Introduction to pilot plant and scale up technology
Final ABET Presentation
1. 1
Medisense Medication Dispenser
From Left:
Nicholas Kemme – Chief Engineer
Andrea Kemmerrer – Editor-in-Chief
Gregory Hutchins – Manufacturing Engineer
Thomas Wojtas – Team Leader
Ryan Campbell – Test Engineer
Jeremiah Dwight – Quality Control Manager
2. 2
Problem Statement
Sorting your medications into single
doses is a tedious and mistake-prone
process, especially for older, more
forgetful people. A fully autonomous
system that sorts and dispenses pills
and alerts the user would save time and
decrease this likelihood of user error,
leading to a safer means of taking
frequent, complex combinations of
medications.
3. 3
Requirements
Part 1 of 6
Prototype Requirement Method of Validation
1 Weigh less than 20 pounds Place final device on scale and record final weight
2
Be less than 24 in x 24 in x 18 in in
size
Measure final product with a tape measure or other measuring
device.
3
Machine must take less than 30
minutes to generate one pill
Using a stopwatch or other timing device the dispense device
will be timed on how long it takes to sort and dispense one pill
4
Back up battery must last more
than 2 days
Disconnect the machine from a power source and run it under
normal conditions, at end of 2 days machine must still be
functioning at full capacity.
4. 4
Requirements
Prototype Requirement Method of Validation
5
The noise of the machine while it
is sorting must be less than 70 dB
The machine will be placed on a stand and a decibel meter
will be placed next to it to as the machine is sorting to
determine its loudness.
6
Alert noise clearly audible from 20
feet
No notable decrease in volume from 20’ when compared to
immediately next to the device
7
System reliability must be greater
than 95%
95% dosage delivery rate over the 100 pills trial
Part 2 of 6
5. 5
Requirements
Prototype Requirement Method of Validation
8
The dosage must be be accurate
99% of the time
The correct dosage amount must be given 99 times out of 100
runs
9 Cost less than $150 (Production)
Production model overall cost will be valued at less than $150
10
Prove ability to handle up to 6 pill
containers
One pill container will work well and a system will be
introduced to prove the implementation of multiple containers
11
Must be able to program full
dosage in less than 10 minutes
An individual unfamiliar with the device or the technology used
within it will be timed while setting up the medication to
determine if the system is easy enough and fast enough and
that it takes them less than 10 minutes
Part 3 of 6
6. 6
Requirements
Prototype Requirement Method of Validation
12
Must be able to retrieve dosage in
less than 5 seconds
Once dosage has been sorted and dispended and the user has
been notified of its readiness it must take less than 5 seconds
for the user to retrieve their medication. This will be timed
using a stopwatch.
13
Must be able to sort any pill
between Zyrtec (small, pressed
pill) and Nyquil (large, gel
capsule)
A variety of pills will be placed in different hoppers and the
machine must sort all of them equally as well, with high
accuracy. In addition, mechanical analysis (kinematics,
dynamics, structural analysis, etc.) will be performed on key
components.
14
Must run on standard outlet
(120V) or standard batteries (AA)
The device will be configured to accept these power supplies,
and perform at the same level
Part 4 of 6
7. 7
Requirements
Prototype Requirement Method of Validation
15
Any font must be greater than
20pt size
When programming the user interface a font size greater than
20pt will be used
16
Inside must be accessible in less
than 30 seconds
Utilizing a stopwatch an individual unfamiliar with the product
will be timed as they attempt to open the device
17
Must require no tools to access
inside
The device will be designed so that no tools will be required to
open up the Medisense dispenser. A system of latches will be
implemented.
18
Time to clear a stuck pill must be
less than 1 minute
An individual unfamiliar with the Medisense device will be
timed as they attempt to clear an obstructing pill from the
device
Part 5 of 6
8. 8
Requirements
Prototype Requirement Method of Validation
19
Maintenance interval must be
greater than 6 months
The parts within the Medisense device must have a high
durability to ensure that they will not need regular care and
maintenance
20
Must survive a drop from 4 feet, 3
times
The machine will be dropped from a height of 4 feet 3 times
then checked to ensure it is still sorting and dispensing pills
properly.
21
Lid must withstand pulling force
of 100 lbs
Pull on lid with a force greater than 100 lbs while using a force
meter to verify
Part 6 of 6
9. 9
Schedule
Deliverable Completion Date
Pre Concept Design 9/22/15
Conceptual Design 10/16/15
Preliminary Design 12/6/16
Detailed Design 1/8/16
Fabrication, Assembly, and
Testing
4/6/16
Initial Delivery, Support and
Improvement
4/29/16
10. 10
Labor Loading Chart
• Approximately 10 hours
per week, per person
• Suggested time to
spend on project per
week
• Considerations made
for breaks
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40
CUMULATIVELABOR(HOURS)
PROJECT TIMELINE (WEEKS)
Labor Budget Chart
MEE 488 MEE 489
14. 14
Preliminary Design
• Packaging determined
• Several screws printed and tested
to determine best pitch
• V-channel printed to confirm
surface roughness and angle
16. 16
Final Prototype: Screw Conveyor
1
2
3
4
1 Fans Cool Stepper Motors
2
Stepper
Motors
Move Conveyor Screws
3 Hoppers Holds pills
4
Conveyor
Screws
Moves pills out of the
hoppers and into the
system
17. 17
Final Prototype: V-Channel
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
5
Curved
V-channel
Moves pills into straight line
6 Lasers Detects pills passing through
7 Photoresistors
Sends signal indicating pill has
passed through
8 Light blocker
Allows photoresistors to work
more optimally
9 V-channel
Moves pills through system in
single file
10 Solenoids Moves doors
11 Doors Blocks unwanted pills
18. 18
Final Prototype: Sorting
12
1314
1516
12 Rotating
funnel
Moves pill to dispensing cup or reject tray
13 Load cell Measures to ensure only one pill has made it
through
14 Dispensing cup Holding chamber for dosage of medication
15 Reject tray Holding chamber for extra/wrong pills
16 Servo motors Moves the rotating funnel/reject tray
12 Rotating
funnel
Moves pill to dispensing cup or reject tray
19. 19
Final Prototype
Performance
• Testing has been done to validate functionality of prototype
Meets the Need
Machine must be able to quietly and accurately sort and dispense a wide variety of
medication
• Quiet: Operates at <40dB for majority of sorting
• Accurate: Reliability testing passed
• Dispense: Can differentiate between pills and dispense them correctly
• Variety: Prototype has been successfully been tested with materials ranging
from 0.2g to 2g
20. 20
FMEA
• Failure modes
• Motor imprecision
• Pill speed
• Bad device
• RPN reduction
• Change to steppers, servos
• Analysis
• Pill speed
• V-channel angle
• Test parts prior to installation
• Feedback loop
21. 21
Problem Solving Example 1
Problem:
Stepper motors heat up to 130°F if powered constantly
Steps to solve this Problem:
I. Step 1 - Identify solutions
a. Option 1: Have fans blowing on stepper motors
b. Option 2: Use relays to operate motors non-continuously
II. Step 2 - Evaluate options
a. Option 1 Pros: Minimal rewiring
Cons: Doubles power draw of motor system
b. Option 2 Pros: Solves root cause of problem; less power draw
Cons: Significant rewiring; additional Arduino pins
III. Step 3 - Choose and implement solution
a. Problem is significant safety issue, and neither option is high-cost, so implement BOTH
solutions
b. Fans and relays added to system; testing ensured functionality
22. 22
Problem Solving Example 2
Problem:
H-bridge short caused safety doors to not function properly
Steps to solve this Problem:
I. Step 1 - Identify solutions
a. Option 1: Have both doors open and close together
b. Option 2: Allow one door to be functional and always leave the second open
c. Option 3: Order new H-bridge
II. Step 2 - Evaluate options
a. Option 1 Pros: Can be done immediately
Cons: Doesn’t serve original design aspect
b. Option 2 Pros: Can be done quickly
Cons: Results in potential lower reliability
c. Option 3 Pros: Completely fixes problem
Cons: Costs more money and could cause delays
III. Step 3 - Choose and implement solution
a. Chose and successfully implemented Option 3
23. 23
Problem Solving Example 3
Problem:
Once servos added to system, photoresistors behaved strangely
Steps to solve this Problem:
I. Step 1 - Isolate problem
a. Used LED to determine where problem was local or global
b. Determined problem was global - nothing was working right
II. Step 2 - Determine root cause
a. Consulted EE student with more experience
b. Determined servos were starving system of power, causing irregular voltage across
photoresistors (and everywhere else)
III. Step 3 - Identify and implement solution
a. Separated servos from rest of circuit to give them their own power
b. Now everything behaves normally
31. 31
Validation
Prototype Requirement Method of Validation
Test for
Validation
Validation Status
1 Weigh less than 20 pounds
Place final device on scale and record final
weight
Specification
Test
Pass: 19.4
lbs.
2
Be less than 24 in x 24 in x
18 in in size
Measure final product with a tape measure
or other measuring device.
Specification
Test
Pass: 13in x 17.5 in x
14.75 in
3
Machine must take less
than 30 minutes to
generate one pill
Using a stopwatch or other timing device the
dispense device will be timed on how long it
takes to sort and dispense one pill
Dispense
Test
Pass: 12 min 02 sec
4
Back up battery must last
more than 2 days
Disconnect the machine from a power source
and run it under normal conditions, at end
of 2 days machine must still be functioning
at full capacity.
N/A for
Prototype
N/A for
Prototype
Part 1 of 6
32. 32
Validation
Prototype Requirement Method of Validation
Test for
Validation
Validation
Status
5
The noise of the machine
while it is sorting must be
less than 70 dB
The machine will be placed on a stand and a
decibel meter will be placed next to it to as the
machine is sorting to determine its loudness.
Noise Test
Conditional
Pass: See Test
6
Alert noise clearly audible
from 20 feet
No notable decrease in volume from 20’ when
compared to immediately next to the device Noise Test
Pass: Clearly
Audible from 25'
3"
7
System reliability must be
greater than 95%
95% dosage delivery rate over the 100 pills trial Dispense Test Conditional
Pass: See Test
Part 2 of 6
33. 33
Validation
Prototype Requirement Method of Validation
Test for
Validation
Validation
Status
8
The dosage must be be
accurate 99% of the time
The correct dosage amount must be given 99
times out of 100 runs
Dispense Test
Pass: 100%
accuracy
9
Cost less than $150
(Production)
Production model overall cost will be valued at
less than $150
Cost Analysis
Prototype Cost:
$583.24
10
Prove ability to handle up
to 6 pill containers
One pill container will work well and a system
will be introduced to prove the implementation
of multiple containers
Dispense Test Pass
11
Must be able to program
full dosage in less than 10
minutes
An individual unfamiliar with the device or the
technology used within it will be timed while
setting up the medication to determine if the
system is easy enough and fast enough and that
it takes them less than 10 minutes
Dispense Test
(prove ability to
receive user
input)
N/A for
Prototype
Part 3 of 6
34. 34
Validation
Prototype Requirement Method of Validation
Test for
Validation
Validation
Status
12
Must be able to retrieve
dosage in less than 5
seconds
Once dosage has been sorted and dispended and
the user has been notified of its readiness it
must take less than 5 seconds for the user to
retrieve their medication. This will be timed
using a stopwatch.
Dispense Test Pass: 4 seconds
13
Must be able to sort any
pill between Zyrtec
(small, pressed pill) and
Nyquil (large, gel
capsule)
A variety of pills will be placed in different
hoppers and the machine must sort all of them
equally as well, with high accuracy. In addition,
mechanical analysis (kinematics, dynamics,
structural analysis, etc.) will be performed on
key components.
Dispense Test
(proved
versatility)
Pass
14
Must run on standard
outlet (120V) or standard
batteries (AA)
The device will be configured to accept these
power supplies, and perform at the same level
Dispense Test Pass
Part 4 of 6
35. 35
Validation
Prototype Requirement Method of Validation
Test for
Validation
Validation
Status
15
Any font must be greater
than 20pt size
When programming the user interface a font size
greater than 20pt will be used
N/A for
Prototype
N/A for
Prototype
16
Inside must be accessible
in less than 30 seconds
Utilizing a stopwatch an individual unfamiliar
with the product will be timed as they attempt
to open the device
N/A N/A
17
Must require no tools to
access inside
The device will be designed so that no tools will
be required to open up the Medisense dispenser.
A system of latches will be implemented.
N/A N/A
18
Time to clear a stuck pill
must be less than 1
minute
An individual unfamiliar with the Medisense
device will be timed as they attempt to clear an
obstructing pill from the device
N/A N/A
Part 5 of 6
36. 36
Validation
Prototype Requirement Method of Validation
Test for
Validation
Validation
Status
19
Maintenance interval must
be greater than 6 months
The parts within the Medisense device must have
a high durability to ensure that they will not
need regular care and maintenance
N/A for
Prototype
N/A for
Prototype
20
Must survive a drop from 4
feet, 3 times
The machine will be dropped from a height of 4
feet 3 times then checked to ensure it is still
sorting and dispensing pills properly.
N/A N/A
21
Lid must withstand pulling
force of 100 lbs
Pull on lid with a force greater than 100 lbs
while using a force meter to verify
N/A for
Prototype
N/A for
Prototype
Part 6 of 6
38. 38
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
0 10 20 30 40
CUMULATIVELABOR(HOURS)
PROJECT TIMELINE (WEEKS)
Labor Budget Chart 489
Cumulative Semester Actual
Team Performance
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
0 5 10 15 20CUMULATIVELABOR(HOURS)
PROJECT TIMELINE (WEEKS)
Labor Budget Chart 488
Cumulative Year Actual
On schedule - Never missed a deadline
Under budget - $583.24 out of $600
Team - 10/10
39. 39
Lessons Learned
• Team must be easily compatible
• Other teams struggled which resulted in setbacks
• Importance of a clear set of deliverables being determined and
agreed upon by the team.
• Clear deliverables allow everyone to know what must be done
• Cohesion of the systems must be considered early on
• Most additional work was caused by considering electrical system later
40. 40
Summary
• Prototype functionally dispenses two different
medications
• Wide range of medications can be sorted and
dispensed
• Prototype never distributes an incorrect dose
• Team worked well together to finish the project
on time and under budget
• Prototype can be scaled to accommodate more
medication and produced at a lower cost
