Lattice Cell Packaging for Robotic Medical Consumable Handling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional medical consumable packaging is difficult for robotic devices to handle due to random orientation and deformability, leading to increased manual loading times and contamination risks.
Innovation Solution
The packaging features a lattice of cells with sidewalls and a top barrier film that constrain consumables to zero degrees of freedom, allowing for robotic access and maintaining a sterile environment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional medical consumable packaging is used, then ease of human unpacking is improved, but robotic handling capability deteriorates due to random orientation and deformability
Solution Approach 1:
The packaging is divided into multiple rigid cells arranged in a lattice structure, with each cell independently containing a consumable. This segmentation provides deterministic positioning for robotic grippers while maintaining the overall package integrity for human handling.
Solution Approach 2:
The cell structure incorporates asymmetric features such as tapered openings and non-uniform wall thicknesses that guide consumable orientation while providing consistent gripping surfaces for robotic end effectors, resolving the random orientation problem.
2Ease of manufacture
If primary packaging is loosely stacked or randomly oriented in secondary packaging, then ease of manufacture is improved, but robotic device complexity increases due to navigation through multiple degrees of freedom
Solution Approach 1:
The consumables are pre-positioned in their final orientation within individual rigid cells during manufacturing. This preliminary action eliminates the need for robotic devices to navigate through multiple degrees of freedom during unpacking, as each consumable is already deterministically positioned.
Solution Approach 2:
The cell structure creates a standardized template that copies the desired consumable orientation and positioning throughout the entire package, ensuring consistent spatial arrangement without requiring complex robotic navigation.
3Adaptability or versatility
If manual loading of consumables onto racks is performed, then adaptability to different packaging types is improved, but productivity decreases due to increased loading time and contamination risk
Solution Approach 1:
The rigid cell packaging structure is designed to be self-servicing for robotic systems, where the deterministic positioning and standardized geometry of cells enable automated robotic grippers to directly access and remove consumables without manual intervention, thereby increasing productivity while maintaining adaptability.
Data Source
AI summary
Packaging for medical consumables includes a plurality of cells arranged in a lattice, each of the cells comprising a sidewall having a plurality of walls, and a top barrier film covering open ends of the plurality of cells to maintain a sterile environment within the plurality of cells. The sidewalls and the top barrier film are shaped so as to constrain a consumable contained within each of the plurality of cells to zero degrees of freedom. At least one of the plurality of walls of each cell is shared with a bordering cell. The sidewall of each cell defines a gap for insertion of an end effector of a robotic arm.