Modular Conveyor Buckets for Automated Medication Dispensing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Medication dispensing cabinets face issues with medication being pinched, wedged, or jammed between conveyor belt paddles and drawer features, limiting the quantity that can be retrieved and requiring operator intervention.
Innovation Solution
A modular conveyor system with enclosed conveyor buckets and a drive mechanism that moves along a continuous path with radiused sections, preventing pinching and jamming by using projections and channels to securely contain medication until dispensing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If medication is conveyed using a conveyor belt with paddles, then medication can be moved along a predefined path, but medication may become pinched, wedged, or jammed between the paddles and drawer walls
Solution Approach 1:
The conveyor belt is segmented into discrete paddles that are spaced apart, allowing medication to be contained within defined regions between adjacent paddles rather than being pushed continuously, which prevents pinching and jamming while maintaining conveyance functionality
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism where the conveyor belt moves in discrete increments rather than continuously, and medication is transferred between paddles and storage locations in controlled steps, preventing direct contact and potential jamming between medication and fixed drawer features
2Ease of operation
If the conveyor belt path is aligned with the drawer window, then medication can be presented at the access point, but the quantity of medication retrievable is limited to what fits in the region between adjacent paddles
Solution Approach 1:
The conveyor system is designed to be dynamically adjustable, allowing the conveyor belt to be repositioned to different locations within the drawer and the number of paddles to be adjusted, enabling flexible configuration to retrieve larger quantities of medication in a single operation while maintaining ease of access at the window
3Productivity
If curved paddles are used to move medication along the conveyor path, then medication can be guided along the path, but operator intervention may be required when medication becomes wedged or jammed
Solution Approach 1:
The conveyor system is designed to automatically convey medication without requiring operator intervention by using spaced paddles that prevent jamming, and by allowing the conveyor to be repositioned and reconfigured automatically to accommodate different medication quantities and locations
4Reliability
If a modular conveyor system with enclosed buckets is used, then medication containment and prevention of pinching is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The conveyor system is divided into modular components including discrete buckets or paddles that can be independently positioned and configured, allowing for secure medication containment while maintaining system simplicity through standardized modular units that can be easily assembled and reconfigured
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments of the invention may provide a modular conveyor that includes a conveyor frame including an access opening, a plurality of conveyor buckets configured to move along a continuous path within the conveyor frame, and an access station where the contents of a conveyor bucket disposed at the access station may be accessible through the access opening. Each of the plurality of conveyor buckets may be configured to be substantially enclosed by the conveyor frame when not at the access station. The conveyor frame may include at least one channel disposed about a perimeter of the continuous path, where each of the plurality of conveyor buckets include at least one projection configured to engage the at least one channel. The conveyor buckets may be driven along the continuous path by a drive mechanism disposed outside of the conveyor frame.