Dispensing Box for Drug Ampoules with Automated Shutter Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for collecting and dispensing multiple drugs according to a patient's medical prescription are inefficient and prone to errors, requiring manual selection by pharmacists and taking a long time, which can lead to drug misadventures due to the complexity of the process.
Innovation Solution
A dispensing box with a partitioned storage unit, shutter operation mechanism, and conveyor system that automatically detects and controls the dispensing of drug-containing ampoules, ensuring accurate and efficient dispensing by using detection parts and a cam structure to manage shutter operation and ampoule supplementation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual drug collection is performed by pharmacists, then drug selection accuracy can be maintained through human judgment, but the process takes a long time and is prone to human error
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical operations with an automated mechanical system. The conveyer automatically transports ampoules, shutters automatically open/close storage compartments, and detection devices automatically identify and verify drugs. This substitution eliminates human error while maintaining high-speed operation, resolving the contradiction between reliability and productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs self-verification through detection devices that automatically check drug identity, quantity, and storage location. The conveyer system self-regulates ampoule transport and positioning. This self-service capability ensures accurate drug selection without requiring continuous human oversight, improving both reliability and efficiency.
2Productivity
If automated conveyer systems are used for drug dispensing, then dispensing speed and efficiency are improved, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the dispensing system into modular segments: storage compartments with individual shutters, a conveyer system with discrete positioning points, and separate detection devices. Each segment operates independently but coordinates through standardized interfaces. This segmentation allows the complex automated system to be managed through modular components, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining high dispensing speed.
3Measurement precision
If multiple shutters are operated simultaneously for multi-floor ampoule storage, then dispensing accuracy is improved, but the mechanism complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple shutter operations under a single centralized control system. The control device coordinates shutters across different floors and positions, managing their opening and closing sequences in an integrated manner. This merging of control functions reduces the complexity of managing multiple independent shutter mechanisms while maintaining precise ampoule positioning through coordinated operation.
Data Source
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AI summary
Provided is a dispensing box for a drug-containing ampoule. The dispensing box for the drug-containing ampoule includes a partition member including a partition wall for partitioning a plurality of unit cells in which ampoules are stored, a shutter opening or closing a lower portion of each of the unit cells partitioned by the partition member, a driving unit operating the shutter, a conveyer on which a dropping ampoule is seated when the lower end of each of the unit cells is opened, and a discharge hole defined in an end of the conveyer to dispense the ampoule seated on the conveyer when the conveyer is operated. A drug storage matrix in which the drug-containing ampoule is stored may be provided, and a shutter device for dispensing the drug-containing ampoule may be provided to easily dispense the drug-containing ampoule.