Perforated Unit Dose Blister Cards for Robotic Dispensing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current automated dispensing systems for unit dose blister packs require multiple pick operations to dispense medications, reducing efficiency, as they are typically stocked in cards with multiple doses, whereas patients often need fewer doses, necessitating manual separation and multiple picks.
Innovation Solution
A robotic dispensing system that includes interconnected unit dose blister packs with perforations and indicia for identification, allowing for single pick operations of varying doses, and a controller to direct picking based on requested quantities, accommodating differently sized packages.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If unit dose blister packs are stocked in complete cards with multiple doses, then inventory management is simplified and storage efficiency is improved, but multiple pick operations are required to dispense the correct number of doses, reducing dispensing efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The unit dose blister card is segmented into individually separable blister packs connected by perforations. Each blister pack can be independently removed from the card, allowing the system to dispense exact quantities by picking only the needed number of separated blisters rather than requiring multiple pick operations for partial cards.
Solution Approach 2:
The blister packs are pre-connected to the card in a separable configuration with perforations already in place. This preliminary arrangement allows the dispensing system to efficiently separate and pick individual doses without requiring complex real-time separation operations, thus improving dispensing speed and accuracy.
2Measurement precision
If individually packaged unit dose medications are used, then precise dosage control is achieved, but multiple pick operations are necessary to fill orders requiring multiple doses, increasing operation time
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple individually packaged unit dose medications are merged into a single blister card structure while maintaining their individual separability. This combination allows the system to achieve both precise dosage control (by picking individual blisters) and improved dispensing speed (by having multiple doses readily available on one card without requiring multiple separate pick operations).
3Productivity
If unit dose blister cards are stocked in automated dispensing cabinets, then storage efficiency is improved, but the system cannot automatically separate individual doses, requiring manual intervention
Solution Approach 1:
The blister card is designed with perforations that enable automatic separation of individual blister packs by the robotic dispensing system. This segmentation allows the automated cabinet to pick and dispense individual doses without manual intervention, while still maintaining the space-efficient card format for storage.
Solution Approach 2:
The perforated connection acts as an intermediary mechanism between the stored card format and the dispensed individual dose. This intermediate structure enables the automated system to easily separate blisters from the card without requiring complex separation mechanisms or manual intervention, thus improving ease of automated operation.
Data Source
AI summary
A unit dose package is provided that facilitates the automated picking of the package. The unit dose package includes a plurality of individually packaged unit dose medications separated by perforations. The unit dose package also defines a hole that may be located along at least one perforation, such as at an intersection of at least two perforations, to permit the package to be stored by being suspended by a rod. A robotic dispensing system and method are also provided that facilitate the selective dispensation of unit dose packages having different numbers of individually packaged unit dose medications. The system includes first and second storage locations for storing first and second unit dose packages which have different numbers of individually packaged unit dose medication(s). The system also includes a controller to direct picking of the first or second unit dose packages dependant upon a requested number of individually packaged unit dose medication(s).