Medicine Packaging Detection for Overflow Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional medicine packaging apparatuses fail to reliably confirm whether medicines are properly packaged, leading to potential overflow and subsequent packaging errors, which necessitate manual inspection by pharmacists.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a detecting part, such as a camera, to monitor the presence of medicines within the packaging paper upstream of the sealing device, allowing for real-time detection of medicines during the sealing process and determining packaging conditions to prevent overflow and ensure accurate packaging.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional medicine packaging apparatus is used without a detection system, then the packaging process is simple and fast, but it cannot confirm whether medicines are reliably packaged, leading to potential overflow and packaging errors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism by introducing a detection device that monitors the packaging process in real-time. The detection device provides information about medicine presence and sealing status back to the control unit, which can then adjust or reject packaging operations as needed. This closed-loop feedback system ensures reliable packaging confirmation without requiring complex manual inspection procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual inspection by pharmacists with an automated optical detection system. The detection device uses cameras or sensors to automatically verify packaging conditions, substituting human visual inspection with machine-based detection. This reduces device complexity compared to manual processes while significantly improving packaging reliability through consistent automated monitoring.
2Reliability
If manual inspection is performed after packaging to confirm proper packaging, then packaging reliability can be confirmed, but productivity decreases and time is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs detection during the packaging process itself rather than after completion. The detection device monitors medicine presence and sealing status in real-time while the packaging is being formed, allowing verification to occur concurrently with packaging operations. This preliminary detection during the process eliminates the need for separate post-packaging inspection steps, maintaining high productivity while ensuring reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The detection process operates continuously throughout the packaging operation without interrupting the workflow. The detection device continuously monitors the packaging process from medicine introduction through sealing, maintaining continuous verification rather than requiring discrete inspection stops. This continuous detection ensures packaging reliability is confirmed while keeping the production line running at full speed.
3Manufacturing precision
If the detection device monitors medicines continuously during the sealing process, then packaging accuracy is improved, but the time period for detection and system complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements detection at specific critical moments during the packaging process rather than continuous monitoring throughout. The detection device focuses on key detection points such as verifying medicine presence before sealing and confirming sealing completion, performing partial detection only where necessary. This approach maintains high packaging accuracy by monitoring critical parameters while minimizing overall detection time by not continuously monitoring all process parameters.
Data Source
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AI summary
[Problem] The present invention is intended to provide a medicine packaging apparatus which can detect a phenomenon that medicines overflow from a packaging bag in which the medicines should be packaged. [Solving Means] A medicine packaging apparatus 10 has a packaging paper supplying part 42 for supplying a packaging paper S for packaging medicines M; a sealing device 50 for forming a packaging bag P by bonding the packaging paper S supplied from the packaging paper supplying part 42 in a state that the packaging paper S is overlapped; a medicine introducing part 80 for introducing the medicines M from an opening portion of the packaging bag P in an unsealed-state formed by the sealing device 50; a detecting part 90 for detecting presence of the medicines M in an introducing path for the medicines M by the medicine introducing part 80 and a determining part which can determine that a packaging failure occurs under a condition that the presence of the medicines M is detected by the detecting part 90 within a time period after a timing of starting to seal the packaging bag P in which the medicines M have been introduced and before a timing of introducing the medicines M to be packaged in a subsequent packaging bag P through the medicine introducing part 80.