Vacuum based pill singulator and counter based thereon

• US 8,348,094 B2
• Filed: 11/07/2007
• Issued: 01/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Parata Systems, LLC (Becton, Dickinson & Co)
• Original Assignee: Parata Systems, LLC (Becton, Dickinson & Co)
• Inventors: Remis, Steven J., Hahn, Adam, Rhodes, Raymond, Volkar, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Crawford, Gene O.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kumar, Rakesh
• Application Number:
  US11/936,234
• Publication Number:
  US 20080061074A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,889 Days
• Field of Search: 198/471.1, 198/397, 198/493, 198/533, 198/443, 452/31, 221/4, 221/69, 221/7, 221/13, 221/211, 221/97, 221/203, 221/200, 221/201, 221/277, 221/278, 221/168
• US Class Current: 221/69
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 35/06 Separating single articles from loose masses of articles
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 5/103 for packaging pills or tablets
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 57/20 Applications of counting devices for controlling the feed of articles other applications B65B65/08
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/1657 the picking arrangements using suction
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0092 for assembling and dispensing of pharmaceutical articles medical dispensers for private use, A61J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/13 delivered from dispensers

Abstract

A singulating disc, carried by a housing, has a plurality of openings around its periphery. The disc rotates vertically through a pickup chamber of a hopper carried by the housing. A vacuum is pulled through the openings by a pump which is connected to the disc. Items are placed in the hopper and, via gravity, fall to the bottom of the hopper where they contact the periphery of the rotating disc. The vacuum at the openings attaches an item and holds it while the disc rotates. At the top of the discs rotation, a diverter directs the item into a path depending on the results of a fragment detection and/or counting mechanism. Items that are allowed to pass by the diverter are scraped off the disc into another path by a scraper. Negative pressure is used to singulate and count a multitude of sizes and shapes of items with no calibration. Retractable paddles, a vacuum management system, and RFID tags may be incorporated. The paddles aid in the pickup and agitation of the items while the vacuum management system conserves the vacuum capacity necessary to pickup and singulate items. The RFID tags may contain information such as the number of items left in the hopper, a par level for that item, an expiration date, among others. Because of the rules governing abstracts, this abstract should not be used to construe the claims.

Claims

1. A singulating device, comprising:

a housing;

a hopper defining a pickup chamber, said hopper removably connected to said housing, said hopper having said pickup chamber formed therein;

a hollow, rotatable singulating disc carried by said housing, said disc having a plurality of openings around the periphery thereof, a portion of said disc rotating through said pickup chamber, said disc having a plurality of pistons, each piston positioned so as to control the volume of air flowing through one of said plurality of openings;

a source of rotary motion coupled to said singulating disc;

a vacuum source coupled to said singulating disc;

at least one path;

means for removing items from the periphery of said singulating disc into said path; and

a cam positioned to interface with each of said pistons such that air flow is at a maximum for each opening in a pickup sector while said opening is located in said pickup chamber and is at a minimum in a sealed sector including when said opening is positioned at said means for removing and is less than maximum but more than minimum in a transport sector during at least a major portion of rotation of the disc from the pickup chamber until the removing of the item.

2. A method of singulating items, comprising:

attaching a hopper having a pickup chamber to a housing carrying a hollow, singulating disc;

rotating a portion of the singulating disc through the pickup chamber while pulling a vacuum at a plurality of openings located around a periphery of the disc;

as said disc is rotating, controlling the volume of air flowing through each of the plurality of openings; and

removing items captured by the singulating disc;

wherein said controlling includes;

maximizing the air flow when an opening is in the pickup chamber and minimizing the air flow for an opening during the removing of an item; and

regulating the air flow so that the air flow is less than maximum but more than minimum during at least a major portion of rotation of the disc from the pickup chamber until the removing of the item.

3. A singulating device, comprising:

a housing;

a removable hopper connectable to said housing and defining a pickup chamber when connected thereto;

a hollow, rotatable singulating disc carried by said housing, said disc having a plurality of openings around the periphery thereof, a portion of said disc rotating through said pickup chamber, said disc having a plurality of pistons, each piston positioned so as to control a volume of air flowing through one of said plurality of openings;

a source of rotary motion coupled to said singulating disc;

a vacuum source coupled to said singulating disc; and

means for removing items from the periphery of said singulating disc;

wherein each piston is positioned such that air flow is at a maximum for each opening in a pickup sector while said opening is located in said pickup chamber and is at a minimum in a sealed sector when said opening is positioned at said means for removing and is less than maximum but more than minimum in a transport sector during at least a major portion of rotation of the disc from the pickup chamber until the removing of the item.

4. A method of singulating items, comprising:

rotating a singulating disc through a pickup chamber while pulling a vacuum at a plurality of openings located around the periphery of the disc;

controlling the volume of air flowing through each of said plurality of openings;

counting the items captured by the singulating disc; and

dispensing the items captured by the singulating disc in response to said counting;

wherein said dispensing includes removing the items captured by the singulating disc; and

wherein said controlling includes maximizing the air flow when an opening is in the pickup chamber and minimizing the air flow for an opening during the removing of an item;

wherein said controlling includes regulating the air flow so that the air flow is less than maximum but more than minimum during a portion of rotation of the disc from the pickup chamber until the removing of the item.

5. The method of claim 4 additionally comprising inspecting an item captured by the singulating disc to determine if the item may be dispensed.

6. The method of claim 4 including removing the hopper having the pickup chamber from a housing carrying the singulating disc.