Automated article dispensation mechanism
US7726514B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 7, 2004 |
| Grant date | Jun 1, 2010 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 21, 2025 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG07F17/0092
- WIPO fieldControl
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
Disclosed is a system for collecting, sorting, counting and consolidating an unorganized pool of solid or semi-solid articles such as pills for dispensation. Specifically, the articles are extracted from inside a bin using attraction points on a transport substrate and sorted into containers in finite quantities. The system consists of several components, preferably including a torque source, a counter and a vacuum source, which are uniquely integrated onto a single end-effector to reduce cost and redundancy by servicing several bins. Further, the system presents a method of attracting and carrying pills using negative vacuum pressure, gravity and centrifugal force. This centrifugal force holds articles to the local attraction points and is provided by the spinning of the transport substrate. Pills are collected from the bin or plenum at the local attraction points, counted, cleaved from the local attraction points and guided to a container or vial.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.