Medicine Sorting Apparatus with Dynamic Tray Storage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional medicine sorting apparatuses lack the capability to efficiently store and dispense medicines with varying characteristics such as type, shape, size, and expiration date, limiting their operational flexibility and accuracy.
Innovation Solution
A medicine sorting apparatus and method that includes an identifying part to recognize the direction, posture, and characteristics of each medicine, and a storing part that arranges and stores medicines based on their identified size, allowing for flexible dispensing according to prescription information.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional medicine sorting apparatus is used, then basic sorting function is provided, but operational flexibility and adaptability to medicines with varying characteristics is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The storing part is configured to dynamically adapt its storage configuration based on the characteristics of medicines being stored. The system can flexibly arrange storage spaces according to medicine size, shape, and other attributes, allowing the apparatus to handle diverse medicine types without requiring fixed rigid structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The storing part is divided into multiple independent storing spaces, each capable of being independently configured. This segmentation allows different sections to be optimized for different medicine characteristics, enhancing overall adaptability while maintaining modular simplicity.
2Productivity
If medicines are stored without considering their characteristics, then storage operation is simplified, but dispensing efficiency and accuracy are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary identification of medicine characteristics during the storage phase. By detecting and recording the attributes of each medicine before storage, the apparatus prepares the storing part in advance to accommodate future dispensing operations efficiently, eliminating the need for complex real-time decision-making during retrieval.
Solution Approach 2:
The identifying part provides feedback information about medicine characteristics to the storing part. This feedback mechanism enables the system to automatically adjust storage configurations based on detected medicine attributes, optimizing both storage efficiency and subsequent dispensing speed without manual intervention.
3Measurement precision
If automatic identification of medicine characteristics is implemented, then dispensing accuracy is improved, but system complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The identifying part is designed with multi-functional capabilities to detect multiple medicine characteristics (size, shape, color, etc.) using a single integrated system. This universal approach improves identification accuracy across diverse medicine types while avoiding the need for multiple separate detection devices, thereby controlling system complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A medicine sorting apparatus includes a receiving part, an identifying part and a storing part. The storing part includes a plurality of storing trays arranged in multiple stages. A storing area for each of returned medicines is defined at the time of storing each of the returned medicines according to a size of each of the returned medicines identified by the identifying part. Each of the returned medicines is stored in the storing tray in a state that the storing area for each of the returned medicines is associated with identification information of each of the returned medicines so that each of the returned medicines can be taken from the storing tray by a scalar type robot.