Methods and Apparatus for Dispensing Solid Articles

• US 20140138398A1
• Filed: 11/14/2013
• Published: 05/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Parata Systems, LLC (Becton, Dickinson & Co)
• Original Assignee: Parata Systems, LLC (Becton, Dickinson & Co)
• Inventors: Daniels, Matthew P., Bouchelle, Steve, Perisich, Mark I.
• Granted Patent: US 9,296,545 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 221/1
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 5/103 for packaging pills or tablets
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 83/04 for dispensing annular, disc-shaped, or spherical or like small articles, e.g. tablets or pills
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 83/0409 the dispensing means being adapted for delivering one article, or a single dose, upon each actuation B65D83/0445 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 2201/027 Tablets, capsules, pills or the like
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 47/1492 the articles being fed from a feeding conveyor
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 47/19 having means for controlling material flow, e.g. to prevent overloading
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/005 Special arrangements for insuring that only one single article may be dispensed at a time
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/44 in which magazines the articles are stored in bulk
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/62 in which the articles are stored in compartments in fixed receptacles
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0092 for assembling and dispensing of pharmaceutical articles medical dispensers for private use, A61J7/00

Abstract

A dispensing apparatus for dispensing articles includes a housing and a drive system. The housing defines a hopper chamber to hold the articles, a dispensing outlet, and a dispensing path between the hopper chamber and the dispensing outlet. The drive system includes a belt and a belt actuator operable to drive the belt. The dispensing apparatus is configured such that articles disposed in the hopper chamber are directed onto the belt and the belt, when driven by the belt actuator, conveys the articles received from the hopper chamber in a dispensing direction along the dispensing path toward the dispensing outlet to be dispensed.

Claims

1. A dispensing apparatus for dispensing articles, the dispensing apparatus comprising:

a housing defining;

a hopper chamber to hold the articles;

a dispensing outlet; and

a dispensing path between the hopper chamber and the dispensing outlet; and

a drive system including;

a belt; and

a belt actuator operable to drive the belt;

wherein the dispensing apparatus is configured such that articles disposed in the hopper chamber are directed onto the belt and the belt, when driven by the belt actuator, conveys the articles received from the hopper chamber in a dispensing direction along the dispensing path toward the dispensing outlet to be dispensed.

2. The dispensing apparatus of claim 1 wherein the dispensing apparatus is configured to singulate the articles as the articles are conveyed along the dispensing path toward the dispensing outlet to be dispensed.

3. The dispensing apparatus of claim 2 including a singulating wall having a singulating opening defined therein, wherein the singulating opening is configured and positioned to singulate the articles as the articles are conveyed along the dispensing path toward the dispensing outlet to be dispensed.

4. The dispensing apparatus of claim 2 including a singulating gate system defining a singulating opening to singulate the articles as the articles are conveyed along the dispensing path toward the dispensing outlet to be dispensed, wherein the singulating gate system is selectively adjustable to change and set at least one dimension of the singulating opening.

5. The dispensing apparatus of claim 4 wherein the singulating gate system is selectively adjustable to interdependently change and set a width dimension and a height dimension of the singulating opening.

6. The dispensing apparatus of claim 5 wherein the ratio of the width dimension to the height dimension is substantially fixed.

7. The dispensing apparatus of claim 5 including:

a first gate member movable to adjust the width dimension; and

a second gate member movable to adjust the height dimension;

wherein the first and second gate members are linked such that adjustment to one of the first and second gate members automatically adjusts the other of the first and second gate members a corresponding amount.

8. The dispensing apparatus of claim 7 including a gate actuator operable to adjust the one of the first and second gate members.

9. The dispensing apparatus of claim 4 including:

a gate actuator operable to change the at least one dimension of the singulating opening;

a sensor operative to detect a presence or absence of the articles downstream of the singulating opening; and

a controller configured to control the gate member and to programmatically execute a self-calibration mode wherein the gate actuator is operated by the controller to progressively increase the at least one dimension of the singulating opening until an article or articles are detected by the sensor.

10. The dispensing apparatus of claim 4 wherein:

the singulating gate system includes a plurality of guide walls collectively forming a guide shroud extending downstream from the singulating opening, the guide shroud defining a guide channel; and

the singulating gate system is configured to automatically adjust at least one dimension of the guide channel in correspondence with adjustment of the singulating opening.

11. The dispensing apparatus of claim 4 wherein:

the singulating gate system includes a gate member defining a portion of the singulating opening and movable to change the at least one dimension of the singulating opening; and

the gate member includes an integral baffle portion configured and positioned to direct the articles toward the singulating opening.

12. The dispensing apparatus of claim 2 defining a singulating opening configured to receive the articles therethrough in a prescribed orientation, and including a redirector feature to reorient the articles into the prescribed orientation upstream of the singulating opening.

13. The dispensing apparatus of claim 2 including a rotatable singulating wheel operable to pick up articles from the belt at a pick up location and sequentially deposit the articles downstream from the pickup location to thereby singulate the articles.

14. The dispensing apparatus of claim 13 wherein:

the singulating wheel includes a pair of transport wheels having respective opposed engagement surfaces defining an annular article receiving slot therebetween; and

in operation, the articles are captured in the article receiving slot to cingulate the articles.

15. The dispensing apparatus of claim 14 wherein the opposed engagement surfaces are disposed at an oblique angle with respect to one another.

16. The dispensing apparatus of claim 14 wherein the opposed engagement surfaces are substantially parallel to one another.

17. The dispensing apparatus of claim 14 wherein the transport wheels are biased toward one another.

18. The dispensing apparatus of claim 14 including a separator bar configured and positioned to remove the captured articles from the article receiving slot.

19. The dispensing apparatus of claim 2 including a non-linear singulating channel, wherein the belt conveys the articles through the singulating channel.

20. The dispensing apparatus of claim 1 wherein the dispensing apparatus is operable to selectively drive the belt in a reverse direction to convey the articles along the dispensing path away from the dispensing outlet.

21. The dispensing apparatus of claim 1 including an agitation mechanism configured to agitate the articles on the belt.

22. The dispensing apparatus of claim 1 including an active feed control system including an article transport member and a feed actuator to drive the article transport member to transfer articles from the hopper chamber to the belt.

23. The dispensing apparatus of claim 22 wherein the article transport member includes a feed wheel.

24. The dispensing apparatus of claim 23 wherein:

the active feed control system includes a controller and a sensor to detect articles in a staging area; and

the controller is operative to control the feed actuator to drive the article transport member based on an absence of articles detected by the sensor in the staging area.

25. The dispensing apparatus of claim 23 including an agitation mechanism to agitate articles in the hopper chamber, the agitation mechanism including a movable floor member that is oscillated by the feed wheel when the feed wheel is rotated.

26. A method for dispensing articles, the method comprising:

providing a dispensing apparatus including;

a housing defining;

a hopper chamber to hold the articles;

a dispensing outlet; and

a dispensing path between the hopper chamber and the dispensing outlet; and

a drive system including;

a belt; and

a belt actuator operable to drive the belt;

dispensing the articles from the hopper chamber, including;

directing articles disposed in the hopper chamber onto the belt; and

driving the belt using the belt actuator to convey the articles received from the hopper chamber in a dispensing direction along the dispensing path toward the dispensing outlet to be dispensed.

27-34. -34. (canceled)