Abstract
Chinese medicine is a time-honored and deeply valued medical skill in the Chinese community. Although currently the scientific Chinese medicine powder is prevalent, its varieties are numerous and have similar appearance, color, and odor, resulting in difficulties in being distinguished. Moreover, dosages are still weighed and mixed manually, rather than being automated; therefore, the workload for each Chinese medicine pharmacist is heavy, leading to it being easy for the wrong medicine to be administered due to human negligence. An innovative shelf-based automatic powder dispensing machine is therefore presented in this paper in order to promote the quality and efficiency of powder dispensing. This machine consists of linear guide mechanisms, weighing mechanisms, retractable mechanisms, gallipot base discharge mechanisms, and a lifting platform mechanism, and offers several innovative or important features that are beneficial to Chinese medicine. It can automatically and accurately dispense different powders in the correct weights, reducing the possibility of human error. Each gallipot is equipped with one low-cost gallipot base, which can be controlled by the weighing mechanism to discharge powder with the desired weight. Powder cross-contamination among different gallipots can also be avoided. Stepping motors are used in the presented machine for easy control, low cost, and durability. A parabolic type of S mode speed control for stepping motor is implemented, providing faster and more stable moving speed and accuracy than the traditional trapezoidal mode. Hardware and software are integrated and tested. The error of the weighed powder is reduced to +/−0.2 g. The dispensing process is very efficient, the moving speed of the weighing mechanism reaches 23.89 cm/s, and the discharge speed is up to 0.22 g/s. The system is indeed able to improve the accuracy and efficiency of powder dispensing for Chinese medicine.
Highlights
The Chinese medicine manufacturing market in Taiwan has reached up to 11.5 billion NT dollars
Figure shows the flowchart of the system operation
Based on the required dose weight, the weighing mechanism drives the screw stepping motor to extend the retractable platform, where the powder discharge coupler is coupled with through the stepping motor to extend the retractable platform, where the powder discharge coupler the drive of the the discharge on mechanism the gallipot on base
Summary
The Chinese medicine manufacturing market in Taiwan has reached up to 11.5 billion NT dollars (not including herbs and health food). According to the report [1], there are up to 6 million visits to Chinese medicine clinics annually in Taiwan, and fewer than 10% of Chinese medicine clinics, among more than three thousand, have Chinese medicine pharmacists practicing dispensing. Reasons for this might include the environment full of dust, the workload, and the work. Sci. 2019, 9, 5060 pay, none of which are likely to attract qualified pharmacists to engage in the Chinese medicine industry. The dispensing fee for traditional Chinese medicine clinics from the Taiwan Health
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
