Verification system for a pharmacy packaging system

• US 10,187,593 B2
• Filed: 09/27/2016
• Issued: 01/22/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RxSafe LLC (Illinois Tool Works Inc.)
• Original Assignee: RxSafe LLC (Illinois Tool Works Inc.)
• Inventors: Holmes, William K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Harvey, David E
• Application Number:
  US15/277,493
• Publication Number:
  US 20180091745A1
• Time in Patent Office: 847 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 1/03 for pills or tablets containers for pills or tablets with special dispensing means therefor B65D83/04
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 2205/00 General identification or selection means
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 1/04 Methods of, or means for, filling the material into the containers or receptacles
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 41/12 Feeding webs from rolls
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/143 Sensing or illuminating at different wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/00 Scenes; Scene-specific elements control of digital cameras H04N23/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/11 for generating image signals from visible and infrared light wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/56 provided with illuminating means
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/80 Camera processing pipelines; Components thereof

Abstract

A pharmacy packaging system configured to dispense pharmaceuticals into a pharmaceutical pouch formed by a feed roll and including a verification system. The verification system includes a camera system configured to capture images in a visible spectrum and an infrared spectrum, a first light source configured to output an infrared spectrum light, a second light source configured to output a visible spectrum light, and a processor. The processor is operable to activate the first light source to illuminate the pharmaceutical pouch and capture a first image of the pharmaceutical pouch while illuminated by the first light source. The processor is also operable to activate the second light source to illuminate the pharmaceutical pouch and capture a second image of the pharmaceutical pouch while illuminated by the second light source. The processor is further operable to generate a third image based on the first image and the second image.

Claims

1. A pharmacy packaging system comprising:

a feed roll for forming a pharmaceutical pouch;

a dispenser configured to dispense pharmaceuticals into the pharmaceutical pouch formed by the feed roll; and

a verification system including

a camera system configured to capture images in a visible spectrum and an infrared spectrum,

a first light source configured to output infrared spectrum light,

a second light source configured to output visible spectrum light, and

a processor communicatively coupled to the camera system, the first light source, and the second light source, the processor operable to;

activate the first light source to illuminate the pharmaceutical pouch,

capture a first image, using the camera system, of the pharmaceutical pouch while illuminated by the first light source,

activate the second light source to illuminate the pharmaceutical pouch,

capture a second image, using the camera system, of the pharmaceutical pouch while illuminated by the second light source, and

generate a third image based on the first image and the second image,

generate a dashboard to simultaneously display first images, second images, third images, and label images from a plurality of pharmaceutical pouches, wherein the first images, the second images, the third images, and the label images are arrayed in a grid on the dashboard, wherein the label images are images of the labels of the plurality of pharmaceutical pouches.

2. The pharmacy packaging system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further operable to:

analyze the third image to determine a first characteristic of pharmaceuticals in the pharmaceutical pouch,

determine whether the first characteristic of pharmaceuticals in the pharmaceutical pouch matches a second characteristic of expected pharmaceuticals,

when the first characteristic of pharmaceuticals in the pharmaceutical pouch matches the second characteristic of expected pharmaceuticals, provide a first indication on the third image that the pharmaceutical pouch is correctly filled, and

when the first characteristic of pharmaceuticals in the pharmaceutical pouch does not match the second characteristic of expected pharmaceuticals, provide a second indication on the third image that the pharmaceutical pouch is incorrectly filled.

3. The pharmacy packaging system of claim 2, wherein the first indication includes a border around the third image having a first color, and wherein the second indication includes a border around the third image having a second color that is different than the first color.

4. The pharmacy packaging system of claim 2, wherein the first indication includes a border having a first color around an individual pharmaceutical in the third image, and wherein the second indication includes a border having a second color that is different than the first color around one of a blank space or an individual pharmaceutical in the third image.

5. The pharmacy packaging system of claim 2, wherein the first characteristic of pharmaceuticals is an amount of pharmaceuticals in the pharmaceutical pouch.

6. The pharmacy packaging system of claim 2, wherein the first characteristic of pharmaceuticals is a type of pharmaceuticals in the pharmaceutical pouch.

7. The pharmacy packaging system of claim 1, further comprising a thermal printer operable to print label information on the pharmaceutical pouch.

8. The pharmacy packaging system of claim 7, further comprising a label camera, wherein the processor is operable to capture a fourth image, using the label camera, of the label information printed on the pharmaceutical pouch.

9. The pharmacy packaging system of claim 1, wherein the feed roll is a first feed roll having a translucent material to form a first half of the pharmaceutical pouch, and further comprising a second feed roll having a transparent material to form a second half of the pharmaceutical pouch.

10. The pharmacy packaging system of claim 9, wherein the first light source is positioned on a side of the pharmaceutical pouch facing the translucent material, and wherein the camera system is positioned on a side of the pharmaceutical pouch facing the transparent material.

11. The pharmacy packaging system of claim 10, wherein the second light source is positioned on the side of the pharmaceutical pouch facing the transparent material.

12. The pharmacy packaging system of claim 1, wherein the dashboard further includes images of expected pills.

13. The pharmacy packaging system of claim 1, wherein the processor is operable to transmit the third image to a computing device of a remote pharmacist.

14. The pharmacy packaging system of claim 1, further comprising an agitator operable to agitate the pharmaceutical pouch prior to capturing the first image.

15. The pharmacy packaging system of claim 1, wherein the camera system includes a single camera to capture the first image and the second image.

16. The pharmacy packaging system of claim 12, wherein the third image includes individual pharmaceuticals arranged in rows or columns, and wherein the third image is displayed such that the individual pharmaceuticals in the third image align with individual pharmaceuticals in the images of expected pills.

17. The pharmacy packaging system of claim 16, wherein the third image includes a blank space that indicates where a correct pill should have been displayed.

18. The pharmacy packaging system of claim 17, wherein the third image includes a border around the blank space having a color to indicate that the expected pill is missing from the pharmaceutical pouch.

19. A method of verifying pharmaceuticals packaged within a pharmaceutical pouch using a pharmacy packaging system, the pharmacy packaging system including a feed roll for forming the pharmaceutical pouch, a dispenser configured to dispense pharmaceuticals into the pharmaceutical pouch formed by the feed roll, a camera system configured to capture images in a visible spectrum and an infrared spectrum, a first light source configured to output an infrared spectrum light, a second light source configured to output a visible spectrum light, and a processor communicatively coupled to the camera system, the first light source, and the second light source, the method comprising:

activating, by the processor, the first light source to illuminate the pharmaceutical pouch;

capturing a first image, by the processor using the camera system, of the pharmaceutical pouch while illuminated by the first light source;

activating, by the processor, the second light source to illuminate the pharmaceutical pouch;

capturing a second image, by the processor using the camera system, of the pharmaceutical pouch while illuminated by the second light source;

generating, by the processor, a third image based on the first image and the second image;

generating, by the processor, a dashboard to simultaneously display first images, second images, third images, and label images from a plurality of pharmaceutical pouches, wherein the first images, the second images, the third images, and the label images are arrayed in a grid on the dashboard, wherein the label images are images of the labels of the plurality of pharmaceutical pouches; and

displaying the dashboard.