Medicine Packing Device Separating Production Batches
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional medicine packing apparatuses fail to distinguish between medicines with different production-history information pieces, such as use-by dates and lot numbers, when they are packed together, leading to unclear correspondences between medicines and their production histories.
Innovation Solution
A medicine packing apparatus with multiple medicine feeders, a control system that stores and specifies production-history information, and a printing mechanism that prints this information on packaging sheets, ensuring medicines with different production-history information pieces are packed separately based on their respective information.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If medicines with different production-history information pieces are collectively packed in one pack, then packing efficiency is improved, but the correspondence between packed medicines and printed production-history information pieces becomes indistinguishable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the packing process by introducing intermediate storage containers (hoppers) for different production batches. Medicines with different production-history information pieces are stored in separate hoppers and then delivered to the packing station in a controlled sequence, ensuring that each pack contains medicines from a single production batch while maintaining high packing efficiency through automated multi-hopper operation.
2Loss of information
If medicines are packed separately into different packs based on respective production-history information pieces, then correspondence between medicines and production-history information pieces is clear, but packing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-sorting medicines into different hoppers according to their production-history information pieces before the packing process begins. The control unit pre-plans the delivery sequence from multiple hoppers, so that when packing occurs, the medicines are already organized and ready for efficient sequential delivery, reducing the complexity of real-time sorting during packing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces intermediate storage hoppers as mediators between the medicine storage area and the packing station. These hoppers act as buffer zones that temporarily hold medicines from different production batches, allowing the system to manage complex sorting requirements without complicating the actual packing mechanism. The control unit coordinates medicine delivery from multiple hoppers in a simplified manner.
3Device complexity
If multiple medicines with different production-history information pieces are delivered from a single medicine feeder, then device simplicity is maintained, but the ability to track and print accurate production-history information is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the medicine delivery function by providing separate medicine feeders for different production batches. Each feeder is dedicated to delivering medicines with specific production-history information pieces, eliminating the confusion that would arise from mixing different batches in a single feeder. This segmentation maintains device simplicity while ensuring accurate tracking and printing of production-history information.
Data Source
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AI summary
Provided is a medicine packing apparatus which is capable of packing of medicines so that relations between the medicines and production-history information pieces can be clearly understood even when the medicines prepared as one dose include medicines having different production-history information pieces while being of the same type. Control means (100) is capable of specifying production-history information pieces based on production histories of medicines delivered from medicine feeders (46). Thus, when medicines having different production-history information pieces while being of the same type are delivered from the medicine feeders (46), medicines to be packed as one dose are separately packed based on the different production-history information pieces. Thus, even when the medicines having different production-history information pieces (MC) are supplied owing to, for example, occurrence of medicine shortage in the medicine feeders (46), the medicines can be packed so that correspondences between the production-history information pieces and the medicines can be easily and accurately understood.