Image Recognition Dosage Dispenser with Mechanical Cam Actuation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for dispensing medications in hospitals and home care settings face challenges such as contamination, loss of pills due to patient handling issues, poor patient compliance, and unauthorized access to controlled medications, particularly in cases where patients are groggy or infirm, and lack of automated, user-friendly solutions for oral solid dosage forms.
Innovation Solution
An image recognition-based dosage form dispenser that uses cameras to capture images of a user's face and oral cavity for authentication, ensuring only authorized users can access and administer medications, with a controllable dispensing mechanism integrated into a casing that can be engaged by the mouth, providing secure and automated delivery of oral, aerosolized, or inhalable dosage forms.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual handling of medications is used, then patient autonomy is maintained, but medication contamination and loss occur
Solution Approach 1:
The dispenser is designed to automatically dispense medication without requiring patient handling. The device uses a cam mechanism to automatically push the dosage form from the storage compartment through the dispensing opening, eliminating the need for the patient to manually pick up or transfer the medication, thus preventing contamination and loss while maintaining patient independence
2Reliability
If automated dispensing is implemented, then medication integrity is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex electronic control systems with a simple mechanical cam mechanism. The cam profile is designed to automatically guide the dosage form from storage to dispensing, using pure mechanical motion rather than motors, sensors, or computer control, thereby achieving reliable automated dispensing with minimal complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The authentication and control functions are extracted from the dispensing mechanism itself and placed in a separate, simple locking system. The cam mechanism operates independently once unlocked, using only mechanical energy from the spring-loaded cam to perform the dispensing action, separating the control function from the execution function
3Reliability
If image recognition authentication is used, then unauthorized access is prevented, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of requiring precise physical measurements or complex biometric data processing, the system uses image recognition to create a visual copy or representation of the patient's face. This simplified approach captures essential identifying features without requiring high manufacturing precision, using standard camera technology and image processing algorithms
4Reliability
If controllable dispensing mechanism is provided, then medication safety is improved, but ease of manufacture decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The cam mechanism is designed to be self-actuating through a simple spring-loaded system. When the locking mechanism is disengaged, the spring automatically drives the cam to push the dosage form out, eliminating the need for motors, batteries, or complex actuation systems, thereby simplifying manufacturing while maintaining controlled dispensing
Solution Approach 2:
The dispenser is divided into distinct functional modules: a storage compartment for dosage forms, a separate locking mechanism for security, and an independent cam mechanism for dispensing. This segmentation allows each component to be manufactured and tested separately, simplifying the overall manufacturing process while ensuring reliable operation
Data Source
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AI summary
This invention provides a dosage form dispenser, comprising a casing comprising a first portion adapted for insertion within an oral cavity of a subject and a second portion adapted to encase a dosage form dispensing mechanism located therewithin; at least one camera positioned on said second portion of said casing, further positioned to capture a field of view of a portion of a face of a subject, wherein said field of view comprises at least a portion of a base view of the nose of said subject; a dosage form dispensing mechanism; a microprocessor and associated memory for processing and storing user authentication information, comparing images relayed from said at least one camera to at least one stored user standard and providing authentication when a match is established; and an interface connected to said dispensing mechanism, which promotes dispensing said dosage form when said authentication has been obtained. Methods for dispensing a dosage form directly within an oral cavity of a subject in need thereof, using the dispensers are also described.