47 results about "Pill count" patented technology

A stand alone imaging system is disclosed that captures undistorted, high resolution, stop-action images of objects (e.g., medicine pills) moving at automation speeds, processes the images in real time, and then performs real-time I/O based control that is a function of the image processing results. The imaging system has a form factor that enables it to be embedded inside a product (e.g., a pill dispenser). The imaging system also has a flexible I/O system so that a variety of different applications can be handled by changing only the programming and the external hardware connected to the device in which the imaging system is embedded. In the case of pill dispensing and quality control, a miniature, low cost imaging system can be embedded in a pill dispenser to obtain a pill image and then process the image in real time as the pill moves through a counting system. The embedded imaging system processes the images fast enough and with sufficient quality and resolution so as to command a pill counting mechanism to dispense or reject the pill based on the image processing results. Images of the pills can also be sent to a remote location or an archive. The embedded imaging system has sufficient processing power and I/O to control the entire pill counting mechanism. Lighting may be provided by a separate solid state lighting source which may be controlled by the embedded imaging system's camera or operated independently. Because of the rules governing abstracts, this abstract should not be used to construe the claims.

An automatic high-speed pill counting apparatus comprising: a cylindrical pill hopper 3 having a pill exit 10 and a center hole in a base plate 2; a rotational separative feeder 5 mounted in the cylindrical pill hopper and removably fitted on a shaft 6 borne in the center hole of the base plate, the feeder including an upper diametrically smaller portion 5b and a lower diametrically larger portion 5c having an external diameter approximate to the internal diameter of the lower portion of the pill hopper, a multiplicity of vertically through holes 5c being formed in the outer circumference of the lower diametrically larger portion and allowed to come into alignment with the pill exit for accommodating a plurality of pills vertically, the multiple vertically through holes 5d being enlarged at their lower portions, a ring-shaped slit 8 being formed in such a position in the outer circumference of the lower diametrically larger portion as to accommodate substantially one pill from the bottom; and a pill separating plate 11 mounted on the cylindrical pill hopper 3 above the pill exit and having an inwardly projected tip fitted loosely in the slit 8. The apparatus can count the pills quickly and accurately while preventing the inner wall of the cylindrical portion of the hopper from becoming dirty and the pills from being soiled or broken.

A pill handling apparatus having a plurality of rotary slats delivers pills from a reservoir to a number of containers. The rotary slats have receptacles in fluid communication with a vacuum assembly and the pills are drawn into the receptacles by vacuum. The pill may be released into containers by expelled air from a blower assembly. Pills entering containers may be individually counted to assure accurate filling of the containers. A conveyor may position the containers at filling stations to receive pills. The rotary slats may be independently rotatable for delivering accurate pill counts to the containers. Optical devices may inspect the pills as they travel toward the containers.

There is provided an automated prescription filling system using a robotic arm in combination with an automatic pharmaceutical dispenser having a plurality of individual pill-counting units, each under the control of its own microprocessor. The automatic pharmaceutical dispensers are modified for use with the robotic arm. Because tablet counting is completely independent of the robotic arm, system throughput is higher than in systems of the prior art. Unlike systems of the prior art, each individual pill-counting unit can be removed from behind the pharmaceutical dispenser so that the system need not be stopped for such service. The fact that counting operations are divorced from robotic arm movements allows the arm movements to be optimized and multiple prescriptions to be processed simultaneously. Controller software optimizes movement of the robotic arm based upon such factors as the fullness of the vial being transported.

A semi-automated pill counting system (10) using digital imaging technology and image recognition software including a modified Hough Transform. The system (10) comprises a light source (12); a modified pharmacist's tray (14); a digital camera (16); and a personal computer (PC)(18), with the PC (18) storing and executing the image recognition software. A roughly estimated number of pills are placed upon the tray (16) and illuminated by the light source (12), whereafter a digital image of the pills is produced by the camera (16) and sent via an interface to the PC(18). The image recognition software counts the pills present in the image and displays a count result. Based upon the count result, the pharmacist adds or removes pills to the tray (14), as appropriate, to complete the process.

A computerized pill intake reminder device is disclosed. The computerized pill intake reminder device is used for storing pills, detecting the number of pills in each pouch of the blister pack, inventory management, reminding users to take their medication on time, alerting by providing an audible or a visual alarm if the medications are not taken on time and as a secondary mechanism alerting their caregiver if the user has not responded to the alert and taken the medication on time.

The device includes a top housing and a bottom housing that can be rotated about each other to form a closed and sealed module. It also includes a processor that is communicatively coupled through an electronic circuit to a plurality of electronic components housed within the pill intake reminder device. These include a speaker, microphone, infrared sensors, cameras, LED lights, microphone, RFID scanner, non-volatile memory, transmitter, and a receiver. The LED lights can be programmed with various colors.

The speaker is used to sound an audible alarm play an audible message at a specific time to remind the user to take their medication or provide an alert if the time has passed. The device also includes a pill storage module that has an upper and a lower packing plate. The space in between the plates is where the blister pack is inserted.

The device includes a pill detection module. This module includes an infrared sensor (IR) and a camera. In operation, the processor causes the infrared sensor to detect the presence of a pill inside the pouch of the pill/blister pack and the processor causes the camera to quantify the number of pills in the pouch. The pill detection is performed by using a combination of IR Sensors, photodiodes, and a light emitting mechanism. A light beam, or an array of light beams, are passed from one side of the pouch to another and the light that passes through is read by the IR sensors and used for determining whether the pouch includes pills.

The device includes a guidance system to guide the user of the pill intake reminder device to a specific pouch of the pill/blister pack for retrieving pills stored in that pouch. It does so by illuminating a light emitting diode (LED) on or around a specific pouch from which medication/pills are to be retrieved by the user. It operates by obtaining the hours of administration (HOA) schedule for the patient and then locating a pouch of the pill/blister pack that correlates with the HOA schedule. Once located, the pouch is illuminated for guidance.

The device includes a display that can be used for providing visual alerts, videos, or recorded messages for instructing the user for taking the pills.

The device uses a transmitter to send alerts to mobile phone for reminding the user to take the medication as well as sending an alert for missing or noncompliance.

The radio frequency identification (RFID) reader is used to verify that a correct pill/blister pack, the one that is associated with the user/patient is being inserted into the device. The verifying process includes scanning an RFID tag located on the blister pack and matching it to patient information.

The device also performs periodic inventory of the pills in the blister pack. This includes using an infrared sensor housed within the electronic module to determine the presence of one or more pills in the pouch and using a camera housed underneath the pouch to image and count the number of pills that are in the pouch. The inventory serves as an error check to ensure that the right number of pills from the right pouch were taken by the user at their HOA. The pill inventory system also is used to re-order more medication, if allowed by the prescription, when it detects that it is time to replenish them.

The present invention relates to a drum type quantitative material-distributing equipment for preparing pills. Said equipment includes the following several portions: vertical arm, supporting frame, hollow supporting shaft, charging bin, pills-counting drum, pills-counting drum end cover, band-shaped pills-counting stepped hole, drug-sweeping wheel, pills-dischaging pneumatic needle and filling hopper, etc. said invention also provides their connection mode and its operation method.

A pill counting tray for counting pills. The pill counting tray includes a digital counter with a sensor that can digitally count the pills as they are being moved by a wand on the tray. The pill counting tray also includes a number of small evenly spaced terrain domes on one part of the tray to prevent the pills from clumping or clustering. The pill counting tray also includes a hinged return funnel that inclines upward when the pill counting tray is placed on a counter during counting, such that the hinged funnel creates a backstop to prevent pills from rolling off of the tray. The hinged funnel will rotate downward when the pill counting tray is lifted to ease the return of excess pills to the stock bottle. A portion of the surface of the hinged funnel also includes a number of spaced terrain domes.

The pill counter of the present invention, counts pills by measuring the weight of individual or a small number of pills as they gradually drop onto a weight scale. During the time between each pill drop, the count is obtained by comparing the weight of latest pills dropped to the expected weight ranges of one or more pills. The expected weight range includes pill weight variation and weight scale error. When the measured weight is between two expected ranges, there is at least one broken pill in addition to the whole pill count of the lower expected range. The counter adds the count of each pill drop to obtain the total count of the pills. In different approach, whenever there is a change in the reading of weight scale more than the error of the weight scale or a predetermined value, the count of pills is increased by one.

The invention relates to a multi-row pill counting device comprising a rack. A belt obliquely conveying pills from bottom to top and rollers used for fixing the belt and enabling the belt to rotate with the same are arranged on the rack. Multiple pill holding groove groups formed by pill holding grooves capable of only holding a designed specific number of pills are arranged in the outer surface of the belt. A collecting device used for collecting the pills and a counter used for detecting and counting the number of the passed pill holding groove groups are arranged at the position of the top roller of the rack. The belt drill hole counting is adopted, simultaneous multi-row counting can be realized, time for the pills to enter the holes is prolonged, and the defect of inaccuracy in material cutting and counting is overcome. More materials can be stored in a storage hopper, and the materials can be enabled to completely enter the multiple rows of holes formed in the outer layer of the belt. Since the double-layer belt is adopted, the materials cannot generate friction with a support plate during conveying, and integrity of the materials is ensured.

Provided is a system providing a solution for improving prescription drug compliance monitoring and compliance. Prescription drug compliance monitoring may be achieved by using patient's electronic device to initiate secure digital imaging. Medications may be dispensed in containers with pre-printed encoded unique identifiers and markings. The patient may use the digital camera in their smart phone to take a picture of the dispensed blister pack which may be processed and analyzed. Analysis may include assessment of the number of pills taken from and remaining in the uniquely identified blister pack. Package identification and consumption information may then be linked with other prescription information to determine if the observed rate of use is compliant with the legal prescription and to document that the imaged medication package is the same as the dispensed medication package. Data may also be linked with pharmacologic and clinical data to categorize risk and urgency of misuse.

A self-contained pill dispenser is disclosed. A housing is provided and a hopper for containing a plurality of pills is supported by the housing. A transport tube is operatively connected to the hopper for receiving pills therefrom, the transport tube having an input aperture. A microcontroller is electrically connected to the hopper, the transport tube, and the input aperture. A mechanism accepts a desired number of pills to be delivered by the transport tube by an operator. The microcontroller is adapted to determine whether the actual average number of pills delivered by the transport tube is equal to the desired number of pills specified by the operator. If the actual average number of pills is greater than the desired number, the microcontroller decreases the opening of the input aperture. A mechanism connected to the inlet aperture controls opening and closing operations thereof, pursuant to instructions transmitted by the microcontroller.

The disposable pill counting device is a tray formed of a disposable material and includes a sidewall to define areas for holding and dispensing pills. The disposable tray may be substantially U-shaped with a folding sidewall and can be used with a disposable spatula.

A pills counting device provided with cleaning means and comprising in combination, a tray comprising: a base member having an upper surface for receiving a bulk quantity of pills; a trough member alongside the base member and provided with a depression having opposite ends and at least one surface for receiving a load of a counted quantity of pills from said bulk quantity, one of said opposite ends further defining a spout for the unloading said counted quantity of pills in a pills container, a lid member having a lower surface, said lid member being mounted on the base member and being movable between two extreme positions, that is: a first position where the lower surface of the lid member is away from the upper surface of the base member and the surface of the depression of the trough member; a second position where the lower surface of the lid member is close and above the upper surface of the base member and the surface of the depression of the trough member to thereby creates a cavity; at least one port provided in the tray and/or in the lid member and adapted to be connected in fluid communication with the cavity and with an air intake of a vacuum device that can be remotely controlled; being understood that when the lid is in the second position and a vacuum is applied to said at least one port, an air stream is established between said surfaces to entrain toward the vacuum device particles that may be present on said surfaces to clean said surfaces. A cleaning method using aforesaid pills counting device.

The invention discloses an automatic pill distributing device which comprises a base, a motor, an air cylinder, an arranging cylinder and a counting sensor. The arranging cylinder is arranged at the upper end of the base. The motor is arranged at the upper end of the arranging cylinder. The motor is connected with a conveyor. The conveyor penetrates through the arranging cylinder and drives the arranging cylinder to move. A valve is arranged at the lower end of the arranging cylinder. The valve is matched with an electric switch arranged on one side of the arranging cylinder. A cavity is formed under the valve. A push board is arranged in the cavity. The push board is connected with the air cylinder through an elastic piece. A discharging port is formed in one side of the cavity. The counting sensor is arranged in the discharging port. The discharging port is connected with a conveying belt arranged in the base. The conveying belt is connected with a collecting table on one side of the base. According to the automatic pill distributing device, the structure is reasonable, using is easy, pill distribution is safe, pollution and waste caused by pill scattering are avoided, the accuracy of pill counting is guaranteed, and the effects of automatic pill counting and distributing are achieved.

A bench-top pill counter accurately and automatically counts a wide variety of shapes and sizes of pharmaceutical pills and capsules, having a variety of coatings. A rotating bowl, periodically shaken during rotation, is combined with a fixed, flared spiral guide ramp causing pills to distribute individually on an annular ledge in the bowl. The pills are dispensed from the bowl onto a sloped slide and counted at the bottom of the slide by an optical counter. The micro-computer determines an optimum speed and shake algorithm for the bowl, based on the characteristics such as the size and shape of the pills, so that the pills distribute individually and only one pill at a time passes the counter.