Multi-Tier Medicine Storage with Cantilever Carrier
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing item storage and medicine-taking support systems face challenges in efficiently managing and distributing one-dose medicine packs in a compact and space-efficient manner, particularly in healthcare settings where multiple individuals require access to various medications.
Innovation Solution
The proposed solution involves an item storage apparatus with a multi-tier structure and a medicine-taking support apparatus that utilizes a carriage system with a cantilever arm and vertical movement mechanisms to move items, including one-dose medicine packs, between storage and distribution trays, allowing for three-directional movement and compact installation, enabling efficient picking and distribution operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If a traditional single-level storage structure is used, then the device complexity is low, but the space utilization and storage capacity are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a single-level storage structure to a multi-tier storage structure, utilizing vertical space to increase storage capacity. The first storage and second storage are arranged at different vertical levels, allowing the system to store more medicine packs without increasing the horizontal footprint, thus resolving the contradiction between storage capacity and device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The carrier is designed to operate within the space between tiers of the multi-tier storage structure. The carrier moves horizontally between the first storage and second storage while passing through the inter-tier space, effectively nesting the movement mechanism within the storage structure itself to maximize space utilization.
2Ease of operation
If a cantilever structure is used for the first support, then the ease of operation is improved, but the reliability may be reduced due to potential wear and collision risks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces guide rails as intermediary components that guide the carrier's movement along predetermined paths between the first storage and second storage. These guide rails act as mediators between the cantilever structure and the carrier, ensuring smooth movement while reducing direct collisions and wear on the cantilever structure itself, thus maintaining ease of operation while improving reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates buffering mechanisms at critical locations within the multi-tier storage structure to prevent and cushion collisions between the carrier and structural components. This beforehand cushioning protects the cantilever structure from wear and damage, maintaining its reliability while preserving the ease of operation provided by the cantilever design.
3Area of stationary object
If a multi-tier structure with inter-tier movement space is used, then the space utilization is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The carrier is designed as a multi-functional component that performs both storage and transport functions. It can hold medicine packs and move them between different storage tiers, eliminating the need for separate transport mechanisms and reducing overall device complexity while maintaining compact footprint.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the storage function and transport function into a single integrated system. The first storage, second storage, and carrier work together as a unified mechanism where the carrier seamlessly transitions between storage locations, reducing the number of separate components and simplifying the overall structure despite the multi-tier configuration.
Data Source
AI summary
An item storage apparatus includes a first storage to store items, a carrier to take an item from the first storage and convey the item, a first support supporting the carrier to be movable back and forth in a first horizontal direction, a second support supporting the first support to be movable back and forth in a second horizontal direction perpendicular to the first horizontal direction, a vertical moving mechanism supporting the second support to be movable back and forth in a vertical direction perpendicular to the first horizontal direction and the second horizontal direction, and a second storage to store the item. At least one of the first or second storage has a multi-tier structure in which a space for movement of the carrier is between tiers. The first support has a cantilever structure in which one end is secured to the second support and another end is free.