Universal feed mechanism for automatic packaging machines

Abstract

To provide an automatic packager which includes a cartridge and a cartridge mechanism.SOLUTION: A cartridge for an automatic packager includes a reservoir for storing a plurality of medications, and a wheel including a bottom portion placed in the reservoir. The cartridge also includes a scooping member provided on the wheel to rotate with the wheel and singulate a medication from the reservoir. A cartridge mechanism for the automatic packager includes a platform configured to receive a medication from the cartridge, and a camera system. The cartridge mechanism also includes an electronic processor coupled to the camera system configured to dispense the medication from the cartridge in response to the expected medication delivered to the platform and to return the medication to the cartridge in response to the expected medication not delivered to the platform.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 33

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an automatic packager for medications. More particularly, the present invention relates to a feed mechanism for supplying medications to an automatic packager.

Summary of the Invention

[0002] One embodiment provides a cartridge for an automatic packager that includes a reservoir for storing a plurality of medications and a wheel having a bottom disposed within the reservoir. The wheel is rotatable relative to the reservoir. The cartridge also includes a scooping member provided on the wheel to rotate with the wheel and singulate medications from the reservoir.

[0003] Another embodiment provides a cartridge mechanism for an automatic packager that includes a platform configured to receive medications from a cartridge and a camera system. The cartridge mechanism also includes an electronic processor coupled to the camera system. The electronic processor is configured to control the camera system to capture an image of the platform and determine whether a predicted medication has been delivered to the platform based on the image. The electronic processor is also configured to dispense medications from the cartridge in response to a determination that a predicted medication has been delivered to the platform. The electronic processor is further configured to return medications to the cartridge in response to a determination that a predicted medication has not been delivered to the platform.

[0004] Another embodiment provides a method of dispensing a medicament from a cartridge using a cartridge mechanism. The method includes delivering the medicament to a platform of the cartridge mechanism and using an electronic processor to control a camera system to capture an image of the platform. The method also includes using the electronic processor to determine whether a predicted medicament has been delivered to the platform based on the image. The method includes dispensing the medicament from the cartridge in response to a determination that the predicted medicament has been delivered to the platform and returning the medicament to the cartridge in response to a determination that the predicted medicament has not been delivered to the platform. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0005]

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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0006] Before explaining in detail any embodiment of the present invention, it should be understood that the present invention is not limited in its application to the detailed construction and arrangement of the components described in the following description or shown in the following drawings. The present invention is capable of being implemented in other embodiments and can be carried out or implemented in various ways.

[0007] Pharmacies use several types of packaging to provide consumers with pharmaceuticals or medications. The types of packaging can include strip packages, blister cards, etc. Most pharmacies use automatic packaging machines to package the medications in strip packages or blister cards and provide instructions on these packages. In some embodiments, the blister cards may also be manually packaged by a pharmacist or pharmacy technician. Automatic packaging machines enable pharmacies to serve a large number of customers by efficiently packaging medications. An automatic packaging machine includes a motor base for receiving one or more cassettes. Each cassette stores one specific type or size of medication and is operated by the motor base to dispense the medications one by one into the packaging machine.

[0008] Due to the mechanism involved in dispensing medications individually from the cassettes, the cassettes are expensive, can store only a limited amount of medications, and take up a lot of space. Pharmacies may have to maintain a large number of cassettes to serve patients, which worsens the cost. Also, the cassettes do not have a verification system to confirm that the medications are being properly dispensed from the cassettes.

[0009] To reduce the cost of pharmacies, an independent embodiment of the present invention provides a universal feed mechanism for a packaging machine that enables pharmacies to use inexpensive, general-purpose bulk canisters to store different types of medications (e.g., shape, size, etc.) and dispense them into the packaging machine. The general-purpose canisters have a high capacity to store hundreds of medications. When referred to here, medications can include tablets, capsules, tablets, etc.

[0010] Figures 1A - 1C show an example of an automatic packaging machine 100 that includes a first general - purpose feed cassette 105A, a second general - purpose feed cassette 105B, and a packaging unit 110. The first general - purpose feed cassette 105A and the second general - purpose feed cassette 105B may sometimes be collectively referred to as the general - purpose feed cassette 105. The general - purpose feed cassette 105 receives drugs from a bulk canister and individually distributes pills to the packaging unit 110. Each general - purpose feed cassette 105 can distribute 10 separate pills simultaneously. In the configurations shown in Figures 1B and 1C that include two general - purpose feed cassettes 105, the automatic packaging machine 100 can be used to simultaneously distribute and package 20 different pills. In some embodiments, the automatic packaging machine 100 may include only a single general - purpose feed cassette 105.

[0011] The packaging unit 110 receives individual pills and packages them into blister cards or pouch packages for providing to consumers. In the examples shown in Figures 1A and 1B, the packaging unit is a blister - card packaging machine 110. The blister - card packaging machine 110 receives individual drugs from the general - purpose feed cassette 105, packages them into blister cards, and distributes them to consumers. The blister - card packaging machine 110 includes a first drawer 112A and a second drawer 112B. The blister - card packaging machine 110 alternately packs blister cards between the first drawer 112A and the second drawer 112B. Thus, a pharmacist can access the first drawer 112A and remove the packed blister cards while the blister - card packaging machine 110 is packing blister cards into the second drawer 112B. In some embodiments, the blister cards can be automatically packaged and the labels can be automatically attached by the blister - card packaging machine 110. Alternatively, the blister cards can be packaged and the labels can be attached by a pharmacist or a pharmacy technician.

[0012] In the example shown in FIG. 1C, the packaging unit is a strip wrapping machine 110. Exemplary strip wrapping machines are described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013 / 0318931 and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0015445, the entire contents of both of which are incorporated herein by reference. FIGS. 1A - 1C show only an exemplary embodiment of the automatic packaging machine 100. The automatic packaging machine 100 can include more or fewer components than those shown in FIGS. 1A - 1C and can perform functions other than those explicitly described herein.

[0013] FIGS. 2 - 6 show multiple views of the general - purpose feed cassette 105. As shown in FIG. 4, the general - purpose feed cassette 105 includes a plurality of cartridges 115 disposed within the housing of the general - purpose feed cassette 105. In one example, the general - purpose feed cassette can include up to 10 cartridges 115. A pharmacist can load the drug from the bulk canister into each of the cartridges 115. The same drug can be loaded into each cartridge 115, or different drugs can be loaded into each cartridge 115. The cartridges 115 independently distribute the drug to the packaging unit 110.

[0014] Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the general - purpose feed cassette 105 includes a dispensing opening 205 through which the cartridges distribute the drug to the packaging unit 110. In addition, the general - purpose feed cassette 105 also includes pass - through conduits 225 at the rear of the general - purpose feed cassette 105. On the automatic packaging machine 100, the pass - through conduits 225 of the first general - purpose feed cassette 105A are aligned with the dispensing opening 205 of the second general - purpose feed cassette 105B. Thus, the packaging unit 110 receives the drug from the first general - purpose feed cassette 105A through the dispensing opening 205 of the first general - purpose feed cassette 105A and also receives the drug from the second general - purpose feed cassette 105B through the pass - through conduits 225 of the first general - purpose feed cassette 105A.

[0015] As shown in FIGS. 5-7 and 11, each cartridge 115 includes a fill port 120, a reservoir 125, a wheel 130, a camera system 135, and a shuttle system 140 (e.g., a verification system). Cartridge 115 also includes other electronic devices and sensors not shown. The fill port 120 is provided at the top of the reservoir 125 to guide the drug from the bulk canister to the reservoir 125. The reservoir 125 stores the drug during the dispensing process. The reservoir 125 and the fill port 120 are disengageable from the cartridge 115, enabling the pharmacist to remove the reservoir 125 and the fill port 120 after the dispensing process. The pharmacist can remove the reservoir 125 and empty it into the bulk container using the fill port, thereby returning all unused drugs after the dispensing process to the bulk container. The pharmacist can also clean the fill port 120 and the reservoir 125 when the cartridge 115 is loaded with a different type of drug.

[0016] The wheel 130 is provided inside the cartridge 115 and includes a bottom disposed within the reservoir 125. The wheel 130 is driven by a motor assembly 145 provided at the top of the cartridge 115. In particular, the wheel 130 includes teeth that interlock with the motor assembly 145, and the motor assembly 145 uses the interlocking teeth of the wheel and the motor assembly 145 to rotate the wheel 130. Referring to FIG. 6, a sensor disk 165 is fixed to the back of the wheel 130 and includes magnetic bars 170. The magnetic bars 170 are detected by a position sensor 175 of the motor assembly 145 to determine the speed and / or position of the wheel 130. The position sensor 175 is fixed to the side housing of the cartridge 115 such that the position sensor 175 is aligned with the magnetic bars 170 of the sensor disk 165. In one example, the position sensor 175 is a Hall effect sensor.

[0017] Referring to FIGS. 8-9B, a scooping disk 150 (e.g., a scooping member or scooping attachment) is snap - attached to the wheel 130 to scoop the agent 180 from the reservoir 125. The scooping disk 150 includes one or more inward protrusions 155 and pockets 160 at the outer corners of the inward protrusions 155. In the illustrated example, the scooping disk 150 includes four inward protrusions 155 and four pockets 160. The inward protrusions 155 protrude into the disk towards the wheel 130. During rotation of the wheel 130, when the inward protrusions 155 encounter the reservoir 125 and the numerous agents 180 within the reservoir 125, the agents 180 move into the inward protrusions 155. The agents 180 are directed towards the pockets 160 due to the rotation of the wheel 130 and the inward protrusions 155. The pockets 160 scoop the individual agents 180 when the pockets 160 are rotated past the agent 180 that has been directed. The motor assembly 145 continues to rotate the wheel 130 such that the pockets 160 move past the top of the wheel 130 and deliver the scooped agent 180 to the shuttle system 140. In some embodiments, instead of the inward protrusions 155 and pockets 160, the scooping disk 150 may include holes for picking up the agent 180. In these embodiments, a vacuum system may be used to pick up the agent 180 from the reservoir 125. For example, a vacuum pump may be disposed at the rear of the wheel 130 to provide a vacuum force through the holes. When the holes are moved to the reservoir 125 by the rotation of the wheel 130, the vacuum force causes the agent 180 to adhere to the holes. In some embodiments, instead of being separated from the wheel 130, the scooping disk 150 (e.g., a scooping member) may be integrally formed with the wheel 130. The wheel 130 and the scooping disk 150 may together be referred to as a unifying mechanism.

[0018] Each cartridge 115 may include a scoop disk 150 having inward protrusions 155 and pockets 160 of different sizes. This allows different cartridges 115 to be used with different sizes or types of drug 180. The scoop disk 150 may also be detachable so that a pharmacist can change the scoop disk based on the size or type of drug dispensed from the cartridge 115.

[0019] Drugs 180 are delivered individually to the system 140 as the pockets 160 and the packed protrusions 155 pass through the shuttle system 140. The camera system 135 may be used to verify that the expected drug 180 (e.g., only a single intact (or unbroken) drug 180) is delivered to the shuttle system 140. The illustrated camera system 135 includes a mirror 185 disposed on the shuttle system 140 and a camera 190 disposed above the spout 120. The mirror 185 is tilted so that the camera 190 can acquire an image of the contents of the shuttle system 140. The camera system 135 may additionally include an illumination system (e.g., an LED illumination system) for illuminating the contents of the shuttle system 140 while the camera 190 is capturing an image.

[0020] The shuttle system 140 includes a platform 195, a shuttle 200, and a shuttle drive unit 210. Referring to FIG. 10, the platform 195 includes a central base portion 215, a first opening 220 on the first side of the base portion 215, and a second opening 230 on the second side of the base portion 215. The first opening 220 is disposed on the reservoir 125 to return one or more agents 180 to the reservoir 125. The second opening 230 is disposed over the dispensing opening 205 (shown in FIG. 3) provided at the bottom of each cartridge 115. The platform 195 can be made of a transparent or translucent plastic material. As described above, an LED lighting system can be provided above and / or below the platform 195 to illuminate the contents on the base portion 215 of the platform 195 when the camera system 135 is capturing an image of the contents. The LED lighting system can emit visible light or infrared light to illuminate the base portion 215 for the camera 190.

[0021] The shuttle 200 can be moved between the base portion 215, the first opening 220, and the second opening 230. The shuttle 200 transfers agents from the base portion 215 to the reservoir 125 through the first opening 220 or to the dispensing opening 205 through the second opening 230. The shuttle 200 is driven by the shuttle drive unit 210. The shuttle drive unit 210 can be a motor assembly, an actuator, etc. that moves the shuttle 200 between the base portion 215, the first opening 220 (e.g., the first position), and the second opening 230 (e.g., the second position).

[0022] Referring to FIGS. 5 - 7, the cartridge 115 may additionally include a conduit 235 (FIG. 7) between the second opening 230 and the dispensing opening 205. A tablet sensor 240 may be provided alongside the conduit 235, which senses whether a tablet is dispensed through the conduit 235. The tablet sensor 240 may be an object sensor such as an infrared sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, a photoelectric sensor, an optical / laser beam, a camera, etc. A PCB assembly 245 including the electronic circuitry of the cartridge 115 may also be provided along the conduit 235. The PCB assembly 245 is electrically coupled to the camera system 135, the shuttle system 140, and / or the tablet sensor 240 to control the operation of the cartridge 115.

[0023] The general - purpose feed cassette 105 may also include an indicator system 250 (see FIG. 11), for example, an LED indicator system. In the illustrated embodiment, one or more LEDs are provided for each cartridge 115. The indicator system 250 may change color to indicate the status of each cartridge 115. For example, the indicator system 250 may turn on a green LED to indicate that the cartridge 115 is functioning properly. The indicator system 250 may turn on a red LED to indicate that the cartridge 115 is empty or jammed. Also, the indicator system 250 may indicate, for example, whether the cartridge 115 is locked or unlocked, whether the cartridge 115 needs to be replaced, etc.

[0024] FIG. 11 is a block diagram of one embodiment of cartridge 115. In the illustrated example, cartridge 115 includes an electronic processor 305, a memory 310, a transceiver 315, a camera system 135, a shuttle drive 210, and a tablet sensor 240. The electronic processor 305, the memory 310, the transceiver 315, the camera system 135, the motor assembly 145, the shuttle drive 210, and the tablet sensor 240 communicate via one or more control and / or data buses (e.g., communication bus 320). FIG. 11 shows only one exemplary embodiment of cartridge 115. Cartridge 115 can include more components or fewer components and can perform functions other than those explicitly described herein.

[0025] In some embodiments, electronic processor 305 is implemented as a microprocessor with a separate memory such as memory 310. In other embodiments, electronic processor 305 can be implemented as a microcontroller (with memory 310 on the same chip). In other embodiments, electronic processor 305 can be implemented using multiple processors. Additionally, electronic processor 305 can be implemented partially or fully, for example, as a field programmable gate array (FPGA), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), etc., and memory 310 may or may not be required or modified accordingly. In the illustrated example, memory 310 includes non-transitory computer-readable memory that stores instructions received and executed by electronic processor 305 to perform the functions of cartridge 115 described herein. Memory 310 can include, for example, a program storage area and a data storage area. The program storage area and the data storage area can include a combination of different types of memory such as read only memory and random access memory.

[0026] Transceiver 315 enables wired or wireless communication between the electronic processor 305 and the control system of the automatic packaging machine 100. In some embodiments, instead of transceiver 315, cartridge 115 may include separate transmitting and receiving components, such as a transmitter and a receiver.

[0027] Camera system 135 receives a control signal from the electronic processor 305. Based on the control signal received from the electronic processor 305, camera system 135 controls indicator system 250 that illuminates camera 190 and platform 195. Motor assembly 145 transmits the signal of position sensor 175 to the electronic processor 305, receives a control signal, and may operate the motor of motor assembly 145 based on the position sensor signal. As described above, shuttle drive 210 may be a motor assembly or an actuator. Shuttle drive 210 may additionally include a position sensor that determines the position of shuttle 200. Shuttle drive 210 can send the position sensor signal to the electronic processor 305, and this electronic processor sends a control signal to shuttle drive 210 to move shuttle 200 based on the position sensor signal. In some embodiments, shuttle system 140 may also include a shuttle home sensor, which indicates whether shuttle 200 is in the home position. The signal from the shuttle home sensor is supplied to the electronic processor 305 to control the movement of shuttle 200.

[0028] Tablet sensor 240 communicates with electronic processor 305 to provide an indication as to whether a tablet is dispensed through conduit 235. Electronic processor 305 also controls indicator system 250 to provide an indication of the status of each cartridge 115. Cartridge 115 may also include additional electronic devices 325 such as a cartridge sensor and a solenoid lock. The cartridge sensor determines whether cartridge 115 is in the correct position within the general purpose feed cassette 105 and whether cartridge 115 is properly attached. The solenoid lock holds cartridge 115 in a predetermined position during the dispensing process to prevent other medications (e.g., a different type of medication than that dispensed by cartridge 115) from being added to cartridge 115.

[0029] FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing an example method 400 for dispensing a medication from cartridge 115. As shown in FIG. 12, method 400 includes rotating wheel 130 to deliver medication 180 to shuttle system 140 (at block 405). When the dispensing process begins, electronic processor 305 provides a control signal to motor assembly 145 to rotate wheel 130. Scoop disk 150, which is fixed to wheel 130, scoops individual medications 180 using pockets 160. In some embodiments, scoop disk 150 may pick up medications 180 using a vacuum system as described above. In these embodiments, electronic processor 305 may also provide a control signal to operate the vacuum system. Scoop disk 150 delivers medication 180 to shuttle system 140 when wheel 130 is rotated such that pockets 160 are positioned above shuttle system 140. Medication 180 is delivered to base portion 215 of platform 195.

[0030] The automatic packaging machine 100 can package only a single type of drug in any one package. Therefore, the cartridge 115 may need to verify that the expected drug 180 (e.g., a single non - broken drug 180) is dispensed to the packaging unit 110. The method 400 further includes a step of determining whether only a single non - broken drug 180 is delivered to the shuttle system 140 (at block 410). This may also be referred to as singulation verification. The electronic processor 305 controls the camera system 135 to acquire an image of the contents of the base portion 215. The mirror 185 reflects the contents of the base portion 215 to the camera 190 that captures the image. The camera 190 provides the captured image to the electronic processor 305 for verification. The electronic processor 305 may use image recognition technology on the captured image to ensure that only a single non - broken drug 180 is delivered to the shuttle system. Exemplary image recognition technology is described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0091745, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0031] If the electronic processor 305 determines that two or more drugs 180 have been delivered to the shuttle system 140 or a broken drug 180 has been delivered to the shuttle system 140, the method 400 includes a step of returning the contents of the shuttle system 140 to the reservoir 125 (at block 415). The electronic processor 305 controls the shuttle drive 210 to move the shuttle 200 from the base portion 215 to the first opening 220 (e.g., the first position). The shuttle 200 returns the contents from the base portion 215 to the reservoir 125 through the first opening 220. The method 400 returns to block 405 to deliver the next drug 180 to the shuttle system 140.

[0032] If the electronic processor 305 determines that only one non - broken drug 180 has been delivered to the shuttle system 140, method 400 includes a step of determining whether the correct drug 180 has been delivered to the shuttle system 140 (at block 420). As described above, the electronic processor 305 may use the built - in image recognition technology described above to determine whether the correct type of drug 180 has been delivered to the shuttle system 140.

[0033] If the electronic processor 305 determines that an incorrect type of drug 180 has been delivered to the shuttle system 140, then, as described above, method 400 moves to block 415 to return the contents of the shuttle system 140 to the reservoir 125. Thus, at blocks 410 and 420, method 400 determines whether the expected drug 180 has been delivered to the shuttle system 140. In some embodiments, determining whether the expected drug 180 is delivered may include only one of blocks 410 or 420 or blocks 410 and 420 may be executed in a different order. In other embodiments, rather than checking whether a single non - broken drug 180 has been delivered to the shuttle system 140, determining whether the drug is the expected drug 180 may include determining whether the correct type of drug has been delivered to the shuttle system 140 regardless of the number of drugs delivered to the shuttle system 140. In yet other embodiments, determining whether the drug is the expected drug 180 may include determining whether the correct number of drugs has been delivered to the shuttle system 140.

[0034] When the electronic processor 305 determines that the correct type of drug 180 has been delivered to the shuttle system 140, method 400 includes delivering the drug 180 to the packaging unit 110 (at block 425). The electronic processor 305 controls the shuttle drive 210 to move the shuttle 200 from the base portion 215 to the second opening 230 (e.g., the second position). The shuttle 200 delivers the drug 180 from the base portion 215 to the packaging unit 110 via the second opening 230, the conduit 235, and the dispensing opening 205.

[0035] Also, method 400 includes verifying the delivery of the drug 180 to the packaging unit 110 (at block 430). The tablet sensor 240 detects whether a tablet has been dispensed through the conduit 235 and provides an indication signal to the electronic processor 305. If the electronic processor 305 determines that the drug 180 has been delivered to the packaging unit 110, the method returns to block 405 to deliver the next drug. If the electronic processor 305 determines that the drug 180 has not been delivered to the packaging unit 110, the electronic processor 305 sends an interrupt to the control system of the automatic packaging machine 100 and returns to block 405 to redeliver the drug 180.

[0036] FIG. 13 shows an exemplary automatic packaging machine 500 that includes a general-purpose feed cassette 505 and a packaging unit 510 according to another embodiment. The general-purpose feed cassette 505 receives drugs from a bulk canister and individually dispenses tablets to the packaging unit 510. Each general-purpose feed cassette 505 can dispense 10 separate tablets simultaneously. In some embodiments, the automatic packaging machine 500 can include two or more general-purpose feed cassettes 505.

[0037] In the example shown in FIG. 13, the packaging unit is a strip wrapping machine 510. Exemplary strip wrapping machines are described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013 / 0318931 and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0015445, the entire contents of both of which are incorporated herein by reference. FIG. 13 shows only one exemplary embodiment of an automatic packaging machine 500. The automatic packaging machine 500 can include more or fewer components than those shown in FIG. 13 and can perform functions other than those explicitly described herein.

[0038] Referring to FIGS. 14A and 14B, the general-purpose feed cassette 505 includes a plurality of cartridges 515 disposed within the housing of the general-purpose feed cassette 505. In one example, the general-purpose feed cassette 505 can include up to 10 cartridges 515 housed within cartridge slots 520. A pharmacist can load a drug from a bulk canister into each of the cartridges 515. The same drug may be loaded into each cartridge 515, or different drugs may be loaded into each cartridge 515. The cartridges 515 independently dispense drugs to the packaging unit 510.

[0039] The cartridges 515 are removably fixed to the general-purpose feed cassette 505. A pharmacist or technician can remove each individual cartridge 515 from the cartridge slot 520 and fill the cartridge 515 with a drug from a bulk canister. The cartridge 515 can then be placed in any of the cartridge slots 520.

[0040] Referring to FIGS. 15A, 15B, and 15C, each cartridge slot 520 includes a cartridge mechanism 525 that is actuated to dispense a drug from the cartridge 515. The cartridge mechanism 525 and the cartridge 515 can together be referred to as a cartridge assembly 530. When the cartridge 515 is housed within the cartridge slot 520, the cartridge 515 is removably fixed to the cartridge mechanism 525.

[0041] Referring to FIGS. 16 - 17C, the cartridge assembly 530 includes a spout 535, a reservoir 540, a wheel 545, a camera system 550, and a shuttle system 555 (e.g., a verification system). The cartridge assembly 530 also includes other electronic devices and sensors not shown. The spout 535 is provided at the top of the reservoir 540 to guide the drug from the bulk canister to the reservoir 540. The reservoir 540 stores the drug during the dispensing process. The reservoir 540 and the spout 535 are removable from the cartridge 515, enabling the pharmacist to remove the reservoir 540 and the spout 535 after the dispensing process. The pharmacist can return the unused drug after the dispensing process to the bulk container by removing the reservoir 540 and emptying the reservoir 540 into the bulk container using the spout 535. The pharmacist can also clean the spout 535 and the reservoir 540 when the cartridge 515 is loaded with a different type of drug.

[0042] The wheel 545 is provided within the cartridge 515 and includes a bottom disposed within the reservoir 540. The wheel 545 is driven by a motor assembly 560 provided at the top of the cartridge assembly 530. In particular, the wheel 545 includes teeth that mesh with the motor assembly 560, and the motor assembly 560 uses the meshing of the teeth of the wheel 545 and the motor assembly 560 to rotate the wheel 545. As described above, a position sensor assembly can be used to determine the position and / or speed of the wheel 545 in order to control the rotation of the wheel 545.

[0043] Referring to FIGS. 18A - 20, a scoop disk 565 (e.g., a scoop member or a scoop attachment) is attached to a wheel 545 and scoops a medicament 180 from a reservoir 540. The scoop disk 565 includes one or more inward protrusions 570 and retaining pins 575 that protrude from an inner portion of the scoop disk 565. In the illustrated example, the scoop disk 565 includes four inward protrusions 570 and four retaining pins 575. The inward protrusions 570 protrude into the disk toward the wheel 545. The inward protrusions 570 include stoppers 580 along the circumferential ends of the inward protrusions 570. The retaining pins 575 and the stoppers 580 are used to hold the medicament 180 during rotation of the scoop disk 565.

[0044] During rotation of the wheel 545 and the scoop disk 565, when the inward protrusions 570 encounter the reservoir 540 and the plurality of medicaments 180 within the reservoir 540, the medicaments 180 move into the inward protrusions 570. The retaining pins 575 are retracted when the inward protrusions 570 are moving along the reservoir 540 at a position below the wheel 545. When the inward protrusions 570 move away from the reservoir 540, the retaining pins 575 advance toward the circumferential ends of the inward protrusions 570 and engage the medicaments 180. As a result, as shown in FIGS. 18A - 18C, the medicaments 180 are held between the circumferential ends of the inward protrusions 570, the retaining pins 575, and the stoppers 580. The inward protrusions 570 and the retaining pins 575 can be used to hold many different sizes of medicaments 180. That is, the same cartridge 515 can be used for any type of medicament 180. Typically, only a single medicament 180 is pinched between the retaining pins 575 and the inward protrusions 570, while the other medicaments 180 return into the reservoir 540 during rotation of the wheel 545. When the inward protrusions 570 approach the shuttle system 555, the retaining pins 575 are retracted again and the medicaments 180 are dropped into the shuttle system 555. The wheel 545 and the scoop disk 565 can together be referred to as a unification mechanism. In some embodiments, rather than being separated from the wheel 545, the scoop disk 565 (e.g., a scoop member) can be integrally formed with the wheel 545.

[0045] FIG. 21 shows a cam and follower mechanism 585 used to advance and retract the holding pins 575. The cam and follower mechanism 585 is provided, for example, on the inner surface of the scoop disk 565 between the scoop disk 565 and the wheel 545. The cam and follower mechanism 585 includes a cam 590 and a plurality of followers 595. As shown in FIG. 21, the cartridge assembly 530 includes four followers 595 and four holding pins 575, one for each inner protrusion 570. The cam 590 includes an arc portion 592 and a notch portion 594. The arc portion 592 extends further from the center portion of the cam 590 than the notch portion 594. The follower 595 includes a first arm 600 that engages the cam 590 and a second arm 605 that is fixed to the holding pin 575. The first arm 600 and the second arm 605 are pivoted about the central portion 610 of the follower 595.

[0046] When the first arm 600 engages the arc portion 592 of the cam 590, the first arm 600 is pushed toward the periphery of the wheel 545. As a result, due to the pivoting of the central portion 610, the second arm 605 retracts toward the center of the wheel 545, thereby retracting the holding pin 575. When the first arm 600 engages the notch portion 594 of the cam 590, the first arm 600 moves toward the center of the wheel 545. As a result, due to the pivoting of the central portion 610, the second arm 605 advances toward the periphery of the wheel 545, thereby advancing the holding pin 575 into the inner protrusion 570. The cam 590 is fixed such that the holding pin 575 retracts when the inner protrusion 570 drops the drug 180 into the shuttle system 555 and when the inner protrusion 570 is within the reservoir. Further, the cam 590 is fixed such that the holding pin 575 advances when the inner protrusion 570 exits the reservoir 540.

[0047] Referring to FIG. 20, when the holding pin 575 is retracted above the shuttle system 555, the drug 180 is individually delivered to the shuttle system 555. The camera system 550 can be used to verify that the expected drug 180 (e.g., a single, intact (or unbroken) drug 180) is delivered to the shuttle system 555. The illustrated camera system 135 includes a mirror 615 disposed on the shuttle system 555 and a camera 620 disposed above the spout 535. The mirror 615 is tilted so that the camera 620 can acquire an image of the contents of the shuttle system 555. The camera system 550 may additionally include an illumination system (e.g., an LED illumination system) that illuminates the contents of the shuttle system 555 when the camera 620 is capturing an image.

[0048] The shuttle system 555 includes a platform 625, a shuttle 630, and a shuttle drive 635. The platform 625 can be made of a transparent or translucent plastic material. As described above, an LED illumination system can be provided above and / or below the platform 625 to illuminate the contents on the platform 625 when the camera system 550 is capturing an image of the contents. The LED illumination system can emit visible light or infrared light to illuminate the platform 625 for the camera 620.

[0049] The shuttle 630 can be moved between above the platform 625, above the reservoir 540, and above the conduit 640 (shown in FIG. 15C). The shuttle 630 transfers the drug from the platform 625 to either the reservoir 540 or the conduit 640. The shuttle 630 is driven by the shuttle drive 635. The shuttle drive 635 can be a motor assembly, an actuator, etc. that moves the shuttle 630 between above the platform 625, above the reservoir 540, and above the conduit 640.

[0050] The conduit 640 is similar to the conduit 235 described above. Further, the general-purpose feed cassette 505 and the cartridge assembly 530 may include components similar to the general-purpose feed cassette 105 and the cartridge 115 as described above.

[0051] FIG. 22 is a block diagram of one embodiment of the cartridge assembly 530. In the illustrated example, the cartridge assembly 530 includes an electronic processor 705, a memory 710, a transceiver 715, a camera system 550, a shuttle drive 635, and a tablet sensor 240. The electronic processor 705, the memory 710, the transceiver 715, the camera system 550, the motor assembly 560, the shuttle drive 635, and the tablet sensor 240 communicate via one or more control and / or data buses (e.g., communication bus 720). FIG. 22 shows only one exemplary embodiment of the cartridge assembly 530. The cartridge assembly 530 can include more components or fewer components and can perform functions other than those explicitly described herein.

[0052] In some embodiments, the electronic processor 705, the memory 710, and the transceiver 715 are implemented similarly to the electronic processor 305, the memory 310, and the transceiver 315. In some embodiments, the general-purpose feed cassette 505 or the automatic packaging machine may include a single electronic processor 705, a single memory 710, and a single transceiver 715 that control all of the cartridge assemblies 530.

[0053] The camera system 550 receives a control signal from the electronic processor 705. Based on the control signal received from the electronic processor 705, the camera system 550 controls an illumination system that illuminates the camera 620 and the platform 625. The motor assembly 560 can transmit a position sensor signal to the electronic processor 705 and receive a control signal to operate the motor of the motor assembly 560 based on the position sensor signal. As described above, the shuttle drive 635 can be a motor assembly or an actuator. The shuttle drive 635 also includes a position sensor 650 (shown in FIGS. 18A - 18C) for determining the position of the shuttle 630. The shuttle drive 635 can transmit the signal of the position sensor 650 to the electronic processor 705, and this electronic processor transmits a control signal to the shuttle drive 635 to move the shuttle 630 based on the signal of the position sensor. In some embodiments, the shuttle system 555 can also include a shuttle home sensor, which indicates whether the shuttle 630 is in the home position. The signal from the shuttle home sensor is supplied to the electronic processor 705 to control the movement of the shuttle 630.

[0054] The tablet sensor 240 communicates with the electronic processor 705 to provide an indication of whether a tablet is being dispensed through the conduit 640. The electronic processor 705 also controls an indicator system 250 to provide an indication of the status of each cartridge 515. The cartridge 515 can also include additional electronic devices 725 such as a cartridge sensor and a solenoid lock. The cartridge sensor determines whether the cartridge 515 is in the correct position within the general - purpose feed cassette 505 and whether the cartridge 515 is properly installed. The solenoid lock holds the cartridge 515 in a predetermined position during the dispensing process to prevent other drugs (e.g., drugs of a different type than the drug dispensed by the cartridge 515) from being added to the cartridge 515.

[0055] FIG. 23 shows an exemplary automatic packaging machine 800 including a general-purpose feed cassette 805 and a packaging unit 810 according to yet another embodiment. In the illustrated example, the general-purpose feed cassette 805 can dispense up to 20 tablets simultaneously. In the example shown in FIG. 23, the packaging unit 810 is a strip packaging machine. As described above, exemplary strip packaging machines are described in U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. 2013 / 0318931 and 2017 / 0015445, the entire contents of both of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0056] Referring to FIGS. 24-26, the general-purpose feed cassette 805 includes a housing 815 having a plurality of cartridge slots 820 therein. An opening 825 is provided on the front side (e.g., the first side) of the housing 815, and a cassette cover 830 covers the rear side (e.g., the second side) of the housing 815. A dispensing opening 835 is provided on the bottom side of the housing 815. The dispensing opening 835 is in communication with a chute 832 of the packaging unit 810.

[0057] In the example shown in FIGS. 24-26, the general-purpose feed cassette 805 includes up to 20 cartridge slots 820. The cartridge slots 820 are arranged in a duplex-formation such that a second row of cartridge slots 820 is provided above a first row of cartridge slots 820 within the housing 815. FIG. 26 shows a side view of the duplex-formation of the cartridge slots 820. A separation platform 834 is provided between the first and second rows of cartridge slots 820. The cartridge slots 820 receive the cartridges 840 through openings 825. A plurality of cartridge mechanisms 845, one for each cartridge slot 820, are secured to the upper portion of the housing 815 for the second row of cartridge slots 820 and to the separation platform 834 for the first row of cartridge slots 820. When received within the cartridge slots 820, the cartridges 840 are connected to the cartridge mechanisms 845. The cartridge mechanisms 845 individually dispense the medicament 180 from the cartridges 840, as will be described in detail below. A dispensing opening 835 transfers the medicament 180 from the cartridges 840 to the packaging unit 810 for packaging. The cassette cover 830 can be removed to access the cartridge mechanisms 845 from the rear side of the housing 815. The cartridge mechanisms 845 are removably secured to the housing 815 such that a technician can remove the cartridge mechanisms 845 for service.

[0058] Referring to FIGS. 27 - 30, the cartridge 840 includes a reservoir 850, a reservoir cover 855, a wheel 860, and a scooping member 865. The reservoir 850 stores the agent 180 during the dispensing process. The wheel 860 is provided on one side of the cartridge 840 and extends to the bottom of the reservoir 850. The bottom of the reservoir 850 has a curved shape that starts from the opposite side, front side, and rear side of the wheel 860 and ends at the center of the bottom of the wheel 860 (see FIG. 30). The curved shape of the reservoir 850 guides the agent 180 within the reservoir 850 towards the bottom of the wheel 860, particularly into the scooping member 865 of the wheel 860.

[0059] The reservoir cover 855 covers a part of the reservoir 850 (for example, the spout portion 870). The reservoir cover 855 is pivotally attached to the spout portion 870 so as to pivot between an open position and a closed position. When a pharmacist empties the contents of the cartridge 840, the reservoir cover 855 pivots to the open position, enabling the agent 180 to flow out of the reservoir 850 into the bulk container. During the dispensing process, the cartridge mechanism 845 includes a stopper 846 to prevent the reservoir cover 855 from opening. Accordingly, the agent 180 within the reservoir 850 is inaccessible outside the device during the dispensing process.

[0060] Tooth 875 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of wheel 860. During the dispensing process, tooth 875 meshes with the teeth of a shaft driven by the motor assembly of cartridge mechanism 845. Wheel 860 includes three scooping members 865 for scooping individual medicaments 180 from reservoir 850. Scooping member 865 includes an inward projection 866 that extends into wheel 860. The curved surface of reservoir 850 guides medicament 180 to the inward projection of scooping member 865. Scooping member 865 includes a stopper 868 along the circumferential end of the inward projection that holds medicament 180 when wheel 860 is rotated. Scooping member 865 can be made in various sizes to accommodate medicaments 180 of various sizes. Scooping member 865 can be exchanged to configure cartridge 840 for dispensing medicaments 180 of different sizes. Also, scooping member 865 can be removed for cleaning. In some embodiments, rather than being separated from wheel 860, scooping member 865 can be integrally formed with wheel 860. In these embodiments, wheel 860 or cartridge 840 can be exchanged for dispensing medicaments 180 of different sizes.

[0061] Wheel 860 includes a retaining pin 880 (see FIG. 32) that extends and retracts from the inside of wheel 860 during rotation of wheel 860. The scoop member 865 includes an opening for receiving the retaining pin 880. Together with the stopper and the circumferential surface of the inward protrusion 866, the retaining pin 880 is used to hold the drug 180 when the wheel 860 is rotating. During rotation of the wheel 860, when the inward protrusion 866 of the scoop member 865 encounters the reservoir 850, the drug 180 in the reservoir 850 moves inward into the scoop member 865 due to the curved shape of the reservoir 850. The retaining pin 880 is retracted as the scoop member 865 moves along the reservoir 850 at the bottom of the wheel 860. When the scoop member 865 moves out of the reservoir 850, the retaining pin 880 advances toward the circumferential end of the scoop member 865 and engages the drug 180. The drug 180 is held between the circumferential end of the scoop member 865, the retaining pin 880, and the stopper 868. The scoop member 865 and the retaining pin 880 can be used with any type of drug 180. Typically, only a single drug 180 is sandwiched between the retaining pin 880 and the scoop member 865, and the other drugs 180 return to the reservoir 850 during rotation of the wheel 860. When the scoop member 865 passes through the upper part of the wheel 860, the retaining pin 880 is retracted again to drop the drug 180 into the cartridge mechanism 845. The wheel 860 and the scoop member 865 can together be referred to as a unifying mechanism.

[0062] Figures 28-29 show a cam and follower mechanism 885 used to move the holding pins 880 forward and backward. The cam and follower mechanism 885 is provided on the wheel 860. The cam and follower mechanism 885 includes a cam 890 and a plurality of followers 895. In the illustrated example, the cartridge 840 includes three followers 895, one for each of the holding pins 880. The holding pins 880 are attached to the followers 895 and move with the followers 895. The cam 890 is fixed to the cartridge 840 and remains stationary even when the wheel 860 is rotated. The cam 890 includes an arc portion 892 and a notch portion 894. The arc portion 892 extends farther from the center of the cam 890 than the notch portion 894. The follower 895 includes a flat portion 896 connected to the holding pin 880 and an outwardly projecting portion 898 extending from the flat portion 896 to engage the circumferential surface of the cam 890. A spring mechanism is connected to the radially inner end of the follower 895 and provides an inward biasing force to the follower 895. The holding pins 880 advance when the corresponding followers 895 engage the arc portion 892 of the cam 890 and retract when the corresponding followers 895 engage the notch portion 894 of the cam 890. The follower 895 retracts by the biasing force of the spring mechanism when the follower engages the notch portion 894 of the cam 890.

[0063] Referring to FIGS. 31-35, the cartridge mechanism 845 includes a shuttle system 900 (e.g., a verification system), a camera system 905, a motor assembly 910, a printed circuit board 915, and a lockout mechanism 916. The shuttle system 900 shown in FIG. 33 includes a platform 920, a shuttle 925, and a shuttle drive 930. The platform 920 can be made of a transparent or translucent plastic material. As described above, an LED illumination system 922 can be provided above and / or below the platform 920 to illuminate the contents on the platform 920 when the camera system 905 is capturing an image of the contents. The LED illumination system 922 can emit visible light or infrared light to illuminate the platform 920.

[0064] Typically, a single LED device can be used below the platform 920 to illuminate the translucent platform 920. However, a single LED device may not be able to provide uniform illumination across the entire surface area of the platform 920. In particular, each LED device includes a light signature such that the center of the platform 920 is brighter than the edges of the platform. This luminance irregularity can result in misidentification of the agent 180 during the image recognition process. To provide uniform luminance across the surface area of the platform, several LED devices can be arranged around the perimeter of the bottom surface of the platform. In some embodiments, the light signature of the LED device is detected and a backing 924 (see FIG. 36) can be applied to the platform to correct the light signature of the LED device. As shown in FIG. 36, the backing 924 includes dark spots that mimic the light signature of the LED device to correct the luminance irregularities observed on the platform 920. Since each LED device has a different light signature, a different backing 924 is deployed one by one for each of the cartridge mechanisms 845. When applied to the platform 920, the backing 924 distributes the light from the LED devices of the LED illumination system 922 such that all parts of the platform 920 are illuminated with a similar brightness.

[0065] The shuttle 925 can be moved laterally between above the platform 920, above the reservoir 850, and above the conduit 935. The shuttle 925 transfers the drug from the platform 920 to either the reservoir 850 or the conduit 935. The shuttle 925 is driven by a shuttle drive 930. The shuttle drive 930 can be a motor assembly, an actuator, etc. that moves the shuttle 925 between above the platform 920, above the reservoir 850, and above the conduit 935. In the illustrated example, the shuttle drive 930 includes a rotating screw 932 that moves the shuttle 925 laterally between the platform 920, the reservoir 850, and the conduit 935.

[0066] The camera system 905 includes a camera 940 and a mirror 945. The camera 940 is disposed behind the cartridge mechanism 845. The camera 940 can be a still camera or a video camera that captures an image of the contents of the platform. The mirror 945 is disposed directly above the platform 920 and is tilted at an angle of 45 degrees so that the camera 940 disposed behind the cartridge mechanism 845 can capture an image of the platform 920.

[0067] The motor assembly 910 includes a motor 950 that drives a shaft 955 disposed at the center of the cartridge mechanism 845. The shaft 955 includes teeth 956 that mesh with the teeth 875 of the wheel 860 (see FIG. 33). When the motor 950 is driven, the shaft 955 rotates the wheel 860 to individually dispense the drug 180.

[0068] The PCB 915 includes the electrical components of the cartridge mechanism 845. The PCB 915 is disposed on the side opposite the wheel 860. In some embodiments, the PCB 915 includes an antenna 960 (see FIGS. 28 - 29) for detecting an RFID tag 965 disposed on the cartridge 840. The RFID tag 965 can store information about the cartridge 840. The information stored in the RFID tag 965 can include, for example, identification information of the cartridge 840, dosing restrictions of the cartridge 840 (e.g., for allergic or non - allergic drugs only), and the like.

[0069] The lock - out mechanism 916 is, for example, a lock - out solenoid that prevents the cartridge 840 from being loaded into the cartridge mechanism 845 when the lock - out mechanism 916 is activated. During the dispensing process, not all cartridge mechanisms 845 are used to fill a prescription. In these situations, the lock - out mechanism 916 is used to prevent the cartridge 840 from being placed on an inactive cartridge mechanism 845. Additionally, the lock - out mechanism 916 can be used to prevent an incompatible or incorrect cartridge 840 from being loaded into the cartridge mechanism. For example, the cartridge mechanism 845 can read the RFID tag 965 to determine whether a correctly and compatibly configured cartridge 840 is loaded into the cartridge mechanism. The cartridge mechanism 845 can de - activate the lock - out mechanism 916 only when the correct cartridge 840 is loaded into the cartridge mechanism 845. The lock - out mechanism 916 can also be used to prevent the cartridge 840 from being removed from the cartridge mechanism 845. In particular, the lock - out mechanism 916 locks the cartridge 840 in a predetermined position when loaded into the cartridge mechanism 845. During the dispensing process, the lock - out mechanism 916 is activated to prevent the removal of the cartridge 840. The lock - out mechanism 916 can be de - activated when the dispensing process is complete and the cartridge 840 can be removed from the cartridge mechanism 845.

[0070] FIG. 35 is a block diagram of one embodiment of the cartridge mechanism 845. In the example shown, the cartridge mechanism 845 includes an electronic processor 970, a memory 975, a transceiver 980, a camera system 905, a motor assembly 910, a lockout mechanism 916, a shuttle drive 930, an antenna 960, a tablet sensor 240, and an indicator system 990. The electronic processor 970, the memory 975, the transceiver 980, the camera system 905, the motor assembly 910, the lockout mechanism 916, the shuttle drive 930, and the tablet sensor 240 communicate via one or more control and / or data buses (e.g., communication bus 985). FIG. 35 shows only one exemplary embodiment of the cartridge mechanism 845. The cartridge mechanism 845 may include more or fewer components and may perform functions other than those explicitly described herein.

[0071] In some embodiments, the electronic processor 970, the memory 975, and the transceiver 980 are implemented similar to the electronic processor 305, the memory 310, and the transceiver 315. In some embodiments, the general-purpose feed cassette 805 or the automatic packaging machine 800 may include a single electronic processor 970, a single memory 975, and a single transceiver 980 that control all of the cartridge mechanisms 845.

[0072] The camera system 905 receives a control signal from the electronic processor 970. Based on the control signal received from the electronic processor 970, the camera system 905 controls an illumination system that illuminates the camera 940 and the platform 920. The motor assembly 910 can transmit a position sensor 175 signal to the electronic processor 970 and receive a control signal to operate the motor of the motor assembly 910 based on the position sensor 175 signal. As described above, the shuttle drive unit 930 can be a motor assembly or an actuator. The shuttle drive unit 930 can also include a position sensor that determines the position of the shuttle 925. The shuttle drive unit 930 can transmit a position sensor signal to the electronic processor 970, and this electronic processor transmits a control signal to the shuttle drive unit 930 to move the shuttle 925 based on the position sensor signal. In some embodiments, the shuttle system 900 may also include a shuttle home sensor, which indicates whether the shuttle 925 is in the home position. A signal from the shuttle home sensor is supplied to the electronic processor 970 to control the movement of the shuttle 925.

[0073] The tablet sensor 240 communicates with the electronic processor 970 to provide an indication of whether a tablet is dispensed through the conduit 935. The electronic processor 970 also controls an indicator system 250 to provide an indication of the status of each cartridge 840. The indicator system 990 may include one or more LEDs provided behind a translucent plastic material. The electronic processor 970 can use the indicator system 990 to indicate, for example, whether the cartridge 840 is correctly positioned in the cartridge slot 820. The electronic processor 970 can, for example, activate a blue LED to indicate that the next cartridge 840 should be placed in the corresponding cartridge slot 820 (i.e., the cartridge slot 820 corresponding to the cartridge mechanism 845 where the blue LED is activated). The electronic processor 970 can, for example, activate a green LED to indicate that the cartridge 840 is correctly positioned in the cartridge slot 820. The electronic processor 970 can, for example, activate a red LED to indicate that the cartridge 840 is not correctly positioned in the cartridge slot 820. In addition, the electronic processor 970 can use the indicator system 990 to provide an indication of where to place the cartridge 840 and when to remove the cartridge 840. For example, the electronic processor 970 can activate a blue LED to indicate that the pharmacist can place the cartridge 840 in the cartridge slot 820 corresponding to the activated LED. The electronic processor 970 can activate the blue LED again to indicate that the dispensing process is complete and the cartridge 840 can be removed from the cartridge slot 820.

[0074] FIG. 37 is a flowchart showing one exemplary method 1060 of delivering a drug to the platform 920. As shown in FIG. 37, method 1060 includes rotating the scoop member 865 beyond the bottom of the reservoir 850 using the motor assembly 910 (at block 1065). Referring to FIG. 30, when the scoop member 865 is at the bottom of the reservoir 850, the drug 180 moves into the inner protrusion 866 of the scoop member 865 due to the curved shape of the reservoir 850. When the drug 180 moves into the inner protrusion 866, the stopper 868 of the scoop member 865 holds at least one drug 180 beyond the bottom of the reservoir 850 when the scoop member 865 rotates beyond the bottom of the reservoir 850. The scoop member 865 is disposed within the wheel 860 along the circumferential end of the wheel 860. The wheel 860 is rotated to rotate the scoop member 865. As described above, the teeth 875 of the wheel 860 engage the teeth of the shaft 955 driven by the motor 950.

[0075] Also, method 1060 includes advancing the retaining pin 880 into the scoop member 865 using the cam and follower mechanism 885 (at block 1070). Referring to FIGS. 28 and 30, when the scoop member 865 rotates beyond the bottom of the reservoir 850, the follower 895 corresponding to the scoop member 865 encounters the arc portion 892 of the cam 890. Thereafter, the follower 895 is advanced, which advances the retaining pin 880 toward the periphery of the inner protrusion 866 of the scoop member 865.

[0076] Method 1060 further includes holding the drug between the retaining pin 880 and the stopper 868 (at block 1075). When the retaining pin 880 advances, the drug 180 is held between the retaining pin 880, the circumferential end of the scoop member 865, and the stopper 868. The drug 180 is held in such a manner until the scoop member 865 passes the upper (top) portion of the wheel 860.

[0077] Method 1060 also includes, at block 1080, using motor assembly 910 to rotate scoop member 865 over the top of wheel 860. As described above, motor assembly 910 rotates wheel 860, which rotates scoop member 865. Motor assembly 910 may also include a position sensor (not shown) that detects the position of wheel 860. For example, motor assembly 910 may include a Hall sensor that detects a magnet placed at a particular location on wheel 860 to determine the position of wheel 860. In other embodiments, the position sensor may be an optical sensor or the like.

[0078] Method 1060 further includes, at block 1085, using a cam and follower mechanism 885 to retract holding pin 880 to drop drug 180 onto platform 920 (or, for example, a verification system that verifies that a predicted drug 180 (e.g., the correct, single, and unbroken drug 180) is delivered). Referring to FIGS. 28 and 30, as scoop member 865 rotates over the top of wheel 860, follower 895 corresponding to scoop member 865 encounters notch 894 in cam 890. Follower 895 is then retracted, which retracts holding pin 880 away from around the inward protrusion 866 of scoop member 865. When holding pin 880 is retracted, drug 180 drops from scoop member 865 onto platform 920. Scoop member 865 may be shaped to include a curved portion in the radially inward portion of scoop member 865. When drug 180 is released by holding pin 880, the curved portion pushes drug 180 away from wheel 860 and onto platform 920. Thus, method 1060 delivers a single drug 180 to platform 920.

[0079] Accordingly, the present invention provides, among other things, a general-purpose feed mechanism for an automatic packaging machine. The following appendix is noted. (Appendix 1) A reservoir for storing a plurality of drugs; A wheel including a bottom disposed within the reservoir and rotatable with respect to the reservoir; A scooping member provided on the wheel so as to rotate with the wheel and to unify the drugs from the reservoir; Having A cartridge for an automatic packaging machine. (Appendix 2) The scooping member includes an inwardly protruding portion that extends inwardly into the wheel, and the reservoir includes a curved shape that guides the plurality of drugs toward the inwardly protruding portion when the scooping member is within the reservoir. The cartridge according to Appendix 1. (Appendix 3) The scooping member includes a stopper along a circumferential end of the inwardly protruding portion for holding the drug when the wheel rotates. The cartridge according to Appendix 2. (Appendix 4) Further having a holding pin extending through the wheel and the scooping member, and the drug is unified by holding a single drug between the holding pin, the stopper, and the circumferential end of the scooping member. The cartridge according to Appendix 3. (Appendix 5) Further having a cam and follower mechanism coupled to the holding pin and configured to advance or retract the holding pin within the scooping member. The cartridge according to Appendix 4. (Appendix 6) The cam and follower mechanism advances the holding pin when the scooping member is rotated beyond the bottom of the wheel and retracts the holding pin when the scooping member is rotated beyond the top of the wheel. The cartridge according to Appendix 5. (Appendix 7) The wheel includes teeth provided on an outer circumferential surface of the wheel, and the teeth mesh with teeth of a motor assembly that rotates the wheel. The cartridge according to Appendix 1. (Appendix 8) Further comprising a pouring port portion provided above the reservoir so as to guide the drug from the bulk container of the drug to the reservoir. The cartridge according to Appendix 1. (Appendix 9) Further comprising a reservoir cover pivotally coupled to the pouring port portion so as to pivot between an open position and a closed position. The cartridge according to Appendix 8. (Appendix 10) Further comprising an RFID tag configured to store information of the cartridge. The cartridge according to Appendix 1. (Appendix 11) A platform configured to receive a drug from a cartridge; A camera system; An electronic processor coupled to the camera system, wherein the electronic processor: Controls the camera system to capture an image of the platform; Determines whether a drug expected based on the image has been delivered to the platform; In response to a determination that the expected drug has been delivered to the platform, distributes the drug from the cartridge; In response to a determination that the expected drug has not been delivered to the platform, returns the drug to the cartridge; An electronic processor configured as such; Having A cartridge mechanism for an automatic packaging machine. (Appendix 12) A shuttle provided on the platform for moving the drug from the platform to a first position and a second position; A shuttle drive unit coupled to the shuttle, the shuttle drive unit driving the shuttle between the platform, the first position, and the second position. Further comprising The electronic processor further: controls the shuttle drive unit to drive the shuttle to the first position to dispense the agent from the cartridge; controls the shuttle drive unit to drive the shuttle to the second position to return the agent to the cartridge; is configured as: the cartridge mechanism according to appendix 11. (Appendix 13) When the shuttle is in the first position, the shuttle is above the reservoir of the cartridge, and when the shuttle is in the second position, the shuttle is above the conduit of the cartridge. the cartridge mechanism according to appendix 12. (Appendix 14) further includes a tablet sensor provided along the conduit for detecting whether the agent is dispensed through the conduit, the cartridge mechanism according to appendix 13. (Appendix 15) further includes a motor assembly for driving the cartridge unification mechanism, and the electronic processor is further configured to control the motor assembly to deliver the agent to the platform. the cartridge mechanism according to appendix 12. (Appendix 16) further includes a position sensor for detecting the position of the unification mechanism and providing a position signal indicating the position of the unification mechanism to the electronic processor, and the electronic processor is further configured to determine that the agent is delivered to the platform based on the position signal received from the position sensor. the cartridge mechanism according to appendix 15. (Appendix 17) The camera system: a mirror disposed obliquely above the platform; a camera that uses the mirror to capture an image of the platform; includes: The cartridge mechanism described in Supplementary Note 12. (Supplementary Note 18) Further comprising an antenna, wherein the electronic processor is coupled to the antenna and further: configured to read the RFID tag of the cartridge using the antenna to determine the type of the drug dispensed from the cartridge. The cartridge mechanism described in Supplementary Note 12. (Supplementary Note 19) Further comprising an illumination system controlled by the electronic processor, and the electronic processor is further configured to control the illumination system to illuminate the contents of the platform when the camera system is capturing the image of the platform. The cartridge mechanism described in Supplementary Note 12. (Supplementary Note 20) A method of dispensing a drug from a cartridge using a cartridge mechanism, comprising: delivering the drug to the platform of the cartridge mechanism; and using an electronic processor to control a camera system to capture an image of the platform; and using the electronic processor to determine whether the drug expected based on the image has been delivered to the platform; and in response to the determination that the expected drug has been delivered to the platform, dispensing the drug from the cartridge; and in response to the determination that the expected drug has not been delivered to the platform, returning the drug to the cartridge. Method. (Supplementary Note 21) using the electronic processor to control a shuttle drive unit to drive the shuttle of the cartridge mechanism to a first position for dispensing the drug from the cartridge; and Controlling the shuttle drive unit to drive the shuttle to a second position to return the drug to the cartridge using the electronic processor; further comprising When the shuttle is in the first position, the shuttle is above the reservoir of the cartridge, and when the shuttle is in the second position, the shuttle is above the conduit of the cartridge. The method according to appendix 20. (Appendix 22) further comprising using a tablet sensor arranged in the conduit to detect whether the drug is dispensed through the conduit. The method according to appendix 21. (Appendix 23) further comprising using the electronic processor to control a motor assembly to deliver the drug to the platform, the motor assembly driving a unification mechanism of the cartridge to deliver the drug. The method according to appendix 20. (Appendix 24) detecting the position of the unification mechanism using a position sensor; providing a position signal indicating the position of the unification mechanism to the electronic processor using the position sensor; determining that the drug has been delivered to the platform based on the position signal received from the position sensor; further comprising. The method according to appendix 23. (Appendix 25) further comprising using the electronic processor to control an illumination system to illuminate the contents of the platform when the camera system is capturing an image of the platform. The method according to appendix 20.

Claims

1. A plurality of slots; A plurality of cartridges configured to be received within the plurality of slots, each of the plurality of cartridges including identifier information in a housing of the cartridge; A plurality of cartridge mechanisms corresponding to each of the plurality of slots, the plurality of cartridge mechanisms configured to operate the plurality of cartridges to dispense pharmaceuticals from the plurality of cartridges to a platform, each of the plurality of cartridge mechanisms including a sensor configured to detect the identifier information of one cartridge received in one of the plurality of slots; Each of the plurality of cartridge mechanisms further comprises: A lockout mechanism; and An electronic processor coupled to the lockout mechanism and configured to control the lockout mechanism based on a sensor reading from the sensor; The electronic processor is configured to control the lockout mechanism to prevent the cartridge from being placed in an inactive cartridge mechanism among the plurality of cartridge mechanisms. An automatic packaging machine.

2. Each of the plurality of cartridge mechanisms further has a printed circuit board (PCB) assembly including the electronic processor and electrical components, the PCB assembly configured to control the operation of the cartridge. The automatic packaging machine according to claim 1.

3. The PCB assembly includes the sensor configured to detect the identifier information. The automatic packaging machine according to claim 2.

4. The identifier information is provided by a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag. The automatic packaging machine according to claim 1.

5. The lockout mechanism includes a lockout solenoid that prevents the cartridge from being loaded into the cartridge mechanism when the lockout mechanism is actuated by the electronic processor. The automatic packaging machine according to claim 1.

6. The electronic processor is further configured to control the lockout mechanism to prevent an incompatible or incorrect cartridge from being loaded into the cartridge mechanism. The automatic packaging machine according to claim 1.

7. The electronic processor is configured to deactivate the lockout mechanism in response to a correct cartridge being loaded into the cartridge mechanism. The automatic packaging machine according to claim 6.

8. The electronic processor is configured to control the lockout mechanism to prevent the cartridge from being removed from the cartridge mechanism in response to determining that a drug dispensing process is occurring. The automatic packaging machine according to claim 6.

9. The electronic processor is configured to provide an indication as to whether the cartridge is correctly positioned in the slot. The automatic packaging machine according to claim 1.

10. The electronic processor controls an indicator system to provide an indication of the status of each cartridge based on the sensor readings. The automatic packaging machine according to claim 9.

11. The indicator system includes one or more LEDs. The automatic packaging machine according to claim 10.

12. The electronic processor activates a green LED to indicate that the cartridge is correctly positioned in the slot. The automatic packaging machine according to claim 11.

13. The electronic processor activates a red LED to indicate that the cartridge is incorrectly positioned in the slot. The automatic packaging machine according to claim 11.

14. A cartridge mechanism for an automatic packaging machine, comprising: a sensor; and an electronic processor coupled to the sensor, the electronic processor being configured to: use the sensor to detect identifier information of a cartridge; in response to detecting the identifier information of the cartridge, use an indicator system to provide an indication as to whether the cartridge is a correct cartridge or an incorrect cartridge; an electronic processor; and each of the cartridge mechanisms further comprises: a lockout mechanism; and an electronic processor coupled to the lockout mechanism, the electronic processor being configured to control the lockout mechanism based on sensor readings from the sensor; The electronic processor is configured to control the lockout mechanism to prevent the cartridge from being placed in an inactive cartridge mechanism of the cartridge mechanism. Cartridge mechanism.

15. Each of the cartridge mechanisms further has a printed circuit board (PCB) assembly including the electronic processor and electrical components, and the PCB assembly is configured to control the operation of the cartridge. The cartridge mechanism according to claim 14. **Claim 16** The PCB assembly includes the sensor that detects the identifier information. The cartridge mechanism according to claim 15. **Claim 17** The identifier information is provided by a radio frequency identifier (RFID) tag. The cartridge mechanism according to claim 14. **Claim 18** The lockout mechanism includes a lockout solenoid that prevents the cartridge from being loaded into the cartridge mechanism when the lockout mechanism is actuated by the electronic processor. The cartridge mechanism according to claim 14. **Claim 19** The electronic processor is further configured to control the lockout mechanism to prevent an incompatible or incorrect cartridge from being loaded into the cartridge mechanism. The cartridge mechanism according to claim 14. **Claim 20** The electronic processor is configured to deactivate the lockout mechanism in response to the correct cartridge being loaded into the cartridge mechanism. The cartridge mechanism according to claim 19. **Claim 21** The electronic processor is configured to control the lockout mechanism to prevent the cartridge from being removed from the cartridge mechanism in response to determining that a drug dispensing process is occurring. The cartridge mechanism according to claim 19. **Claim 22** The indicator system includes one or more LEDs. The cartridge mechanism according to claim 14. **Claim 23** The electronic processor activates a green LED to indicate that the cartridge is the correct cartridge. The cartridge mechanism according to claim 22. **Claim 24** The electronic processor activates a red LED to indicate that the cartridge is the incorrect cartridge. The cartridge mechanism according to claim 22. **Claim 25** A method of dispensing a drug, comprising: receiving a cartridge in a slot, the cartridge including identifier information in a housing of the cartridge. Using an electronic processor, reading an identifier including the identifier information of the cartridge; Using the electronic processor, providing an indication of whether the cartridge is the correct cartridge or an incorrect cartridge; and The electronic processor is coupled to a lockout mechanism, Using the electronic processor, controlling the lockout mechanism to prevent the cartridge from being placed in an inactive cartridge mechanism among a plurality of cartridge mechanisms; and further comprising A method.

26. Further comprising using the electronic processor to activate a green LED to indicate that the cartridge is the correct cartridge, The method according to claim 25.

27. Further comprising using the electronic processor to activate a red LED to indicate that the cartridge is the incorrect cartridge, The method according to claim 25.

28. Further comprising using the electronic processor to control the lockout mechanism based on whether the cartridge is the correct cartridge or the incorrect cartridge, The method according to claim 25.

29. Further comprising deactivating the lockout mechanism in response to the correct cartridge being loaded into the cartridge mechanism, The method according to claim 28.

30. Using the electronic processor, determining that a drug dispensing process is occurring; and Using the electronic processor, controlling the lockout mechanism to prevent the cartridge from being removed from the cartridge mechanism; and further comprising The method according to claim 28.

31. Further comprising using the electronic processor to control the lockout mechanism to prevent the incorrect cartridge from being loaded into the slot, The method according to claim 28.

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