Dispenser of automatically distributing various shaped tablets in medicine packing machine and tablet dispensing method thereof

• US 8,393,495 B2
• Filed: 09/19/2008
• Issued: 03/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cretem Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Cretem Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Ho-yeon
• Primary Examiner(s): COLLINS, MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US12/673,048
• Publication Number:
  US 20120006843A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,635 Days
• Field of Search: 221/200, 221/10, 221/13, 221/14, 221/201, 221/9, 221/12, 700/236, 700/240, 700/242, 700/243
• US Class Current: 221/13
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 35/14 by agitators or vibrators
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 35/30 Arranging and feeding articles in groups
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 37/04 by vibratory feeders
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 5/103 for packaging pills or tablets
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 57/14 and operating to control, or stop, the feed of articles or material to be packaged
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 27/02 comprising helical or spiral channels or conduits for elevation of materials
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 47/5145 with recirculation means

Abstract

Provided are an automatic tablet dispenser of an automatic medicine packing machine, and a tablet supply method thereof, which are capable of automatically packing various-shaped tablets, and accurately, cleanly and rapidly distributing the tablets without missing any. The automatic table dispenser which is installed in a medicine packing machine for automatically packing tablets, includes: a body including a space for containing the tablets therein and a guide track for guiding the tablets contained in the space upward from a bottom of the body; and a driver vibrating the body so that the tablets contained in the space of the body are transferred upward along the guide track.

Claims

1. An automatic tablet dispenser which is installed in a medicine packing machine for automatically packing tablets, the automatic tablet dispenser comprising:

a body including a space for containing the tablets therein and a guide track for guiding the tablets contained in the space upward from a bottom of the body;

a driver vibrating the body so that the tablets contained in the space of the body are transferred upward along the guide track; and

a quantity regulating module controlling the number of tablets falling down from an outlet of the guide track, and supplying the tablets to a hopper of the automatic tablet dispenser, the quantity regulating module comprising a module body comprising an inlet to which the tablets falling down from the outlet of the guide track are input, a hopper-side supply part for supplying the tablets to the hopper, and a recollecting part recollecting tablets in the body,

wherein the module body further comprises;

a rotating member, which is positioned below the inlet of the guide track, including a plurality of wings arranged in a radial direction, receiving a tablet falling down into the inlet of the guide track between the plurality of wings, and discharging the tablet selectively to the hopper-side supply part or to the recollecting part according to a rotation direction of the rotating member; and

a motor rotating the rotating member forward or backward to open the hopper-side supply part or the recollecting part.

2. The automatic tablet dispenser of claim 1, wherein the body is in a shape of a cylinder, and the guide track is in a shape of a spiral.

3. The automatic tablet dispenser of claim 2, wherein the driver is detachably coupled with the body.

4. The automatic tablet dispenser of claim 2, wherein a bottom of the body is convex in such a manner that a center of the bottom is protruded upward.

5. The automatic tablet dispenser of claim 2, wherein the guide track comprises a narrow part having a width narrower than that of the guide track and arranging the tablets in a line.

6. The automatic tablet dispenser of claim 1, wherein the quantity regulating module further comprises:

a detecting sensor counting the number of the tablets input to the inlet; and

a controller comparing the counted number of tablets with a predetermined quantity, transferring the tablets to the hopper-side supply part when the counted number of tablets is equal to the predetermine quantity, and recollecting the tablets in the recollecting part when the counted number of tablets exceeds the predetermine quantity.

7. The automatic tablet dispenser of claim 6, wherein the hopper-side supply part comprises a hopper-side passage, a first door for opening or closing the hopper-side passage, and a first solenoid for driving the first door, and the recollecting part comprises a recollecting passage, a second door for opening or closing the recollecting passage, and a second solenoid for driving the second door.

8. The automatic tablet dispenser of claim 7, wherein the recollecting part further comprises a discharge unit including a third door for discharging the tablets to the outside and a third solenoid for driving the third door.

9. The automatic tablet dispenser of claim 6, wherein the controller controls transfer speed of the tablets to accelerate vibration of the driver until the detecting sensor senses presence of a tablet, to maintain the vibration of the driver constant when the number of tablets sensed by the detecting sensor is equal to the predetermined quantity, and to decelerate the vibration of the driver when the number of tablets sensed by the detecting sensor exceeds the predetermined quantity.

10. The automatic tablet dispenser of claim 9, wherein the guide track further comprises a sub sensor sensing whether a tablet reaches the outlet of the guide track, and the controller maintains the vibration of the driver constant when the sub sensor senses presence of the tablet.

11. The automatic tablet dispenser of claim 6, wherein the body comprises a recollecting barrel which is open to the space, below the body, so that a tablet transferred from the recollecting part is recollected in the recollecting barrel and again transferred to the space.

12. The automatic tablet dispenser of claim 6, further comprising a stopper dropping a tablet existing at an end of the outlet of the guide track promptly in the inlet of the module body, and preventing a following tablet from being dropped in the inlet of the module body, when the detecting sensor senses presence of a tablet.

13. The automatic tablet dispenser of claim 1, wherein the plurality of wings are arranged at angles of 120 degrees in the radial direction.

14. The automatic tablet dispenser of claim 1, wherein the module body further comprises a discharge unit for discharging the tablets transferred to the recollecting part to the outside.

15. The automatic tablet dispenser of claim 14, wherein the discharge unit comprises a door for discharging the tablets to the outside, and a solenoid for driving the door.

16. The automatic tablet dispenser of claim 1, wherein the body comprises:

a plurality of sensor units disposed adjacent to an outlet of the guide track and sensing whether the transferred tablets are located adjacent to the outlet of the guide track; and

a controller controlling the driver to decrease transfer speed of a tablet when the plurality of sensor units sense presence of the tablet.

17. The automatic tablet dispenser of claim 16, wherein the controller controls the driver to increase the transfer speed of the tablets, when the plurality of sensor units sense no tablet.

18. The automatic tablet dispenser of claim 16, wherein the plurality of sensor units comprises:

a first sensor spaced from an end of the outlet of the guide track; and

a second sensor spaced from the first sensor toward an inlet of the guide track.

19. The automatic tablet dispenser of claim 18, wherein the plurality of sensor units further comprise at least one intermediate sensor disposed between the first sensor and the second sensor and precisely sensing presence of a tablet passing therethrough.

20. A method of supplying tablets in a medicine packing machine, the method comprising:

vibrating a body so that tablets contained in the body are transferred along a guide track;

sensing presence of a tablet near an outlet of the guide track using at least one sensor disposed adjacent to the outlet of the guide track;

controlling transfer speed of a tablet in such a manner as to accelerate vibration of a driver until the at least one sensor senses presence of the tablet, and decelerate the vibration of the driver after the at least one sensor senses the presence of the tablet; and

regulating, by a quantity regulating module, the number of tablets falling down from an outlet of the guide track, and supplying the tablets to a hopper of the automatic tablet dispenser,

wherein the quantity regulating module comprises a module body comprising an inlet to which the tablets falling down from the outlet of the guide track are input, a hopper-side supply part for supplying the tablets to the hopper, and a recollecting part recollecting tablets in the body,

wherein the module body further comprises a rotating member, which is positioned below the inlet of the guide track, including a plurality of wings arranged in a radial direction, receiving a tablet falling down into the inlet of the guide track between the plurality of wings, and discharging the tablet selectively to the hopper-side supply part or to the recollecting part according to a rotation direction of the rotating member, and a motor rotating the rotating member forward or backward to open the hopper-side supply part or the recollecting part.