Medication Pouch De-stacking via Eccentric Vibratory Transport
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing medication roll systems face issues with false error messages due to stacked or insufficiently spread medication, leading to increased human intervention and risk of overdosing, as well as damage to medication during de-stacking processes in inspection machines.
Innovation Solution
A device featuring an eccentric track with adjacent eccentric shafts and adjustable fans to gently de-stack and spread medication, minimizing tensile stress and preventing re-stacking, while maintaining contact with the medication to avoid damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a vibrating supporting surface with high amplitude is used to de-stack medication, then the de-stacking effectiveness is improved, but the risk of damage to medication increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies mechanical vibration through a vibratory mechanism that generates vertical vibrations of the transport track. These vibrations cause the pouches to lift and settle repeatedly, enabling medication to de-stack and spread out naturally under gravity without requiring high-amplitude external vibration that could damage the medication.
Solution Approach 2:
The transport track serves as an intermediary element between the pouches and the vibratory mechanism. It transmits controlled vertical vibrations to the pouches while providing a supportive surface that prevents direct contact with potentially damaging high-amplitude vibration sources, thus mediating between de-stacking effectiveness and medication protection.
2Speed
If tensile force is exerted on pouches to unroll the medication roll, then the unrolling process is achieved, but the force pressing medication together increases
Solution Approach 1:
The vibratory mechanism generates vertical vibrations that counteract the compressive force from tensile loading during unrolling. These vibrations create dynamic lifting motion that prevents medication tablets from being pressed together, enabling smooth unrolling without excessive compression.
Solution Approach 2:
The vibratory mechanism applies periodic vertical vibrations during the unrolling process. This periodic action creates rhythmic lifting and settling of pouches, which continuously breaks up compression forces generated by tensile unrolling, allowing sustained unrolling speed without cumulative medication compression.
3Device complexity
If medication is insufficiently dispersed on the pouch surface, then the inspection process becomes more complex, but false error messages increase
Solution Approach 1:
The vibratory de-stacking mechanism performs preliminary dispersion of medication on the pouch surface before inspection. By pre-spreading and de-stacking medication during transport, the system ensures optimal arrangement for vision systems, eliminating the need for complex inspection algorithms and preventing false error messages caused by stacked or clustered medication.
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 device effectively de-stacks and spreads medication with a high degree of reliability, reducing false error messages and the risk of medication damage, ensuring accurate inspection and safe packaging processes.
Implementation Method 1
a vibratory mechanism for generating vertical vibrations of the transport track
Implementation Method 2
at least one fan above the transport track for generating an air flow directed toward the transport track
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a device for de-stacking and spreading out medication packaged in pouches (2), which pouches are arranged successively in a ribbon-like medication roll (101), comprising a transport track (102) configured to transport the unrolled pouches of the medication roll, wherein the transport track comprises a section over which the pouches are displaceable and wherein the underside of at least one pouch lies against an upper side of the section during operation, and the section comprises means for de-stacking and spreading out the medication in a pouch lying on the section during operation, wherein the device is configured to co-act with means for supplying or discharging the medication roll over the transport track.