KR102584313B1 - Device for Automatic Supply of Drug - Google Patents

Abstract

The automatic medicine supply device according to the present invention includes a storage part where a medicine container is stored; a discharge unit that discharges a medicine container stored in the storage unit according to the medication period; a support portion on which the dispensed medicine container is placed; a detection unit that detects whether there is a medicine container in the support unit; a removal unit that removes the medicine container remaining in the support unit after a predetermined time has elapsed; It includes a central control unit that controls the discharge unit and the removal unit.

Description

Device for Automatic Supply of Drug}

The present invention relates to a device that automatically supplies medicine.

People with chronic diseases and the elderly often have difficulty taking their medications because there are many different types of medications that need to be taken and the timing of taking multiple medications is often different. In particular, elderly people with reduced cognitive ability have more difficulty taking medications.

In such cases, an automatic medicine supply device is needed to make medication administration convenient. An example of this is the device disclosed in Korean Patent No. 10-0872577 (registration notice dated December 8, 2008). In this prior art, each medicine is placed in the space 7 between the partition walls 2, and the medicine placed in the space 7 is discharged through the discharge groove 15 while rotating the partition wall 2. It is a structure that is discharged through the passage (42).

According to the structure of such prior art, there is a high possibility that the medicine will fall out of the discharge groove 41, and if there are many types of medicine, the possibility increases. Additionally, if the user leaves the medicine without taking it, there is a risk of overdosing the medicine as the medicine excreted during subsequent doses accumulates.

Korean Patent No. 10-0872577 (registration notice on December 8, 2008)

The purpose of the present invention is to provide an automatic medicine supply device that can supply medicine more stably by solving the problems of the prior art and can prevent overdosing by removing medicine when it is not taken.

The automatic medicine supply device according to the present invention includes a storage part where a medicine container is stored; a discharge unit that discharges a medicine container stored in the storage unit according to the medication period; a support portion on which the dispensed medicine container is placed; a detection unit that detects whether there is a medicine container in the support unit; a removal unit that removes the medicine container remaining in the support unit after a predetermined time has elapsed; It includes a central control unit that controls the discharge unit and the removal unit.

The storage unit may include a path that allows the medicine containing container to move downward by gravity.

The discharge portion includes a discharge port adjacent to the most downstream side of the path; a first stopper that controls downward movement of the first medicine containing container just before discharging; It may include a second stopper that controls the downward movement of the second medicine containing container adjacent to the upstream side with respect to the first medicine containing container.

The removal unit may include a driving unit that controls the support unit so that the medicine container supported on the support unit is removed.

The path includes a first slot provided on the downstream side of the placement position of the first medicine containing container; It may include a second slot provided between the placement position of the second medicine containing container and the placement position of the first medicine containing container.

The first stopper and the second stopper may operate to advance and retreat from the first slot and the second slot 220, respectively.

The automatic medicine supply device according to the present invention may further include an exit part through which the medicine containing container to be removed is expelled, and the driving part is driven to rotate the support towards the discharge part to remove the medicine containing container supported on the support to the discharge part. can do.

The automatic medicine supply device according to the present invention includes an exit portion through which the medicine container to be removed is expelled; A door that can be opened and closed between the support portion and the exit portion and is operated by a driving portion may be further included, and the support portion may be provided with an inclined portion extending downward toward the exit portion.

According to the present invention, it is possible to safely supply a plurality of medicines with different medication conditions with a simple structure, and in the case of untaken medicines, if they meet predetermined conditions, the risk of overlapping medication can be fundamentally eliminated. Possible effects are provided.

1 is a front view of the automatic medicine supply device according to the present invention, with the medicine container removed.
Figure 2 is a perspective view of the automatic medicine supply device according to the present invention in a state in which the medicine container is stored.
Figure 3 is a front cross-sectional view of the automatic medicine supply device according to the present invention with the upper part removed.
Figure 4 is a plan view of the first embodiment of the discharge portion of the automatic medicine supply device of the present invention.
Figure 5 is a side view of the discharge portion of Figure 4.
Figure 6 is a plan view of a second embodiment of the discharge portion of the automatic medicine supply device of the present invention.
Figure 7 is a side view of a third embodiment of the discharge portion of the automatic medicine supply device of the present invention.
Figure 8 is a plan view of a fourth embodiment of the discharge portion of the automatic medicine supply device of the present invention.
Figure 9 is a diagram of the first embodiment of the unused medicine container removal part of the automatic medicine supply device of the present invention.
Figure 10 is a diagram of a second embodiment of the unused medicine container removal part of the automatic medicine supply device of the present invention.
Figure 11 is a diagram showing an example of a medicine containing container used in the automatic medicine supply device of the present invention.
Figure 12 is a block diagram of the automatic medicine supply device according to the present invention.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In this specification, only the minimum components necessary for description of the present invention are described, and components that are not related to the essence of the present invention are not mentioned. And it should not be interpreted in an exclusive sense that includes only the mentioned components, but should be interpreted in a non-exclusive sense that may also include other components that are not mentioned.

As used herein, “first,” “second,” or similar expressions are used to separately express the same or similar components or to distinguish the names of steps constituting the present invention, and are used in order. It does not mean that it is meaningful or plural.

The exemplary embodiments described herein provide a general understanding of the principles of the structure, function, fabrication and use of the devices and methods disclosed herein. One or more such embodiments are depicted in the accompanying drawings. Those skilled in the art will understand that the devices and methods specifically described herein and shown in the accompanying drawings are non-limiting illustrative embodiments and that the scope of the present invention is defined by the claims. Features shown and described in connection with one example embodiment may also be combined with features of other embodiments. Such modifications or variations are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention.

Figure 1 shows a front view of the automatic medicine supply device 1 according to the present invention, and Figure 12 shows a block diagram of the automatic medicine supply device 1 according to the present invention.

The automatic medicine supply device (1) according to the present invention includes a medicine container storage part (10), a medicine container discharge part (20), a medicine container support part (30), a detection part (40), and an unused medicine. It includes a container removal unit 50, a central control unit 60, and a completed medication container collection unit 70. A base portion 300 may be disposed on the lower side of the medicine containing container storage portion 10.

The medicine containing container discharge unit 20 may be provided in the storage unit 10. The medicine container support part 30, the detection part 40, the unused medicine container removal part 50, and the central control part 60 may be provided in the base part 300. The central control unit 60 can control the medicine container discharging unit 20 and the unused medicine container removal unit 50 according to the detection of the detection unit 40.

The collection portion 70 of the container containing the already taken medicine may be provided in a space formed along the height direction of the storage portion 10 .

The medicine containing container storage unit 10 is provided with a path 200 that allows the medicine containing container to move downward by gravity. According to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the path 200 is formed as a spiral path, and the medicine containing container 100 is formed through each spiral path through the first to fourth input holes 210a to 210d. ) is input. The path 200 along which the medicine containing container 100 moves downward may be a path of any shape other than a spiral. For example, it may be a straight path that slopes downward and extends along the circumference of the storage unit 10. The path 200 may be provided as a single path or multiple paths. When a plurality of paths 200 are provided, a medicine container containing different medicines can be inserted into each path and stored. For example, if there is a medicine that must be taken twice a day and another medicine that must be taken three times a day, a medicine container containing the medicine to be taken twice a day is stored in one route, and the medicine to be taken three times a day is stored in the other route. By inserting and storing the received medicine container, it is possible to control the medicine container to be discharged along the corresponding route according to each medication time.

An example of a medication container 100 is shown in FIG. 11 . The medicine container 100 of the embodiment shown in FIG. 11 is spherical and consists of an upper hemisphere 110 and a lower hemisphere 120. The first detachable part 111 of the upper hemisphere 110 and the second detachable part 121 of the lower hemisphere 120 may be fastened to each other or may be separated from each other. The first detachable part 111 and the second detachable part 121 may have an interference fit or a screw-coupled structure, but various other known detachable structures can be adopted. At least one of the upper hemisphere 110 and the lower hemisphere 120 may be made of a transparent material so that the inside can be viewed. After the upper hemisphere 110 and the lower hemisphere 120 of the medicine container 100 are separated from each other, the medicine to be taken is placed inside, and the upper hemisphere 110 and the lower hemisphere 120 are coupled to each other. Although FIG. 11 shows an embodiment in which the medicine container 100 is spherical, it may have a non-spherical shape. In Figure 11, the medicine 150 is shown as being put in individually, but a medicine bag containing a single or a plurality of medicines 150 (in the form provided by a pharmacy) may be put into the medicine containing container 100. .

A display unit 80 may be provided on the upper side of the medicine container storage unit 10, and temperature, humidity, medication reminder time, etc. may be displayed through the display unit 80.

The medicine containing container 100 stored along the path 200 is discharged to the outside through the discharge port 25 in accordance with the medication time and is supported on the medicine containing container support unit 30. In the case where a plurality of paths 200 are provided in the storage unit 10, the medicine containing container discharged from each path 200 may be discharged to the outside through a single discharge port 25, and each may be discharged to the outside through a separate discharge port. It may be discharged to the outside through, and the discharged medicine containing container may be supported on a single medicine containing container support part 30, or may be supported on separate medicine containing container supports.

The configuration of the medicine container discharge portion 20 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 8.

The first medicine containing container 11 is disposed at the most downstream side of the path 200, and the second medicine containing container 12 is disposed adjacent to the first medicine containing container 11 on the upstream side.

The medicine containing container discharge unit 20 according to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 includes a first stopper 21 that controls movement of the first medicine containing container 11 toward the support part 30, that is, in direction A. ) and a second stopper 22 that controls movement of the second medicine containing container 12 toward the support portion 30, and a first stopper 22 that controls the operation of the first stopper 21 and the second stopper 22. Includes a driving unit 24.

The first stopper 21 and the second stopper 22 are connected to the rotation shaft 23, and the rotation shaft 23 rotates in the B direction by the first driving unit 24. The directions of the first stopper 21 and the second stopper 22 may extend in opposite directions to the direction intersecting the path 200. The path 200 is provided with a first slot 210 and a second slot 220 through which the first stopper 21 and the second stopper 22 can pass, respectively. The first slot 210 and the second slot 220 are provided on the downstream sides of the first medicine containing container 11 and the second medicine containing container 12, respectively. The first stopper 21 and the second stopper 22 may have a semicircular shape.

In order to prohibit the movement of the first medicine containing container 11, the first driving unit 24 operates to maintain the rotation axis 23 in the state shown in FIG. 5. If the first medicine containing container 11 needs to be discharged toward the support part 30, the first drive part 24 rotates the rotation shaft 23 in response to a command from the central control part 60, so that the first stopper 21 is 1 It is moved below the slot 210, and the second stopper 22 is protruded through the second slot 220 to prevent movement of the second medicine container 12 in direction A. When the first medicine containing container 11 is discharged toward the support part 30, upon receiving a command from the central control part 60, the first driving part 24 rotates the rotation shaft 23 to return it to the state shown in FIG. 5. . In that case, the second medicine containing container 12 moves in direction A and moves to the first stopper 21, and the medicine containing container adjacent to the upstream side with respect to the second medicine containing container 12 also moves in direction A to reach the first stopper 21. 2 is disposed adjacent to the medicine containing container 12.

The embodiment shown in FIG. 6 differs from the embodiment shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 in that the stopper is disposed on the side of the path 200 rather than below. In this embodiment, the first driving unit 24 rotates the rotation shaft 23 in the C direction, and the rotation shaft 23 includes a first stopper 21 transversely crossing the path 200, and a first stopper ( A second stopper 22 extending in the opposite direction to 21) is connected. The state shown in FIG. 6 is a state in which discharge of the first medicine containing container 11 to the support part 30 is prohibited, and the first driving part 24 receives a command from the central control part 60 to rotate the rotation axis 23, When the first stopper 21 leaves the path 200 and the second stopper 22 is rotated to transversely cross the path 200, the first medicine containing container 11 is discharged to the support part 30. The movement of the second medicine container 12 in direction A is prohibited by the second stopper 22. When the first medicine containing container 11 is discharged to the support part 30, the first driving part 24 rotates the rotation shaft 23 in response to a command from the central control part 60 to return to the state shown in FIG. 6. Then, the second medicine containing container 12 moves in direction A until it touches the first stopper 21, and the medicine containing container adjacent to the upstream side of the second medicine containing container 12 is the second medicine containing container ( Move in direction A to be adjacent to 12).

Figure 7 shows the configuration of the medicine container discharge portion according to another embodiment of the present invention.

The embodiment shown in FIG. 7 is different from the embodiment shown in FIGS. 4 to 6 in that the first stopper 21 and the second stopper 22 move in a straight line.

The first stopper 21 and the second stopper 22 move in a straight line in the D direction of FIG. 7 by the second driving unit 241 and the third driving unit 242. Between the second drive unit 241 and the first stopper 21 and between the third drive unit 242 and the second stopper 22, there is a known conversion structure (for example, a cam) that converts the rotary motion of the motor into a linear motion. structure) can be provided. Alternatively, a linear drive unit such as a linear motor or solenoid may be applied to the second drive unit 241 and the third drive unit 242, in which case a conversion structure may not be necessary.

The first stopper 21 and the second stopper 22 protrude or retract through the first slot 210 and the second slot 220, respectively, to form the first medicine containing container 11 and the second medicine containing container 12. ) can be controlled to move in the A direction. That is, in the state shown in FIG. 7, the second driving unit 241 moves the first stopper 21 downward in response to a command from the central control unit 60 to retract the first stopper 21 from the first slot 210. And, when the third driving unit 242 moves the second stopper 22 upward so that the second stopper 22 protrudes from the second slot 220, the first medicine containing container 11 is discharged from the discharge port 25. ) is discharged to the support part 30, and the second medicine containing container 120 is prohibited from moving in direction A by the second stopper 22. Afterwards, upon receiving a command from the central control unit 60, the second medicine containing container 120 The driving unit 241 moves the first stopper 21 upward to protrude through the first slot 21, and the third driving unit 242 moves the second stopper 22 downward to protrude into the second slot. When retracted from (22), the second medicine containing container 12 moves in direction A up to the first stopper 21, and the medicine containing container adjacent to the upstream side of the second medicine containing container 12 accommodates the second medicine. It moves in direction A until it is adjacent to the container 12.

The embodiment shown in FIG. 8 is different from the embodiment shown in FIG. 7 in that the stopper moves in a straight line on the side of the path 200, and the remaining structure and operation are largely the same as the embodiment shown in FIG. Detailed explanation is omitted.

Figure 9 shows the configuration of the unused medicine container removal unit. Although the medication container was discharged and placed on the support 30 in accordance with the medication time, there may be cases where the user misses taking the medication for some reason. According to the present invention, problems such as overlapping medication can be prevented by removing the medicine container that has been discharged to the support 30.

The support part 30 is provided so as to be rotatable in the F direction with respect to the rotation axis 35 by the fourth driving part 310. The base portion 300 may be provided with a discharge accommodating portion 400 that accommodates the removed medicine accommodating container 100. The detection unit 40 is provided to detect the medicine container 100 disposed on the support unit 30. The detection unit 40 may be a distance sensor or a weight sensor. The central control unit 60 determines whether the medicine container 100 is in the support unit 30 according to the detection result of the detection unit 40, and controls the discharge unit 20 and the removal unit 50 accordingly.

If the predetermined condition for not taking medication is met, for example, if the detection unit 40 detects that the medicine container 100 is still placed in the support unit 30 even though a predetermined time has passed from the time of taking the medication, The central control unit 60 controls the unused medicine container removal unit 50 to discharge the medicine container 100 disposed on the support unit 30 to the discharge unit 400.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 9, when the fourth driving unit 310, which receives a command from the central control unit 60, rotates the support unit 30 in the F direction, the medicine container 100 disposed on the support unit 30 It is discharged to the discharge unit 400. The expelled medicine container 100 can be removed to the outside by the user by opening the door 450. When the detection unit 40 detects that there is no medicine container in the support unit 30, the fourth driving unit 310 returns the support unit 30 to the state shown in FIG. 9.

Figure 10 shows the configuration of the unused medicine container removal unit in another embodiment. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 10, an inclined portion extending downward to the exit portion 420 is formed in the support portion 30. A door 350 is provided between the support part 30 and the discharge part 420 to control the movement of the medicine containing container 100, and this door 350 is opened and closed by the fourth driving part 310.

If the predetermined condition for not taking medication is met, for example, if the detection unit 40 detects that the medicine container 100 is still placed in the support unit 30 even though a predetermined time has passed from the time of taking the medication, The fourth driving unit 310 receives commands from the central control unit 60 and operates to open the door 350. When the door 350 is opened, the medicine containing container 100 is discharged to the exit part 420 along an incline, and when the detection part 40 determines that there is no medicine containing container in the support part 30, the fourth driving part 310 operates to close the door 350 to return to the state in FIG. 10 . The medicine container discharged into the discharge unit 420 can be removed by opening the door 450.

Although the present invention has been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, the scope of the present invention is determined by the scope of the patent claims described later and should not be construed as being limited to the above-described embodiments and/or drawings. In addition, it should be clearly understood that improvements, changes and modifications of the invention described in the patent claims, which are obvious to those skilled in the art, are also included in the scope of rights of the present invention.

10: Medicine containing container storage part 20: Medicine containing container discharge part (20)
30: Medicine container support part 40: Detection part
50: Unused medicine container removal unit 60: Central control unit
70: Completed medication container collection unit

Claims (7)

A storage unit containing a plurality of drug-containing containers separated from each other in which a single dose of medicine is previously stored, and a path that allows the drug-containing containers to move downward by gravity;
A discharge unit that discharges a medicine container stored in the storage unit depending on the medication period,
A support portion on which the discharged medicine container is placed,
a detection unit that detects whether there is a medicine container in the support unit;
a removal unit that removes the medicine container remaining in the support unit after a predetermined time has elapsed;
It includes a central control unit that controls the discharge unit and the removal unit,
The medicine containing container is capable of containing medicine therein and includes a first part and a second part that are detachable from each other,
The discharge portion includes a discharge port adjacent to the most downstream side of the path, a first stopper that controls the downward movement of the first drug container just before discharge, and a second drug container adjacent to the upstream side with respect to the first drug container. It includes a second stopper that controls the downward movement of,
The path is,
a first slot provided on the downstream side of the placement position of the first medicine containing container;
It includes a second slot provided between the placement position of the second medicine containing container and the placement position of the first medicine containing container,
When the first stopper retreats from the first slot and the first medicine containing container is discharged through the discharge port, the second stopper prevents the movement of the second medicine containing container while it has advanced into the second slot, and the first medicine containing container is discharged from the discharge port. After being discharged, the first stopper advances to the first slot and the second stopper retreats from the second slot, so that the second medicine containing container moves toward the discharge port and is caught by the first stopper.
Automatic medicine dispensing device.
delete delete In claim 1,
The removal department,
Comprising a driving unit that controls the support unit so that the medicine container supported on the support unit is removed,
Automatic medicine dispensing device.
delete In claim 1 or 4,
It further includes an exit portion through which the drug containing container to be removed is exited,
The driving unit rotates the support unit toward the exit unit and drives the medicine container supported on the support unit to be removed from the exit unit.
Automatic medicine dispensing device.
In claim 1 or 4,
an exit portion through which the drug containing container to be removed is exited;
It further includes a door that can be opened and closed between the support part and the exit part and is operated by a driving part,
The support portion is provided with an inclined portion extending downward toward the exit portion,
Automatic medicine dispensing device.

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