100 of FIG. 11, in an alternative configuration, a combination of processors 806 (e.g., an ARM 302 and a DSP) may be used.

[0060] The control unit 804 also includes a memory unit 808 in electronic communication with the processor 806. The memory unit 808 may be any electronic component capable of storing electronic information. For example, the memory unit 808 may be embodied as a random access memory unit 808 (RAM), a read-only memory unit 808 (ROM), a magnetic disk storage medium, an optical storage medium, a flash memory unit 808 device in RAM, an on-board memory unit 808 included in the processor 806, an erasable programmable read-only memory unit 808 (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory unit 808 (EEPROM), a memory unit 808, a register, or the like, including combinations thereof.

[0061] In one embodiment, the memory unit 808 includes instructions for the processor 806 to operate the article selection and dispensing apparatus 100 in accordance with the instructions. Furthermore, the memory unit 808 of the control unit 804 may include modules having instructions for the processor 806 to execute. In one embodiment, the memory unit 808 of the control unit 804 may include a pick-and-place module 1102, a feedback module 1104, a locking module 1106, and a rotation module 1108. Correspondingly, the control unit 804 may electronically communicate with the pick-and-place mechanism 200, the article box assembly 606, the bin assembly 202, the locking mechanism 500, and the feedback mechanism 1030. Furthermore, the control unit 804 of the pick-and-place mechanism 200 may electronically communicate with a database 1110 via the Internet 810. Furthermore, the control unit 804 may electronically communicate with a user interface 1114 for user interaction. Additionally, in one embodiment, the communication interface 1100 may be operatively connected to a database 1110 via the Internet 810. Additionally, the database 1110 may be a storage device 808 for remotely storing data obtained from the article sorting and dispensing device 100, and may include data necessary to instruct the article sorting and dispensing device 100.

[0062] In one embodiment, the operation of the pick-and-place mechanism 200 is governed by instructions contained in a pick-and-place module of the storage unit 808 of the control unit 804. Similarly, the operation of the bin assembly 202 and the item bin assembly 606 is governed by instructions contained in a rotation module 1108 of the storage unit 808 of the control unit 804. Furthermore, the operation of the locking mechanism 500 is governed by instructions contained in a rotation module 1108 of the storage unit 808 of the control unit 804. Furthermore, the feedback mechanism 1030 is governed by instructions contained in a feedback module 1104 of the storage unit 808 of the control unit 804. Furthermore, the feedback mechanism 1030 is operably connected to each of the pick-and-place mechanism 200, the bin assembly 202, the item bin assembly 606, and the locking mechanism 500.

[0063] Furthermore, the various components of the computer system may be coupled together by one or more buses, such as a power bus, a control signal bus, a status signal bus, a data bus, etc. For clarity, the various buses are illustrated in Figure 11 as a bus system 1112.

[0064] The instructions and data may be contained in the storage unit 808 and also in a database 1110, which may be in electronic communication with the control unit 804 over the Internet 810 via the communication interface 1100. The modules are executable by the processor 806 and may perform some or all of the functions disclosed herein. The execution of the instructions may involve the use of data stored in the storage unit 808. Any of the various examples of modules and components described herein may be implemented, in part or in whole, as instructions stored in the storage unit 808 and executed by the processor 806. The data stored in the storage unit 808 and used during execution of instructions by the processor 806 may include any of the various examples of data described herein.

[0065] FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating the item sorting and dispensing apparatus 100 in communication with a database 1110 and another computing device 1200. As can be seen, the item sorting and dispensing apparatus 100 may include a pick-and-place mechanism 200, a container assembly 202, an item bin assembly 606, a locking mechanism 500, a feedback mechanism 1030, a user interface 1114, and a control unit 804. The item sorting and dispensing apparatus 100 may electronically communicate with the other computing device 1200 using the Internet 810. Furthermore, the item sorting and dispensing apparatus 100 may electronically communicate with the database 1110. In one example, the database 1110 maintains records and stores data related to the dispensing of small items. Additionally, the database 1110 may store data related to, but not limited to, time schedules, user information, user history, dispensing history, etc.

[0066] FIG. 13 shows a flowchart of the process involved in filling or refilling small items in the article selecting and dispensing device 100.

[0067] Step 1300 indicates the start of the process for filling / refilling the article container 204 .

[0068] Step 1302 indicates that a fill command is received by the control unit 804 of the article selection and dispensing apparatus 100. The command may be generated by a user using the computing device 1200 or using the touchscreen 126 of the article selection and dispensing apparatus 100. Additionally, the control unit 804 may generate the loading command based on commands received by the processor 806 from the storage unit 808 of the control unit 804. The control unit 804 may access the database 1110 to determine whether the article receptacle 204 is empty.

[0069] Step 1304 indicates the control unit 804 accessing the database 1110 to locate an empty article receptacle 204. The storage unit 808 of the control unit 804 records each time an article receptacle 204 is emptied and sends the information to the database 1110 for recording. The sent information may include a unique identification of the article receptacle 204 along with additional data related to the article and the article receptacle 204, such as the time it was emptied, the type of article contained therein, a time schedule associated with the particular article, the position of the article receptacle 204 on the receptacle rotator 206, etc. Once the control unit 804 identifies an empty article receptacle 204, the control unit 804 further determines the rotation direction of the receptacle rotator 206 so that the required article receptacle 204 can be positioned immediately adjacent to the access door 116 of the article sorting and dispensing apparatus 100.

[0070] Step 1306 indicates a step in which the control unit 804 instructs the container rotation device 206 to rotate. Furthermore, the control unit 804 determines the shortest distance between the empty article container 204 and the access door 116 of the article sorting and dispensing device 100, and instructs the container rotation device 206 to rotate in the determined direction.

[0071] Step 1308 represents the step of unlocking the access door 116. When the container rotator 206 rotates so that the empty article container 204 is adjacent to the access door 116, the control unit 804 instructs the locking mechanism 500 to disengage the electromagnet 1026. Furthermore, the locking mechanism 500 stops supplying current to the electromagnet 1026, thereby disengaging the electromagnet 1026 from the ferric disk 1028 attached to the access door 116. After the electromagnet 1026 disengages, the push button 118 can be pressed to open the door. Alternatively, an external computing device capable of electronically communicating with the article sorting and dispensing apparatus 100 via the Internet 810 may be used to instruct the control unit 804 to open the access door 116. In such a case, the control unit 804 may instruct the locking mechanism 500 to energize the solenoid 1022 and depress the latch 1012 of the locking mechanism 500, thereby automatically opening the access door 116.

[0072] Step 1310 illustrates the step of removing and refilling an empty article container 204. Once the access door 116 of the article sorting and dispensing apparatus 100 is opened, the article container 204 may be removed and filled with the necessary items for later dispensing. The control unit 804 does not instruct the pick-and-place mechanism 200 at the time the access door 116 is opened. Additionally, the empty article container 204 may be filled / refilled with small items. This step involves removing the empty article container 204 from the container rotator 206 of the article sorting and dispensing apparatus 100, removing the receptacle 702 from the outer casing 700, filling the receptacle 702 with small items, writing details of the small items on the writable / printable surface of the NFC tag 708 on the receptacle 702, and returning the filled receptacle 702 to the outer casing 700 and back to the container rotator 206 through the open access door 116.

[0073] Step 1312 indicates that the access door 116 is closed. Furthermore, once the control unit 804 recognizes that the locking mechanism 500 is engaged with the door tab 1006 of the access door 116, the control unit 804 instructs the feedback mechanism 1030 to check whether the article receptacle 204 is in place.

[0074] Step 1314 indicates the step of the control unit 804 identifying the inserted article container 204. Further, the control unit 804 instructs the container rotator 206 to rotate and causes the feedback mechanism 1030 to read the NFC tag 708 of the article container 204 using the NFC reader 406. This allows the control unit 804 to determine whether a new article container 204 with a new unique identification has been added or whether an existing article container 204 has been removed from the container rotator 206. In one embodiment, the article sorting and dispensing apparatus 100 may notify a user when an article container 204 has been removed or added to the container rotator 206 and maintain a record of such activity in the database 1110. Further, the articles in the article container 204 are assigned to the unique identification of the article container 204.

[0075] Step 1316 depicts the step of allocating small items to the item receptacles 204. In this step, when the control unit 804 identifies that the access door 116 has been closed and the item receptacles 204 have been rescanned for their NFCIDs, the control unit 804 prompts a notification on the touchscreen 126 of the item sorting and dispensing device 100 or on the remote computing device 1200, asking the user for details about the items that have been filled / refilled into the designated item receptacle 204. The data about the items entered by the user may include data related to the time of filling / refilling, the type of items contained, a time schedule associated with the items, the position of the item receptacle 204 on the receptacle rotator 206, etc.

[0076] Step 1318 represents storing data related to the article container 204 in the database 1110. In this step, the control unit 804 stores the data related to the article container 204 in the storage unit 808 and transfers the data in modified or unmodified form to the database 1110, which is in electronic communication with the article sorting and dispensing device 100 via the Internet 810.

[0077] Additionally, step 1320 marks the end of the process for filling or refilling the article selecting and dispensing apparatus 100 with small items.

[0078] 14 is a flowchart illustrating steps performed when the article dispensing mechanism receives a dispensing command. The command may be generated by a user using the computing device 1200 or using the touchscreen 126 of the article sorting and dispensing apparatus 100. Furthermore, the control unit 804 may generate commands to dispense articles based on commands received by the processor 806 from the storage unit 808 of the control unit 804 and based on a time schedule stored in the storage unit 808 for the dispensing command. The control unit 804 may access the database 1110 to determine whether the article receptacle 204 is empty before executing the dispensing command.

[0079] Step 1400 indicates the start of processing for the article selecting and dispensing device 100 to dispense an article.

[0080] Step 1402 indicates a step in which the control unit 804 checks whether the access door 116 is closed. In this step, the control unit 804 checks whether the locking mechanism 500 is engaged and whether the access door 116 is closed and locked using the locking mechanism 500. The control unit 804 checks whether the electromagnet 1026 is locked using the locking mechanism 500, monitors the current value and resistance value of the electromagnet 1026, determines whether the access door 116 is locked, and proceeds to step 1408; if not, control proceeds to step 1406.

[0081] Step 1406 depicts the step in which the control unit 804, if it determines that the access door 116 is open, prompts the user to close the access door 116 in order to further the dispensing process by interacting with the article selection and dispensing apparatus 100 using the user interface 1114 enabled by the touch screen 126. Alternatively, the user may interact with a remote computing device 1200, which is in electronic communication with the control unit 804 via the Internet 810, to instruct the article selection and dispensing apparatus 100 to automatically close the access door 116 upon user intervention. Alternatively, the user may manually close the access door 116.

[0082] Step 1408 indicates the step in which the control unit 804 checks whether the item box 122 is in a predetermined position. In this step, the control unit 804 checks via the feedback mechanism 1030 whether the item box 122 has been placed on the box rotator 210. In one embodiment, the item box assembly 606 may be configured to hold the box rotator 210 or a drinking cup 1034 or other similarly shaped container without an NFC tag 708, such that the presence of such a drinking cup 1034 on the item box rotator 210 is detected by the infrared transmitter. Furthermore, placing such a drinking cup 1034 on the box rotator 210 may block the infrared light transmitted by the infrared transmitter, thereby enabling the feedback mechanism 1030 to determine that the drinking cup 1034 has been placed on the box rotator 210. If the item box 122 is detected on the box rotator 210, the flow proceeds to step 1412; otherwise, the flow proceeds to step 1410. Step 1410 indicates the step in which the control unit 804 requests the user to place the item box 122 on the box rotator 210. In this step, if the control unit 804 determines that the item box 122 is not placed on the box rotator 210, the control unit 804 requests the user to place the item box 122 or the cup 1034 on the box rotator 210, thereby enabling the item sorting and dispensing device 100 to dispense the items in the item box 122 or the cup 1034. Further, the control unit 804 may prompt the user to place the item box 122 on the box rotator 210 to further the dispensing process by notifying the user via the user interface 1114 realized by the touch screen 126. Alternatively, the control unit 804 may interact with the user using a remote computing device 1200 that is capable of electronically communicating with the control unit 804 via the Internet 810 and notify the user of the same. Further, the user can manually place the item box 122 on the box rotator 210.

[0083] Step 1412 indicates a step in which the control unit 804 determines whether the article sorting and dispensing apparatus 100 is standing or placed upright. In one example, the feedback mechanism 1030 may include a gyro sensor for determining the change in the rotation angle of the article sorting and dispensing apparatus 100 per unit time, thereby determining whether the position of the article sorting and dispensing apparatus 100 has been tilted. Furthermore, the control unit 804 can use the feedback mechanism 1030 to check whether the article sorting and dispensing apparatus 100 is upright. If so, the control unit 804 proceeds to step 1416; otherwise, the control unit 804 proceeds to step 1414.

[0084] Step 1414 indicates the step in which the control unit 804 prompts the user to place the article selection and dispensing apparatus 100 in an upright position. In this step, once the control unit 804 determines that the article selection and dispensing apparatus 100 is placed in an upright position, the control unit 804 may prompt the user to place the article selection and dispensing apparatus 100 in an upright position to further the dispensing process by notifying the user via the user interface 1114 enabled by the touch screen 126. Alternatively, the control unit 804 may interact with the user and notify the user of the same using a remote computing device 1200 that is capable of electronically communicating with the control unit 804 via the Internet 810. Furthermore, the user may manually correct the position of the article selection and dispensing apparatus 100.

[0085] Step 1416 indicates that the control unit 804 of the item sorting and dispensing device 100 accesses the database 1110 to identify the items to be dispensed, the unique identification of the item container 204 associated with the items to be dispensed, the time schedule associated with the items to be dispensed, the location of the item container 204, etc.

[0086] Step 1418 depicts rotating the container rotator 206 to allow for pickup of an item from the container 204. Once the controller 804 identifies the unique identification of the container 204 from which the item is to be dispensed from the database 1110, the controller 804 instructs the container rotator 206 to rotate so that the identified container 204 is directly below the pickup zone of the pick-and-place mechanism 200. Alternatively, the controller 804 can rotate the container rotator 206 and instruct the feedback mechanism 1030 to scan the unique identification of each of the containers 204 until the container 204 containing the item is identified.

[0087] Step 1420 indicates a step of turning on the vacuum pump 330. When the control unit 804 determines that the article container 204 has been placed under the pickup zone of the article to be picked up by the pick-and-place mechanism 200, the control unit 804 of the article sorting and dispensing device 100 turns on the vacuum pump 330, thereby generating negative pressure at the nozzle tip 328 of the arm 302 of the pick-and-place mechanism 200. Step 1422 represents a step of monitoring the current and resistance values ​​to the vacuum pump 330 and the Z stepping motor 304. In one embodiment, the feedback mechanism 1030 includes monitoring the current and resistance values ​​of the Z stepping motor 304 and the vacuum pump 330, specifically, the average (or smoothed) value of the resistance value supplied to the Z stepping motor 304 and the vacuum pump 330, which may be predetermined, in response to instructions from the controller 804 to the feedback mechanism 1030. These values ​​are stored in the memory unit 808 of the controller 804.

[0088] Step 1424 indicates a step in which the arm 302 of the pick-and-place mechanism 200 descends. Here, when the control unit 804 starts monitoring the current values ​​and resistance values ​​of the vacuum pump 330 and the Z stepping motor 304, the control unit 804 instructs the pick-and-place mechanism 200 to move in the X-axis direction to the pickup zone. Furthermore, when the control unit 804 determines that the pick-and-place mechanism 200 has reached the pickup zone, it instructs the pick-and-place mechanism 200 to descend the arm 302 in the Z-axis direction into the identified article container 204.

[0089] Step 1426 indicates whether the nozzle tip 328 of the nozzle 326 has contacted an item or reached the bottom of the item container 204. As the arm 302 of the pick and place mechanism 200 descends in the X-axis direction into the item container 204, the control unit 804 compares the existing current and resistance values ​​with the current and resistance values ​​of the Z stepper motor 304 to determine whether there is a change in the values. In one example, the control unit 804 monitors smoothed or average values ​​of the current and resistance of the vacuum pump 330 and the Z stepper motor 304. A change in the current and resistance values ​​of the Z stepper motor 304 observed by the control unit 804 may indicate that the nozzle 326 of the arm 302 has contacted an item or has reached the bottom of the item container 204 and cannot proceed further downward, and the process may proceed to step 1428. Furthermore, if the control unit 804 observes no change in the current and resistance values ​​of the Z stepper motor 304, this may indicate that the nozzle 326 of the arm 302 of the pick and place mechanism 200 has not reached the bottom of the item container 204 or is in contact with the item, and the process may proceed to step 1430.

[0090] Step 1428 indicates a step in which the arm 302 of the pick-and-place mechanism 200 moves upward in the Z-axis direction. In this step, the control unit 804 instructs the pick-and-place mechanism 200 to move the arm 302 upward in the Z-axis for another attempt to remove the item from the item container 204. Furthermore, the control unit 804 may instruct the pick-and-place mechanism 200 to move in the X-axis so that the pickup position of the pick-and-place mechanism 200 in the X-axis is different from the position of the arm 302 described in step 1410.

[0091] Step 1430 indicates whether an article has been picked up from the article container 204 by the nozzle tip 328 of the nozzle 326. When the arm 302 of the pick and place mechanism 200 is lowered into the article container 204, the control unit 804 compares the existing current and resistance values ​​with the current and resistance values ​​of the vacuum pump 330 to determine whether there is a change in the values. A change in the current and resistance values ​​of the vacuum pump 330 observed by the control unit 804 may indicate that the nozzle 326 of the arm 302 has contacted an article and the article has been picked up by the nozzle tip 328, proceeding to step 1420. Additionally, if the control unit 804 does not observe a change in the current and resistance values ​​of the vacuum pump 330, this may indicate that an article has not been picked up, proceeding to step 1416. Furthermore, the steps of the nozzle 326 of the arm lowering to contact the bottom of the receptacle 702 of the article container 204 and the nozzle 326 of the arm 302 rising to reposition for another attempt may be a cyclical process and may be limited to a predetermined number of cycles. In one embodiment, if the number of cycles exceeds a predetermined number, the control unit 804 identifies the article container 204 as empty.

[0092] Step 1432 illustrates moving the arm 302 of the pick and place mechanism 200 to the drop zone. Here, the controller 804 instructs the pick and place mechanism 200 to retract the arm 302 in the X-axis direction and move the pick and place mechanism 200 in the X-axis direction to the drop zone. The drop zone may be defined by the volume of space occupied by the arm 302 of the pick and place mechanism 200 where the article is dropped into the transfer chute 218. In one example, the drop zone is the volume of space around the arm 302 of the pick and place mechanism 200 when the arm 302 is fully retracted and the trajectory of the arm 302 in the Z-axis is aligned with the axis of the transfer chute 218.

[0093] Step 1434 shows the step of the nozzle 326 dropping the picked-up article into the transfer chute 218. In this step, when the control unit 804 determines that the pick-and-place mechanism 200 is in the drop zone, it further instructs the pick-and-place mechanism 200 to turn off the vacuum pump 330, thereby equalizing the pressure between the nozzle 326 and the picked-up article to atmospheric pressure and allowing the article to leave the nozzle 326 and drop into the transfer chute 218 below the drop zone. Once the article has dropped into the transfer chute 218, the article moves through the transfer chute 218 to the chute slide 800, and finally passes through the chute exit 220 before finally being dropped into the article box 122.

[0094] Step 1436 shows the control unit 804 notifying the user that the item has been dispensed. In this step, when the control unit 804 determines that the item has been dispensed to the item bin 122, the control unit 804 instructs the feedback mechanism 1030 to notify the user of the dispensed item by ringing the speaker 222 or flashing the touchscreen 126. In one embodiment, the feedback mechanism 1030 notifies the user of the dispensed item by ringing the speaker 222 and flashing the touchscreen 126. Alternatively, in another embodiment, the control unit 804 notifies the user by generating a notification on a remote computing device 1200 that is in electronic communication with the item sorting and dispensing apparatus 100 via the Internet 810. The user can then choose to accept the notification, ignore the notification, or skip the notification by interacting with the user interface 1114 enabled by the touchscreen 126 or by interacting with the remote computing device 1200.

[0095] Step 1438 indicates the control unit 804 storing the event in the database 1110. In this step, when the control unit 804 of the article sorting and dispensing apparatus 100 receives an instruction that a dispensing notification has been accepted, ignored, or skipped, the processor 806 of the control unit 804 stores the dispensing event in the storage unit 808 of the control unit 804, where the details of the event include, but are not limited to, the dispensing time, the user's response, the number of items dispensed, the unique identification of the article receptacle 204 from which the items were dispensed, the number of dispensings since the last refill, the updated time schedule for the items, etc. Additionally, the processor 806 of the control unit 804 may also update the event on the database 1110, which is in electronic communication with the control unit 804 of the article sorting and dispensing apparatus 100.

[0096] Step 1440 indicates the end of the flowchart describing the steps when the article dispensing mechanism receives a dispensing command. In one embodiment, the article sorting and dispensing device 100 can dispense multiple articles under one dispensing request.

[0097] As referred to herein, a "user interface" generally refers to a system through which a user interacts with an item dispensing device. The user interface can include inputs that enable a user to operate the item dispensing device and may also include outputs that enable the item dispensing device to present information (e.g., electronic text) and / or data, indicate the effects of the user's actions, etc. Examples of user interfaces on computing devices include graphical user interfaces (GUIs) that allow a user to interact with a program in more ways than typing. GUIs generally can provide display objects and visual indicators, as opposed to a text-based interface, typed instruction labels, or text navigation, to represent information and actions available to the user. For example, a user interface can be a display window or display object selectable by a user of the item dispensing device for interaction. The display object can be displayed on a display screen of the item dispensing device and can be selected and interacted with by the user using the user interface. As an example, the display of the item dispensing device can be a touch screen that can display display icons. To select a display icon, a user can press an area of ​​the display screen where the display icon is displayed. In another example, a user may use other suitable interfaces of the item dispensing device, such as a keypad, to select a displayed icon or object. For example, a user may use a trackball or arrow keys to move a cursor to highlight and select a displayed object. As another example, a user may use a point-and-click device, such as a computer mouse, to select a displayed object.

[0098] Operating environments in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented are also well known. In a representative embodiment, a mobile electronic device, such as an e-book reader, can connect (e.g., via WAP) to a transmission facility, which varies depending on the implementation. Thus, for example, if the operating environment is a wide-area wireless network (e.g., a 2.5G network, a 3G network, or a 4G network), the transmission facility may comprise one or more components, such as a Mobile Switching Center (MSC) (an enhanced ISDN switch responsible for processing calls for mobile subscribers), a Visitor Location Register (VLR) (an intelligent database that transiently stores data necessary to process calls placed or received by mobile devices registered with the VLR), a Home Location Register (HLR) (an intelligent database responsible for managing records for each subscriber), one or more base stations (providing radio coverage in cells), a Base Station Controller (BSC) (a switch that acts as a local concentrator of traffic and provides local switching to enable handovers between base stations), and a Packet Control Unit (PCU) (a device that separates data traffic from mobile devices). The HLR also controls specific services associated with incoming calls. Of course, embodiments according to the present disclosure can also be implemented in other, next-generation mobile networks and devices. A mobile device is a physical device used by an end user (typically a subscriber to a wireless network). Typically, a mobile device is a 2.5G-, 3G-, or 4G-compliant device that includes a subscriber identity module (SIM), which is a smart card that carries subscriber-specific information, a mobile device (e.g., a radio and associated signal processing devices), a user interface (or man-machine interface (MMI)), and one or more interfaces to external devices (e.g., computers, tablets, smartphones, phablets, PDAs, etc.). The electronic device may further include a memory or data store.

[0099] As used herein, the term "computing device" should be interpreted broadly. It may include any type of device capable of dispensing items as described herein. In one example, the computing device or item dispensing device may be mobile. The computing device or item dispensing device may also be a wireless data access-enabled device capable of transmitting and receiving data wirelessly using protocols such as Internet Protocol (IP) and Wireless Application Protocol (WAP). This allows users to access information wirelessly. Wireless data access is supported by many wireless networks, including, but not limited to, 2G, 3G, 4G, and LTE technologies such as CDPD, CDMA, GSM, PDC, PHS, TDMA, FLEX, ReFLEX, iDEN, TETRA, DECT, DataTAC, Mobitex, and EDGE, and many handheld device operating systems, such as PalmOS, EPOC, Windows, FLEXOS, OS / 9, JavaOS, iOS, and Android. Typically, these devices use a graphical display and can access the Internet (or other communications networks) using a so-called mini-browser or micro-browser. The Mini Browser is a World Wide Web browser with a small file size that can accommodate the reduced memory constraints of mobile wireless devices.

[0100] The control unit of the article dispensing device may also include one or more communication interfaces for communicating with other electronic devices. The communication interfaces may be based on wired communication technology, wireless communication technology, or both. Examples of communication interfaces include a universal serial bus (USB), an Ethernet adapter, a wireless adapter operating according to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 wireless communication protocol, a Bluetooth® wireless communication adapter, and an infrared (IR) communication port. A computer system may also include one or more input devices and one or more output devices. Examples of input devices include a keyboard, a mouse, a microphone, a remote control device, buttons, a joystick, a trackball, a touchpad, a light pen, etc. Examples of output devices include speakers and a printer. One particular type of output device typically included in a computer system is a display device. Display devices used with the embodiments disclosed herein may utilize any suitable image projection technology, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light-emitting diode (LED), a gas plasma, or an electroluminescent device. A display controller may also be provided for converting data stored in memory into text, graphics, and / or moving images (as appropriate) that are displayed on a display device.

[0101] The techniques described herein may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof, unless specifically described as implemented in a particular manner. Additionally, functionality described as modules, components, etc. may be implemented together in an integrated logic device or separately as separate but interoperable logic devices. If implemented in software, the techniques may be realized, at least in part, by a non-transitory processor-readable storage medium containing instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, perform one or more of the methods described herein. The instructions may be organized into routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc., which may perform particular tasks and / or implement particular data types, and may be combined or distributed as desired in various embodiments.

[0102] As used herein, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium (device) may include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM, solid-state drives ("SSD") (e.g., RAM-based), flash memory, phase-change memory ("PCM"), other types of memory, other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage, or any other medium that can be used to store desired program code means in the form of computer-executable instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer.

[0103] The steps and / or actions of the methods described herein may be interchanged with one another without departing from the scope of the claims. In other words, unless a specific order of steps or actions is required for the proper operation of the described method, the order and / or use of specific steps and / or actions may be changed without departing from the scope of the claims.

[0104] The term "determining" encompasses a wide variety of actions, and thus "determining" may include calculating, computing, processing, deriving, investigating, looking up (e.g., looking up in a table, database, or another data structure), ascertaining, etc. "Determining" may also include receiving (e.g., receiving information), accessing (e.g., accessing data in a memory), etc. "Determining" may also include resolving, selecting, choosing, establishing, etc.

[0105] The terms "comprising," "including," and "having" are intended to be inclusive and mean that there may be additional elements other than the listed elements. Furthermore, it should be understood that references to "one embodiment" or "one example" of the present disclosure are not intended to be interpreted as excluding the existence of additional embodiments that also incorporate the recited features. For example, any element or feature described in connection with one embodiment herein can be combined, where compatible, with any element or feature of any other embodiment described herein.

[0106] The present disclosure may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or characteristics. The described embodiments are considered to be merely illustrative and not limiting. Accordingly, the scope of the present disclosure is indicated by the appended claims, rather than the above description. All changes that come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are intended to be embraced therein.

Claims

1. a pick-and-place mechanism comprising a nozzle having an interchangeable tip and a reservoir in fluid communication with the nozzle by at least one conduit, the pick-and-place mechanism configured to move the nozzle translationally and rotationally about at least one axis; at least one article container for containing at least one article, the at least one article container configured to rotate about a predetermined axis; a control unit in electronic communication with the pick and place mechanism and the item; The control unit at least one processor; at least one storage unit in electronic communication with the processor, the storage unit having a module for storing instructions; a feedback mechanism in electronic communication with the pick-and-place mechanism, the article receptacle, and the control unit; wherein the instructions are executed by a processor to cause small items to be picked and dispensed from the container, and a feedback mechanism generates feedback for the control unit.

2. 2. The article sorting and dispensing device of claim 1, further comprising a vacuum pump having a tank in the pick and place mechanism, the tank configured to contain high-pressure fluid and low-pressure fluid and configured to increase or decrease air pressure in the nozzle.

3. 2. The item sorting and dispensing device according to claim 1, wherein the container has a sloped shape in which the container at the first end is deeper than the container at the second end, and the slope of the container increases from the first end to the second end of the container.

4. 2. The item sorting and dispensing device of claim 1, further comprising a container assembly including the item container and a container rotation device configured to hold the item container, wherein the container rotation device is configured to rotate about a predetermined axis by a Y stepping motor and to hold the item container in a predetermined position during rotation.

5. 2. The article sorting and dispensing device of claim 1, further comprising an article box assembly configured to receive articles dispensed from the pick-and-place mechanism, wherein the article box assembly includes an article box and an article box rotating device configured to hold the article box, wherein the article box rotating device is configured to rotate about a predetermined axis by an article box stepping motor and hold the article box in a predetermined position while rotating.

6. 2. The article sorting and dispensing device according to claim 1, wherein the feedback mechanism includes an NFC tag, an NFC reader, an optical sensor, a Hall effect sensor, a magnet, and sensors and transducers configured to monitor the positions of the article containers and article boxes and to monitor current and resistance values ​​of the pick-and-place mechanism.

7. The item sorting and dispensing device of claim 1, wherein the control device's memory device is in electronic communication with a database stored on a remote server via the Internet, the database being configured to store data related to characteristics of small items, rules and time schedules for dispensing items, events during dispensing, dispensing instructions, user data and user history, fill / refill times, types of items contained, time schedules associated with the items, the position of the item containers 204 on the container rotation device 206, and the like.

8. 4. The article sorting and dispensing device according to claim 3, wherein the feedback mechanism monitors the current value and resistance value of the vacuum pump to identify when the small item has been picked up by the nozzle.

9. 2. The article selecting and dispensing device according to claim 1, further comprising a locking mechanism consisting of a mechanical lock and an electromechanical lock.

10. providing a pick-and-place mechanism comprising a nozzle with an interchangeable tip, a reservoir in fluid communication with the nozzle by at least one conduit, the pick-and-place mechanism configured to move the nozzle translationally and rotationally in at least one axis; moving the pick and place mechanism in an X-axis direction, the pick and place mechanism being configured to move in an X-axis direction and a nozzle of the pick and place mechanism being configured to move in a Z-axis direction; rotating the article container about an axis so that the article container is aligned with a nozzle of a pick and place mechanism; Moving a nozzle of the pick-and-place mechanism in a Z-axis direction and inserting it into an article container; executing instructions stored in a control unit in electronic communication with the pick and place mechanism and the items to pick and dispense the small items from the item receptacle; and generating feedback for the control unit via the feedback mechanism in electronic communication with the pick and place mechanism, the receptacle, and the control unit to monitor a current status of the item.

Images