Dispenser system and methods for medication compliance
A medication dispensing system is provided and includes a medicine transfer device (MTD) and a controller. The MTD transfers medicine between first and second containers. The first container initially stores medicine. The controller: determines a first predetermined amount of medicine to be dispensed from the medicine dispensing system; causes the MTD to discharge a second predetermined amount of the medicine from the first container onto the MTD, and transfer a third predetermined amount of the medicine from the MTD to the second container; subsequent to the transfer of the third predetermined amount, determine whether the second container has greater than or equal to the first predetermined amount; and if the second container has less than the first predetermined amount, cause the MTD to transfer a portion of the medicine on the MTD into the second container or discharge a portion of the medicine in the first container onto the MTD.
1. A medication dispensing system comprising:
a container transfer device configured to move a first container and a second container to transfer medicine between the first container and the second container, wherein the first container is configured to initially store the medicine; and
a controller configured to
determine a first predetermined amount of medicine to be dispensed from the medicine dispensing system,
cause the container transfer device to discharge at least a second predetermined amount of the medicine from the first container into the second container,
subsequent to the discharge of the at least the second predetermined amount of the medicine, determine whether the second container has greater than or equal to the first predetermined amount of the medicine, and
if the second container does not have the first predetermined amount of the medicine, cause the container transfer device to discharge a portion of the medicine in the second container into the first container.
2. The medication dispensing system of claim 1 , wherein the second predetermined amount of the medicine is greater than or equal to the first predetermined amount of the medicine.
3. The medication dispensing system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to, until the second container has the first predetermined amount of the medicine, iteratively perform a plurality of operations including:
determining whether the second container has the first predetermined amount of the medicine; and
if the second container does not have the first predetermined amount of the medicine, at least one of (i) transferring a portion of the medicine in the first container into the second container, or (ii) transferring a portion of the medicine in the second container into the first container.
4. The medication dispensing system of claim 3 , wherein for each iteration of the plurality of operations includes at least one of (i) transferring less medicine from the first container into the second container than during a previous iteration, or (ii) transferring less medicine from the second container into the first container than during the previous iteration.
5. The medication dispensing system of claim 1 , wherein the container transfer device comprises at least one of a computer numerical control machine, a carousel or a robot.
6. The medication dispensing system of claim 1 , further comprising a device configured to generate a signal, wherein:
the signal is indicative of an amount of medicine in at least one of the first container or the second container; and
the controller is configured to, based on the signal, transfer the portion of the medicine between the second container and the first container.
7. The medication dispensing system of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of devices configured to generate a plurality of signals, wherein:
the plurality of signals are indicative of amounts of medicine in at least one of the first container or the second container; and
the controller is configured to, based on the signals, at least one of (i) discharge the portion of the medicine in the second container into the first container, or (ii) discharge a portion of the medicine in the first container into the second container.
8. A medication dispensing system comprising:
a container transfer device configured to move containers to transfer medicine between containers, wherein the containers include a first container and a second container, and wherein the first container is configured to initially store the medicine; and
a controller configured to
determine a first predetermined amount of the medicine to be dispensed from the medicine dispensing system,
cause to discharge at least a second predetermined amount of the medicine from the first container into the second container,
subsequent to the discharge of the at least the second predetermined amount of the medicine, determine whether the second container has greater than or equal to the first predetermined amount of the medicine, and
if the second container does not have the first predetermined amount of the medicine, at least one of transfer a portion of the medicine in the second container into the first container or a third container.
9. The medication dispensing system of claim 8 , wherein the controller is further configured to, until at least one of the second container or the third container has the first predetermined amount of the medicine, iteratively perform a plurality of operations including:
determining whether at least one of the second container or the third container has the first predetermined amount of the medicine; and
if neither of the second container or the third container has the first predetermined amount of the medicine, at least one of (i) transferring a portion of the medicine in the first container into the second container, (ii) transferring a portion of the medicine in the first container into the third container, (iii) transferring a portion of the medicine in the second container into the first container, (iv) transferring a portion of the medicine in the second container into the third container, (v) transferring a portion of the medicine in the third container into the first container, or (vi) transferring a portion of the medicine in the third container into the second container.
10. A medication dispensing system comprising:
a medicine transfer device configured to transfer medicine between containers, wherein the containers include a first container and a second container, and wherein the first container is configured to initially store medicine; and
a controller configured to
determine a first predetermined amount of medicine to be dispensed from the medicine dispensing system,
cause the medicine transfer device to (i) discharge at least a second predetermined amount of the medicine from the first container onto the medicine transfer device, and (ii) transfer at least a third predetermined amount of the medicine from the medicine transfer device to the second container,
subsequent to the transfer of the third predetermined amount of the medicine, determine whether the second container has greater than or equal to the first predetermined amount of the medicine, and
if the second container has less than the first predetermined amount of the medicine, cause the medicine transfer device to at least one of (i) transfer at least a portion of the medicine on the medicine transfer device into the second container, or (ii) discharge at least a portion of the medicine in the first container onto the medicine transfer device.
11. The medication dispensing system of claim 10 , wherein the controller is configured to, if the second container does not have the first predetermined amount of the medicine, at least one of (i) discharge the medicine on the medicine transfer device into the first container, (ii) discharge at least a portion of the medicine in the second container onto the medicine transfer device, (iii) discharge at least a portion of the medicine in the first container onto the medicine transfer device, or (iv) discharge at least a portion of the medicine on the medicine transfer device into a third container.
12. The medication dispensing system of claim 10 , wherein the controller is further configured to, until at least one of the second container or a third container has the first predetermined amount of the medicine, iteratively perform a plurality of operations including at least one of:
discharging at least a portion of the medicine on the medicine transfer device into the first container;
transferring at least a portion of the medicine on the medicine transfer device into the second container;
transferring at least a portion of the medicine on the medicine transfer device into the third container;
discharging at least a portion of the medicine in the first container onto the medicine transfer device;
transferring at least a portion of the medicine in the second container onto the medicine transfer device; and
transferring at least a portion of the medicine in the third container onto the medicine transfer device.