Pill Box Filling Verification Using Comparative Image Feedback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Manual preparation of pill boxes is meticulous and prone to errors, leading to potential administration mistakes and harmful consequences due to the difficulty in precisely placing pills in small and closely spaced housings, which existing monitoring methods do not adequately address.
Innovation Solution
A method and device utilizing an image acquisition and processing system to compare images of the pill box before and after filling, ensuring compliance with medical prescription data by identifying and verifying the placement of pills, with a data processing device controlling the filling process and providing feedback for correction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual preparation method is used, then flexibility and simplicity are maintained, but placement accuracy and reliability deteriorate due to human error in placing pills into small closely spaced housings
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements an image capture device that photographs the pillbox after filling, and a processing device that compares the captured image with the prescription data to verify correct pill placement. This feedback mechanism detects placement errors and alerts the operator, thereby improving reliability without requiring complete automation of the manual preparation process.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the human visual inspection and verification process with an automated image capture and digital image processing system. The computer-based image analysis substitutes for manual checking, providing more reliable and consistent verification of pill placement accuracy.
2Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If manual preparation is performed without monitoring, then operation simplicity is maintained, but error detection capability is insufficient leading to potential administration mistakes
Solution Approach 1:
The system captures an image of the filled pillbox and automatically compares it with the prescription data to detect placement errors. This feedback loop provides explicit error detection capability, alerting operators to mistakes such as pills placed in wrong housings or missing pills, thereby improving detectability without complex monitoring infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a digital copy (image) of the physical pillbox state and compares it with the digital prescription data. This copying approach enables error detection by matching the visual representation against the intended configuration, providing a simple yet effective monitoring mechanism.
3Manufacturing precision
If meticulous manual preparation is required for small closely spaced housings, then placement precision can be achieved, but preparation time and operational difficulty increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system captures the image and performs automated verification of pill placement immediately after filling each pillbox. This preliminary check prevents the need for time-consuming manual rechecking and correction later, thereby improving preparation efficiency while maintaining precision requirements for small housings.
Solution Approach 2:
By providing immediate feedback on placement accuracy through automated image analysis, the system enables operators to quickly correct errors during the preparation process rather than discovering them later, thus maintaining high precision while improving overall preparation throughput.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a method for producing a pill box (23) comprising a plurality of cavities for receiving at least one pill, said method comprising: at least two filling steps in which, in each filling step, a set of at least one pill is placed in at least one cavity of the pill box (23) according to data called filling data; and a step of acquiring an image of the pill box (23) by means of an image acquisition device (24) following at least two filling steps. Said method is characterised in that, following at least one acquisition step called a current acquisition step, a step of controlling the filling of the pill box (23) is carried out, in which an image acquired during said current acquisition step is compared with an acquired image during an acquisition step preceding said current acquisition step, and then a conformity of the filling is evaluated.