Automatic Medicine Packing Machine With Robotic Cassette Replacement
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional automatic medicine packing machines face inefficiencies due to space constraints on medicine cassettes, cumbersome manual refilling, and the risk of incorrect cassette mounting, which can lead to medical errors.
Innovation Solution
An automatic medicine packing machine equipped with a transfer robot and a medicine cassette replacement system that automatically replaces empty cassettes with new ones, maintaining the correct orientation and using multiple grip grooves to prevent damage, and includes a storage system with movable shelves for efficient operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual refilling of medicine cassettes is implemented, then the medicine packing operation can continue, but the filling operation becomes cumbersome and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service through the automatic cassette replacement system. When a medicine cassette is empty or near-empty, the system automatically detects this condition, retrieves a new cassette from storage, and replaces it without human intervention. The controller manages the entire process, including identifying the empty cassette position, commanding the robotic arm to fetch and install the replacement cassette, and updating the system state.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the manual mechanical refilling operation with an automated robotic system. A robotic arm with gripper mechanisms substitutes human hands for cassette handling, while a controller with sensors and algorithms replaces human decision-making for identifying when and where to replace cassettes. This mechanical-to-automated substitution eliminates the cumbersome manual refilling process.
2Ease of operation
If pharmacist manually fills and mounts medicine cassettes, then the packing operation can proceed, but the operation becomes very cumbersome and error-prone
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates feedback mechanisms through sensors that continuously monitor medicine cassette status (full/empty states). The controller receives this feedback and automatically triggers replacement operations when needed. The system also provides feedback confirmation when cassettes are successfully replaced, ensuring the operation completed correctly without human verification.
Solution Approach 2:
The automatic replacement system performs the cassette mounting task itself without human assistance. The robotic arm with specialized grippers automatically positions and secures cassettes in the correct locations, eliminating the need for pharmacists to manually handle and mount cassettes, thereby preventing positioning errors.
3Area of stationary object
If space for medicine cassettes is limited in the main body, then the machine structure remains compact, but the number of medicines that can be supplied is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extends the cassette storage from a two-dimensional arrangement within the main body to a three-dimensional external storage structure. A robotic arm with extended reach retrieves cassettes from storage locations outside the main packing chamber, effectively adding spatial dimensions to the system. This allows the machine to access a larger total number of cassettes without increasing the footprint of the active packing area.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided an automatic medicine packing machine for automatically packing medicines on a dose basis according to prescription information. The automatic medicine packing machine according to one embodiment of the present disclosure may comprise: a medicine cassette mounting part in which a plurality of medicine cassettes for supplying the medicines are mounted; a medicine collecting part configured to collect the medicines supplied according to the prescription information; a medicine packing part configured to pack the medicines collected by the medicine collecting part on the dose basis; a medicine cassette storage part in which a plurality of medicine cassettes are placed and stored; and a medicine cassette replacement system configured to grip the medicine cassette and replace the medicine cassette between the medicine cassette mounting part and the medicine cassette storage part.