Tablet Dispensing Rotor Guidance for Reliable Half-Tablet Discharge
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing tablet dispensing devices face issues with reliably guiding tablets to the guide passage, particularly with half-tablets getting caught and the rotor hindering due to interference with the endless belt or through-holes, leading to inaccurate division and retention of tablets on the rotor.
Innovation Solution
A tablet dispensing device with a rod-shaped tablet introduction member that guides tablets to the guide passage, featuring an S-shape and adjustable height, and a partition member that changes tablet posture, along with elliptical-shaped guide passages to prevent interference and ensure smooth discharge.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If an endless belt is used to guide tablets from the rotor, then tablets can be pushed into the tablet guide passage, but the endless belt interferes with tablet movement and hinders rotor rotation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the endless belt from the system and replaces it with a simplified guide structure consisting of a guide plate with a guide groove. This extraction eliminates the interference caused by the belt while maintaining the tablet guidance function, thereby reducing device complexity without sacrificing reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The guide structure is segmented into distinct components: a guide plate with a guide groove, a rotor with tablet-holding grooves, and a partition member. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function independently, improving reliability while keeping the overall device simple
2Object-generated harmful factors
If a through-hole with circular cross section is used as the tablet guide passage, then tablets do not interfere with the inner surface of the housing, but the through-hole is separated from the inner wall making it difficult for tablets to enter
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses curved surfaces and grooves throughout the guide structure. The guide groove in the guide plate and the circumferential grooves in the rotor have curved cross-sections that match the tablet shape, facilitating smooth tablet entry and movement while preventing interference with the housing inner surface
3Manufacturing precision
If the tablet guide passage has a narrow opening, then tablets are guided precisely, but half-tablets get caught at the intersection of grooves and cannot be discharged
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a partition member that can rotate together with the rotor. This dynamic element allows the system to adapt during operation: the partition member guides half-tablets through the narrow opening during the loading phase, then rotates to clear the grooves during the discharge phase, preventing half-tablets from getting caught and maintaining high discharge efficiency
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
There is provided a tablet dispensing device capable of reliably guiding a tablet retained on a rotor to a tablet guide passage and dispensing the tablet. A tablet dispensing device (1) includes a tablet housing portion (2) that houses a tablet and is provided with a tablet outlet (6a) through which the tablet is discharged, a rotor (3) that is disposed inside the tablet housing portion (2) and is provided with a tablet guide portion (13) which guides the tablet to the tablet outlet (6a), and a tablet introduction member (5) that guides the tablet held at the tablet housing portion (2) to the tablet guide portion (13). The tablet introduction member (5) is a rod-shaped body which projects from a tablet housing portion (2) side toward the rotor (3). The tablet retained on the rotor (3) is moved together with the rotor (3), comes into contact with the tablet introduction portion (5), engages and draws the tablet into the guide portion (13).