Concentric Rotor Pill Dispenser with Optical Counting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pill dispensing machines lack accuracy and safety, particularly when handling pills of varying shapes and colors, and often require human intervention.
Innovation Solution
A pill dispensing machine featuring a cassette with concentric rotors that move pills along a spiral path, allowing for controlled feeding and separation, using radial grooves or protrusions to prevent rolling, and a light-based counting system to ensure accurate counting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual counting with a counting tray is used, then human involvement ensures flexibility, but accuracy and safety are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical counting with an automated optical detection system. A light source illuminates pills as they pass through a detection zone, and a photodetector automatically counts them, eliminating human involvement while ensuring accurate and safe counting.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs self-counting through automated detection. The machine independently counts pills using optical sensors and control logic, without requiring human operators to manually verify each count, thereby improving reliability while reducing human involvement.
2Adaptability or versatility
If conventional counting devices are used, then they can handle basic pill counting, but they fail when handling pills of varying shapes and colors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses optical detection parameters (light wavelength, intensity, detection thresholds) that can accommodate variations in pill shapes and colors. The system adjusts detection sensitivity and uses multiple light sources to ensure accurate counting across different pill types, maintaining both versatility and reliability.
3Productivity
If pills are moved quickly through the dispensing system, then throughput is maximized, but miscounts and separation errors increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent maintains continuous pill flow through the dispensing system while ensuring accurate counting. The optical detection system operates continuously as pills pass through the detection zone, and the control logic processes counts in real-time, allowing high throughput without sacrificing counting precision.
4Ease of operation
If a single rotor is used for pill dispensing, then the structure is simple, but controlled feeding and separation into a single line cannot be achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the pill dispensing function into multiple rotors, each responsible for specific tasks such as feeding, separating, and directing pills. This segmentation enables controlled feeding and separation into a single line, improving ease of operation despite increased structural complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The machine provides accurate and safe dispensing of pills into a single line, allowing for efficient handling of different shapes and colors, with adjustable rotor speeds for maximizing throughput and minimizing miscounts.
Implementation Method 1
a substantially spatially coherent light source and a photodiode positioned on opposite sides of a pill pathway; a collimating lens for collimating light output by the light source and for passing the collimated light to the pill pathway; a focusing lens for focusing light exiting the pill pathway onto the photodiode; and a controller programmed to be responsive to changes in an amount of the focused light received by the photodiode in response to the passage of pills through the collimated light in the pill pathway
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention is a pill dispensing method and apparatus wherein a first rotor rotates pills about a rotation axis along a first part of a spiral path at a first rotational speed whereupon the pills move spirally away from the rotation axis. A second rotor receives the pills from the first rotor and rotates the pills about the rotation axis along a second part of the spiral path at a second, greater rotational speed whereupon the pills move spirally away from the rotation axis toward a discharge chute which dispenses the pills into a pill bottle or a storage container. A counter can be provided for counting pills that exit the discharge chute or opening.