Medicine Packaging Inspection via Pre-Packaging Photography
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current medicine packaging apparatuses face challenges in accurately inspecting identification information on medicines due to limitations in photographing all surfaces of tablets and interference from packaging paper, leading to potential misidentification and reduced inspection accuracy.
Innovation Solution
A medicine packaging apparatus with a pre-packaging photographing portion that includes a medicine rolling and moving device with rotating rollers and a control part for reading identification information from images taken before packaging, allowing individual inspection of medicines without packaging paper interference.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a camera photographs tablets on a turn table before packaging, then the front surface of tablets can be inspected, but the rear surface of tablets cannot be photographed and inspection accuracy is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by making the photographing system movable rather than fixed. The camera is mounted on a movable platform that can change its position and angle to photograph tablets from multiple surfaces, including front, rear, and side surfaces, thereby improving inspection accuracy without requiring multiple fixed cameras
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dimensionality change by transitioning from a single fixed photographing position to a multi-dimensional photographing system. The movable camera can capture images from different spatial dimensions and angles, enabling comprehensive inspection of all tablet surfaces rather than limited to the front surface only
2Ease of manufacture
If tablets are photographed after packaging to count them, then packaging is simplified, but identification information reading is interfered with by packaging paper
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by performing the photographing operation before the packaging process. The camera captures images of tablets while they are still in the dispensing hopper, allowing identification information to be read clearly without interference from packaging paper. This preliminary inspection maintains packaging simplicity while ensuring accurate reading of identification marks
3Device complexity
If only one surface of tablets is photographed for inspection, then the inspection process is simple, but misidentification occurs due to insufficient information
Solution Approach 1:
The movable photographing system dynamically adjusts its position to capture multiple surfaces of each tablet, including front, rear, and side surfaces. This dynamic multi-angle photographing provides comprehensive visual information for reliable identification, eliminating misidentification risks associated with single-surface photography while maintaining reasonable process complexity
Data Source
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AI summary
[Problem] It is an object of the present invention to provide a medicine packaging apparatus which has a high reading accuracy for identification information such as an engraved mark attached to a medicine and can provide a superior inspection performance. [Means for solving the problem] A medicine packaging apparatus 10 has a medicine preparing and dispensing portion 20, a packaging portion 150, a pre-packaging photographing portion 100 for reading identification information attached to a medicine in a phase before the medicines are packaged by the packaging portion 150, an individually supplying portion 60 which can individually supply the plurality of medicines received from the side of the medicine preparing and dispensing portion 20 to the side of the pre-packaging photographing portion 100 and a control part 200. The individually supplying portion 60 includes a receiving portion 72 for receiving the medicines from the side of the medicine preparing and dispensing portion 20 and a delivering device 64 which can perform a delivery action for delivering the medicines by individually holding the medicines in the receiving portion 72 and releasing the medicines toward the side of the pre-packaging photographing portion 100. The control part 200 perform an inspection process based on the identification information read by the pre-packaging photographing portion 100.