Spinning Tray Pill Singulator for Automated Dispensary
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current medicament dispensing systems, while improving accuracy and patient record-keeping, lack an efficient method for dispensing pills from bulk storage in a secure and automated manner, particularly in a medicament dispensary kiosk setting.
Innovation Solution
A pill dispenser comprising a pill delivery station, a pill receiving station, and a pill singulator with a spinning tray and guide to singulate pills, along with a restricting mechanism to prevent clumping, and a container sub-system for precise dispensing and capping, ensuring contamination prevention and tailored pill sizes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If pills are dispensed from bulk storage using automated apparatus, then productivity and accuracy are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The dispensing system is divided into distinct functional modules: a bulk storage hopper, a singulation mechanism with spinning tray, a delivery station, and a receiving station. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function efficiently while maintaining overall system manageability and reducing operational complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The singulation mechanism uses the natural flow of pills from the hopper and the centrifugal force generated by the spinning tray to automatically separate and space pills without requiring external intervention. The system self-regulates pill flow and spacing through mechanical design rather than complex control systems.
2Manufacturing precision
If a spinning tray singulator is used to space pills, then manufacturing precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The spinning tray provides a curved, rotating surface that naturally spaces pills through centrifugal force and geometric arrangement. The circular path of the tray automatically creates uniform spacing between pills as they are delivered from the hopper, eliminating the need for complex linear positioning mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The rotating tray creates periodic intervals between pills as it spins, with each rotation delivering a controlled number of pills at regular time intervals. This periodic motion naturally spaces pills uniformly without requiring complex feedback control or positioning systems.
3Productivity
If bulk storage is used for pill inventory, then productivity is improved, but contamination risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts only the necessary number of pills from the bulk storage hopper at the moment of dispensing. Pills remain sealed in bulk storage until needed, and only the required quantity is transferred to the singulation and delivery mechanism, minimizing exposure time and contamination risk for the majority of the inventory.
Solution Approach 2:
The singulation mechanism with its enclosed spinning tray acts as an intermediary between bulk storage and the final delivery point. Pills pass through this controlled intermediate zone rather than being exposed in open bulk storage, reducing contamination risk while maintaining efficient bulk inventory management.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables efficient, secure, and precise dispensing of pills in a medicament kiosk, allowing for customized dosages and secure storage, while preventing contamination and ensuring accurate pill counting and capping, enhancing the automation of pill dispensing processes.
Implementation Method 1
a drive to spin the tray about an axis to drive pills supported on the tray in a spin direction
Data Source
AI summary
A pill dispensing apparatus has a pill delivery station, a pill receiving station, and a pill singulator. The singulator receives and supports pills delivered from the delivery station and is spun to drive pills supported on the tray around the tray axis. A wiper guide guides the driven pills towards the pill receiving station and at the same time singulates the pills by establish spacing between them. The singulated pills are then deflected to a pill drop zone where they drop into a container.