Patent ID: 7825808
Filing Date: 2010-11-02
Classification: B65B,G06Q,Y02P

Abstract:
1. A tablet packaging controlling apparatus of an automatic tablet packaging machine comprising: a plurality of radio frequency (RF) tags attached to sides of respective tablet cassettes to record information of tablets accommodated in a corresponding tablet cassette; and a plurality of tablet information access units to receive the tablet information recorded in the RF tags via a wireless link, to transmit the tablet information and identification information of cartridges to which the tablet cassettes are mounted to a host terminal, or to record new tablet information transmitted from the host terminal in the RF tags; wherein the host terminal: a) creates position arrangement information of the tablet cassettes using the identification information of the respective cartridges and the tablet information, which are transmitted from the tablet information access units and stores the generated position arrangement information in a memory, b) estimates a quantity of remaining tablets by subtracting a quantity of tablets discharged according to a prescription from a quantity of the tablets accommodated in the respective tablet cassettes to store the estimated quantity of the remaining tablets in the memory, c) controls the discharge of the tablets according to the prescription such that the tablets are discharged in an order beginning with the tablet cassettes accommodating the largest quantity of the tablets when prescribed tablets are accommodated in the plurality of tablet cassettes, d) controls operations of the tablet information access units to package only the accommodated tablets when the prescription is compared with the quantity of the remaining tablets and a result of the comparison indicates the number of remaining tablets is short, and displays the quantity of the shortage of tablets on a liquid crystal display while issuing an alarm indicating a prescription filling inability, and e) controls operations of the tablet information access units to package the remaining tablets when the shortage of tablets is supplemented.