In this Raspberry Pi project, we create an automated conveyor belt system equipped with four servos and a claw to sort medicine boxes based on their expiry dates. The system uses computer vision techniques for date detection and Raspberry Pi GPIO control to manage the servos and the claw.

Components Required:

  1. Raspberry Pi (Model 3 or higher)
  2. Camera module (compatible with Raspberry Pi)
  3. Four servo motors
  4. Claw mechanism (for picking and sorting)
  5. Conveyor belt (with motor)
  6. Power supply for Raspberry Pi and motors
  7. Medicine boxes with printed expiry dates

Project Implementation:

  1. Setting up the Conveyor Belt:
    • Assemble the conveyor belt system with a motor, ensuring it’s stable and capable of moving medicine boxes.
  2. Installing and Configuring Raspberry Pi:
    • Set up the Raspberry Pi with Raspbian OS and connect it to the internet.
    • Install necessary libraries and dependencies for computer vision and GPIO control.
  3. Computer Vision for Date Detection:
    • Develop a Python script using OpenCV to capture images of passing medicine boxes.
    • Implement image processing techniques to detect and extract expiry date information from the boxes.
  4. Servo Control for Sorting:
    • Connect four servo motors to the Raspberry Pi GPIO pins.
    • Create Python code to control the servos based on the detected expiry dates.
    • Define different angles for the servos to correspond to different sorting directions.
  5. Claw Mechanism for Sorting:
    • Attach the claw mechanism to one of the servos, enabling it to pick up and move the medicine boxes.
    • Program the Raspberry Pi to control the claw’s movements.
  6. Sorting Algorithm:
    • Develop a sorting algorithm based on expiry dates (e.g., nearest to expiry, expired, not expired).
    • Use the servo motors to sort the medicine boxes accordingly onto different tracks or bins.
  7. User Interface (Optional):
    • Create a simple web-based or mobile app interface to monitor the sorting process and control system parameters.
  8. Testing and Calibration:
    • Test the system with a variety of medicine boxes to ensure accurate date detection and reliable sorting.
  9. Deployment:
    • Once the system is calibrated and tested successfully, deploy it in a suitable environment for medicine box sorting.

Project Benefits:

This Raspberry Pi-based medicine box conveyor belt sorting system offers several advantages:

  • Automation of medicine sorting, reducing human intervention and error.
  • Enhanced efficiency in detecting and sorting medicine boxes based on their expiry dates.
  • Improved inventory management and patient safety in healthcare facilities.
  • A practical example of IoT and computer vision application in real-world scenarios.
  • Customizable and scalable for various sorting criteria and industries beyond medicine.

This project combines hardware, software, and image processing techniques to create an intelligent sorting system, demonstrating the potential of Raspberry Pi in automation and robotics.