KR-20260063088-A - SYSTEM FOR SORTING PILLS WITH A TRANSFER DEVICE

KR20260063088AKR 20260063088 AKR20260063088 AKR 20260063088AKR-20260063088-A

Abstract

The present invention provides a pill sorting system equipped with a conveying means. The system comprises a conveying device for conveying pills to a storage device including storage boxes for storing pills, and a control device for designating the location of the storage box where the pills are stored. The conveying device comprises a receiving section for receiving pills, a first conveying section for moving the receiving section in a vertical direction, and a second conveying section for moving the receiving section in a direction perpendicular to the vertical direction, and is configured to deposit the pills received in the receiving section into the storage box designated by the control device.

Inventors

황선일
정연갑
박병규
박재등

Assignees

(주)메디노드

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20241030

Claims (14)

A transfer device for transferring pills to a storage device including storage containers for storing pills; and It includes a control device that specifies the location of the storage container where the pills are stored, and The above transfer device is, It includes a receiving portion for receiving a pill, a first transfer portion for moving the receiving portion in a vertical direction, and a second transfer portion for moving the receiving portion in a direction perpendicular to the vertical direction. It is configured to insert a pill contained in the receiving portion into a storage container designated by the above-mentioned control device, Pill classification system.
In paragraph 1, The above pill classification system is, It further includes a supply device that supplies the above-mentioned pill by dropping it while transporting it, The above supply device is, An inlet formed on one side of the upper surface of the supply device for receiving the pill; and It includes a conveying screw for conveying the pill introduced into the above-mentioned inlet, Pill classification system.
In paragraph 2, The above transfer screw is, In the lower space of the above-mentioned inlet, arranged diagonally with respect to the above-mentioned inlet, The method of transferring the introduced pill from the lower side to the upper side of the transfer screw to drop the pill. Pill classification system.
In paragraph 1, The above pill classification system is, It further includes an alignment device for aligning and dispensing the above pills, The above alignment device is, Formed as a stacked structure of a first alignment part and a second alignment part, Pill classification system.
In paragraph 4, The above alignment device is, A guide section disposed on the first alignment section and the second alignment section to arrange pills in a line along the first alignment section and the second alignment section, and a discharge port for individually dispensing the pills arranged in a line through the guide section. Pill classification system.
In paragraph 1, The above pill classification system is, It further includes a shooting device that photographs the above pill and transfers it to the above transfer device, The above-mentioned imaging device is, A device comprising a camera unit and a gripping unit that grasps the pill and places it in the camera unit. Pill classification system.
In paragraph 6, The above camera unit is, It includes a shooting stand on which the above-mentioned pill is placed, a first camera and a second camera for photographing the upper and lower surfaces of the above-mentioned pill, and The above-mentioned gripping part is, It includes a first phage arm and a second phage arm having a receiving plate for receiving the pill disposed on its lower surface, wherein the first phage arm and the second phage arm phage the pill and place it on the imaging table, and after imaging, place the pill on the transfer device. Pill classification system.
In paragraph 1, The above receiving part is, The above-mentioned receiving portion further includes a sensor for determining whether the above-mentioned pill has been received therein. Pill classification system.
In paragraph 1, The above storage device is, The above storage boxes include storage layers stacked in multiple layers in the vertical direction, and the storage layers are structured to be connected to each other in the lateral direction. Pill classification system.
In paragraph 6, The above control device is, The type of pill is determined based on the captured data taken by the above-mentioned capturing device, and The above shooting data is, The above-mentioned pill includes information related to one or more of the shape, size, color, and serial number. Pill classification system.
In Paragraph 10, The above control device is, Designating the location of the storage boxes so that different types of pills are stored in each of the storage boxes according to the types of pills mentioned above. Pill classification system.
In Paragraph 10, The above control device is, Classifying the pill into either a classifiable group or an unclassifiable group based on the above-mentioned shooting data, Pill classification system.
In Paragraph 12, The above control device is, When the above pill is classified into the above classifiable group, the first transfer unit and the second transfer unit are controlled so that the first transfer unit and the second transfer unit move the receiving unit in the direction of the storage box. Pill classification system.
In Paragraph 12, The above pill classification system is, It further includes an unclassified container that accommodates pills classified into the above unclassified group, and The above transfer device is, It further includes a first rotating part that rotates the second transfer part, and The above control device is, When the above pill is classified into the above unclassified group, the first rotating part and the second transfer part are controlled so that the second transfer part moves the receiving part in the direction of the unclassified container. Pill classification system.

Description

Pill sorting system equipped with a transfer device The present invention relates to a pill sorting system equipped with a conveying means, and more specifically, to a pill sorting system that photographs an incoming pill to identify the type of pill and stores the pills in a storage container according to each type of pill through a conveying means provided within the device. In modern medicine, various types of medications are used to treat a wide range of diseases, and pill-form drugs are particularly common. Pills are widely used due to their advantages of being easy to take and providing accurate dosages. These pills vary greatly in size, shape, color, and material, making accurate classification essential during the pharmaceutical manufacturing process for quality control, distribution, and patient safety. In particular, when pills are prescribed along with multiple other medications or produced in large quantities, accurately distinguishing and classifying each pill is critical. For instance, misclassification of products during the manufacturing process can lead to quality degradation, while the delivery of the wrong medication to patients in hospitals and pharmacies can pose a serious risk. Consequently, the need for an accurate and efficient pill classification system has been consistently raised. Traditionally, pills were sorted using a manual method. This method has been widely used for a long time and involves workers visually identifying and classifying pills. However, the manual method is not only highly inefficient for processing large volumes of pills, but also presents problems such as reduced sorting accuracy depending on worker fatigue and the difficulty of working continuously over extended periods. To solve this, an automated mechanical sorting method was introduced. Prior art 1 was presented for a sorting device for irregular products by weight that performs automated sorting based on the size or weight of the pills. However, this method has limitations in accurately distinguishing pills of various sizes and shapes, and has the problem of failing to accurately differentiate pills with complex shapes or similar sizes. In particular, accurate classification is difficult because it does not take into account the color or surface characteristics of the pills. Although a color recognition method using optical sensors was also introduced, it had limitations in distinguishing pills of similar colors. Furthermore, since the color of the pills alone does not provide sufficient classification criteria, there is a need to additionally recognize their shape and size. Accordingly, there is a need for a pill classification system that captures images of pills using a camera and analyzes their shape and size using software algorithms. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a pill classification system according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 2a to 2c are drawings illustrating the detailed configuration of the pill classification system shown in FIG. 1. Figure 3 is a drawing showing the detailed configuration of a supply device among the configurations of the pill classification system shown in Figures 1, 2a, and 2b. FIG. 4 is a drawing showing the detailed configuration of a sorting device among the configurations of the pill classification system shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2a to 2c. FIGS. 5a to 5d are drawings illustrating the detailed configuration of the imaging device among the configurations of the pill classification system shown in FIGS. 1, FIGS. 2a, and FIGS. 2b. Figures 6a and 6b are drawings illustrating the detailed configuration of a conveying device among the configurations of the pill sorting system shown in Figures 1, 2a, and 2b. FIGS. 7a to 7c are drawings illustrating a storage device among the components of the pill classification system shown in FIGS. 1 and FIGS. 2a to 2c. The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings. However, the present invention may be embodied in various different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. Furthermore, the attached drawings are intended only to facilitate understanding of the embodiments invented in this specification, and the technical concept invented in this specification is not limited by the attached drawings. All terms used herein, including technical and scientific terms, should be interpreted in the sense generally understood by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains. Terms defined in advance should be interpreted as having additional meanings consistent with relevant technical literature and the currently invented content, and unless otherwise defined, should not be interpreted in a highly ideal or restrictive sense. In order to clearly explain the invention in the drawings, parts unrelated to the explanation have been omitted, and the size, form, and shape of each component shown in the drawings may be varied. Throughout the spe