ULTRA-LOW TEMPERATURE STORAGE AND DISPENSING SYSTEM

Abstract

A storage and dispensing system for storing and dispensing temperature sensitive items is provided. The system includes a storage chamber, a dispensing chamber, an electro-mechanical module, and a cooling system. The storage chamber has walls defining plural compartments formed integrally therein for storing the temperature sensitive items at an ultra-low temperature. Each compartment is formed as a cylindrical sector with an inclined bottom surface. The plural compartments are arranged circumferentially around a vertical axis and stacked together in one or more rows, thereby an individual temperature sensitive item is slidable out of a respective compartment to the dispensing chamber by gravitational force. The electro-mechanical module is configured to rotate the storage chamber about the vertical axis. The storage chamber does not include any mechanical or electrical components inside, which avoids the need for devices that can tolerate an extremely low temperature environment.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure generally relates to an ultra-low temperature storage and dispensing system, and particularly relates to a system for storing temperature sensitive pharmaceutical or biological items, such as medicines, biological samples, or vaccines, at ultra-low temperature and dispensing thereof.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Since the worldwide outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), research institutions, universities, government laboratories, and pharmaceutical companies around the world engage in the research to find a vaccine that can effectively shield and protect the people from the COVID-19. As of early January 2021, according to the information from the World Health Organisation (WHO), there are 63 vaccines in clinical development and another 172 vaccines in pre-clinical development. Among all, Pfizer and Moderna both announced promising clinical results, offering hope that the COVID-19 pandemic can end soon. However, the two vaccines require to be kept frozen at ultra-low temperature. The Pfizer's vaccine has to be stored at −70° C. (−94° F.), and the Moderna vaccine at −20° C. (−4° F.). If the vaccine is not kept at such a low temperature, the messenger RNA (mRNA) may break down, and the vaccine's effectiveness is affected.

The mRNA vaccine technology is new, and no mRNA vaccines have ever been approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) before the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. In the future, other vaccines using the mRNA technology may also have a similar challenge. In particular, when a vaccine is urgently needed, the development of the vaccine may not complete the stress test on various storage temperatures and may require a freezing temperature to ensure that the mRNA is not broken down easily. A system for ultra-low temperature storage and dispensation is required for earlier deployment of the vaccine.

In view thereof, a well developed cold chain for delivering, storing, and dispensing the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine is challenging and expensive. The ultra-low temperature environment is required to not only provide such a low temperature but also to continuously maintain that temperature accurately and reliably. Any temporary loss of cooling could potentially weaken or damage the vaccine, rendering ineffective vaccination. Many refrigeration systems known in the art have the common structure of the sealing door that may temporarily increase the temperature of the enclosure (or part of the enclosure) when the sealing door is opened for loading and unloading of the vaccine. There is no mechanism that can effectively minimize the chance of temperature fluctuations.

If any conveyor belts or robotic arms are used for picking up the vaccine from the storage, such conveyor belts and robotic arms should be able to sustain an ultra-low temperature environment. However, in reality, most commercial-off-the-shelf electrical devices and mechanical parts cannot tolerate a hostile operation environment and cannot function properly at an extremely low temperature environment. Only those specifically designed components for aerospace applications or research can be applied to the refrigeration system. Therefore, it is practically infeasible to design a conveying system for pickup up the vaccine from the storage and to transport the vaccine to the medical practitioner for administration.

Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a system that seeks to address at least some of the above problems and limitations in storing pharmaceutical or biological items at ultra-low temperature and dispensing thereof. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background of the disclosure.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Provided herein is an ultra-low temperature storage and dispensing system. It is an objective of the present disclosure to provide a system for storing pharmaceutical or biological items, such as medicines, biological samples, or vaccines, at ultra-low temperature, and dispensing thereof conveniently while minimizing the risk of handling errors and temperature rise of other items in the storage chamber.

In accordance with certain embodiments of the present disclosure, a storage and dispensing system for storing and dispensing temperature sensitive items is provided. The system comprises a storage chamber, a dispensing chamber, an electro-mechanical module, and a cooling system. The storage chamber has walls defining plural compartments formed integrally therein for storing the temperature sensitive items at an ultra-low temperature. Each compartment is formed as a cylindrical sector with an inclined bottom surface. The plural compartments are arranged circumferentially around a vertical axis and stacked together in one or more rows, thereby an individual temperature sensitive item is slidable out of a respective compartment to the dispensing chamber by gravitational force. The dispensing chamber is configured to receive the temperature sensitive items from the storage chamber and move the temperature sensitive items to an outlet for collection. The electro-mechanical module is configured to rotate the storage chamber about the vertical axis, thereby the storage chamber does not include any mechanical or electrical components inside. The storage chamber is surrounded by a thermal-insulating circumferential wall with one or more door assemblies on the thermal-insulating circumferential wall operable to allow the individual temperature sensitive item to slide from the respective compartment to the dispensing chamber.

In accordance with a further aspect of the present disclosure, the electro-mechanical module comprises a motor shaft and one or more mounting plates for attaching the storage chamber to the motor shaft to transfer a rotational movement to the storage chamber.

Preferably, the electro-mechanical module comprises a servo motor or a stepping motor. Alternatively, the electro-mechanical module comprises a prime motor and a reduction gear assembly, wherein the prime motor is a direct current motor or an alternating current motor.

Preferably, the electro-mechanical module and the storage chamber are separated by a thermal insulating plate such that the electro-mechanical module operates at a temperature higher than the ultra-low temperature.

In accordance with a further aspect of the present disclosure, the cooling system has a first cooling module and a second cooling module. The first cooling module is configured to cool the storage chamber to the ultra-low temperature. The second cooling module is configured to cool the dispensing chamber to a low temperature.

Preferably, the cooling system comprises a compressor, a condenser, an accumulator, an expansion valve, and an evaporator.

In accordance with a further aspect of the present disclosure, the system further comprises a temperature feedback control unit configured to periodically sense temperatures of the storage chamber and the dispensing chamber and adjust the cooling system for maintaining the storage chamber at the ultra-low temperature and the dispensing chamber at the low temperature.

Preferably, the temperature feedback control unit comprises a plurality of temperature sensors positioned at a plurality of locations on a peripheral surface of the storage chamber for determining the temperature of the storage chamber. The plurality of temperature sensors is selected from a group consisting of a thermocouple, a resistance temperature detector, and a thermistor.

Preferably, the temperature feedback control unit comprises one or more dispenser temperature sensors positioned to determine the temperature of the temperature sensitive items in the dispensing chamber. The one or more dispenser temperature sensors are selected from a group consisting of a thermocouple, a resistance temperature detector, a thermistor, and an infrared temperature sensor.

In accordance with a further aspect of the present disclosure, the system further comprises a display module configured to display the temperatures of the storage chamber and the dispensing chamber.

In accordance with a further aspect of the present disclosure, the dispensing chamber comprises a vertical reciprocating mechanism and a tray, and the vertical reciprocating mechanism moves the tray vertically to one or more positions corresponding to the one or more rows of the storage chamber.

Preferably, the vertical reciprocating mechanism comprises a conveyor belt, a hydraulic cylinder, a lead screw, a ball screw, or an electrically driven push pull rod for moving the tray vertically.

Preferably, the vertical reciprocating mechanism comprises a position alignment device positioned at a bottom side of the tray for detecting one or more position alignment marks to align the tray to the one or more door assemblies.

In accordance with a further aspect of the present disclosure, an individual door assembly comprises a sliding door, one or more push pull rods, and a control unit.

Preferably, the control unit is configured to move the sliding door along a sliding rail between an open position and a close position.

In accordance with a further aspect of the present disclosure, the inclined bottom surface has one or more holes disposed therethrough for allowing air circulation between each of the plural compartments.

In accordance with a further aspect of the present disclosure, the temperature sensitive items are vaccines for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

In accordance with a further aspect of the present disclosure, the system further comprises a main control unit configured for activating the electro-mechanical module to rotate the storage chamber; coupling control signals to the one or more door assemblies and the dispensing chamber for moving the temperature sensitive items from the storage chamber to the outlet; and controlling the cooling module based on temperature data from the temperature sensors.

Preferably, the main control unit comprises a feature extraction module configured to analyze the temperature data by extracting a maximum temperature or an average temperature from each temperature sensors, wherein the feature extraction module performs time-domain analysis on the temperature data.

Preferably, the time-domain analysis determines a standard deviation and a peak-to-peak temperature difference for each temperature sensors over a short period of time.

In accordance with a further aspect of the present disclosure, the system further comprises a wireless communication interface connected to the main control unit and configured for communicating with external devices or a cloud database.

This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter. Other aspects and advantages of the present invention are disclosed as illustrated by the embodiments hereinafter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The appended drawings contain figures to further illustrate and clarify the above and other aspects, advantages, and features of the present disclosure. It will be appreciated that these drawings depict only certain embodiments of the present disclosure and are not intended to limit its scope. It will also be appreciated that these drawings are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been depicted to scale. The dotted lines in the drawings are used to indicate the internal structures that may not be seen from the external view. The present disclosure will now be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the ultra-low temperature storage and dispensing system in accordance with certain embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the temperature sensors arranged on the storage chamber in accordance with certain embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the operation of the electro-mechanical module of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the electro-mechanical module in accordance with certain embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating the layout of the cooling system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6A is a fragmentary perspective view of the storage chamber and the door assembly in accordance with certain embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6B is a top view of the fragmentary storage chamber and the door assembly of FIG. 6A; and

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary perspective view of the dispensing chamber of FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating the ultra-low temperature storage and dispensing system in accordance with certain embodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the disclosure or its application and/or uses. It should be appreciated that a vast number of variations exist. The detailed description will enable those of ordinary skilled in the art to implement an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure without undue experimentation, and it is understood that various changes or modifications may be made in the function and structure described in the exemplary embodiment without departing from the scope of the present disclosure as set forth in the appended claims.

The benefits, advantages, solutions to problems, and any element(s) that may cause any benefit, advantage, or solution to occur or become more pronounced are not to be construed as a critical, required, or essential features or elements of any or all of the claims. The invention is defined solely by the appended claims including any amendments made during the pendency of this application and all equivalents of those claims as issued.

As used herein, the term “ultra-low temperature” refers to a temperature range from about −10° C. (−14° F.) to about −150° C. (−238° F.), and preferably from −18° C. (−0.4° F.) to −100° C. (−148° F.), and more preferably from −50° C. (−58° F.) to −80° C. (−112° F.).

The term “low temperature” refers to a temperature range from about 0° C. (−32° F.) to about 10° C. (50° F.), and more preferably from 2° C. (35.6° F.) to 8° C. (46.4° F.).

The term “ambient temperature” refers to a normal room temperature. For the purpose of the present invention, the ambient temperature means a temperature range from about 10° C. (50° F.) to about 40° C. (104° F.), and more preferably around 25° C. (77° F.).

The term “compressor” refers to a device for effecting compression of a fluid. Generally, the compressor is powered by an electric motor.

The term “refrigerant” refers to a fluid in a cooling system which undergoes changes in temperature, pressure, and possibly phase to absorb heat at a lower temperature and reject it at a higher temperature.

The term “medicine”, as used herein, is intended to be a generic term referring to, but not limited to, drugs, pills, fluid, chemicals, vitamins, supplements, minerals, ampoule, and the like, in any and all variety of vessels. A medicine may be in any state of matter (e.g., solid, liquid, gas, or any combinations thereof) and may include a combination of one or more medicines.

The term “cloud”, as used herein, is construed and interpreted in the sense of cloud computing or, synonymously, distributed computing over a network unless otherwise specified. The term “server” is interpreted in the sense of computing. The term “database” may be, for example, electrical circuits, hard disks and/or other solid-state disks for storing data. Generally, a server is equipped with one or more processors for executing program instructions, and/or one or more storages for storing data. The server may be a standalone computing server or a distributed server in the cloud.

Terms such as “upper”, “lower”, “top”, “bottom”, and variations thereof are used herein for ease of description to explain the positioning of an element, or the positioning of one element relative to another element, and are not intended to be limiting to a specific orientation or position. A vertical axis A is defined by the gravity as shown in FIG. 1, extending from the top to the bottom of the storage and dispensing system 10. Furthermore, a horizontal axis B that is substantially perpendicular to the vertical axis A is also defined. Terms such as “first”, “second”, and variations thereof herein are used to describe various elements, regions, sections, etc. and are not intended to be limiting.

Terms such as “connected”, “in communication”, “mounted”, and variations thereof herein are used broadly and encompass direct and indirect connections, communication and mountings; and are not restricted to electrical, physical or mechanical attachments, connections, or mountings.

The present disclosure generally relates to an ultra-low temperature storage and dispensing system. More specifically, but without limitation, the present disclosure relates to a system for storing temperature sensitive items at ultra-low temperature and dispensing the temperature sensitive items.

The storage and dispensing system (hereinafter referred to as “system”) 10 of the present disclosure forms a crucial part of the cold-chain for the temperature sensitive items. The cold-chain is a temperature-controlled supply chain that includes equipment and procedures for transporting, storing, and handling the temperature sensitive items from the time they are manufactured to dispensed for use. In certain embodiments, the temperature sensitive items are pharmaceutical or biological items, such as medicines, biological samples, specimen, or vaccines. In particular, the present disclosure is motivated by the need for an improved storage for storing the vaccines for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) at ultra-low temperature, with a dispensing module that allows the user, such as a medical practitioner, to conveniently collect the vaccine from the storage for administration while minimizing the risk of handling errors and temperature rise of other stored vaccines.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating the system 10 for storing and dispensing temperature sensitive items according to certain embodiments of the present disclosure. The system 10 includes a dispensing chamber 100, an electro-mechanical module 200, a storage chamber 300, and a cooling system 400. The cooling system 400 is positioned above the storage chamber 300 and configured to provide a cooling effect to the storage chamber 300 and the dispensing chamber 100. In order to ensure that the storage chamber 300 is suitable for keeping or preserving the temperature sensitive items for an extended period of time, the temperature of the storage chamber 300 is maintained at an ultra-low temperature. For the case of Pfizer's vaccine for COVID-19, the storage chamber 300 is maintained at −70° C. (−94° F.).

Considering the required temperature range for storing the temperature sensitive items, the enclosed area inside the storage chamber 300 is maintained at an extremely low temperature environment. It is difficult to source suitable mechanical parts or electrical and electronic components that can tolerate such a hostile operating environment. In view thereof, the storage chamber 300 of the present disclosure advantageously does not include any mechanical or electrical components inside. Furthermore, the system 10 allows the user to select one or more temperature sensitive items from the storage chamber 300 and collect the selected item for use.

The storage chamber 300 is generally cylindrical in shape, with a dispensing chamber 100 longitudinally connected to the storage chamber 300 and fitted to a curved peripheral surface. The storage chamber 300 is configured to store plural temperature sensitive items. When a user selects to dispense any item from the system 10, the item is transferred from the storage chamber 300 to the dispensing chamber 100 for collection. Particularly, the dispensing chamber 100 comprises a tray 110 and is configured to receive the temperature sensitive items from the storage chamber 300 and move the temperature sensitive items to an outlet 120 for collection. In certain embodiments, the tray 110 is movable vertically for conveying the temperature sensitive items to the outlet 120, where the user can open a door 121 to collect.

Also referring to FIG. 2, the storage chamber 300 is preferably partitioned by a plurality of walls 313 to define plural compartments 310 formed therein, each compartment 310 stores one or more temperature sensitive items therein at an ultra-low temperature. Preferably, each compartment 310 is formed as a cylindrical sector with an acute angle. A number of compartments 310 are arranged on the same vertical position and circumferentially around a vertical axis A to form a circular layer of compartments 305. One or more circular layers of compartments 305 are stacked together such that the storage chamber 300 has one or more rows. In certain embodiments, the acute angle of each compartment 310 is 36 degrees, then each circular layer of compartments 305 may comprise ten compartments 310.

The dispensation of the temperature sensitive items is enabled by rotating the storage chamber 300 to a direction that aligns a particular column of compartments 310 with the dispensing chamber 100. By an accurate control of the rotation of the storage chamber 300, a different column of compartments 310 can be selected to engage with the dispensing chamber 100. In certain embodiments, all the compartments 310 in the storage chamber 300 are rotatable as a whole as they are formed integrally. The rotation of the storage chamber 300 does not require any mechanical structure inside the storage chamber 300. Instead, the storage chamber 300 is rotated about the vertical axis by the electro-mechanical module 200, which is preferably positioned under the storage chamber 300.

In certain embodiments, the electro-mechanical module 200 and the storage chamber 300 are separated by a thermal insulating plate 540 such that the electro-mechanical module 200 operates at a temperature higher than the ultra-low temperature. Preferably, the electro-mechanical module 200 operates at ambient temperature. Therefore, the electro-mechanical module 200 can use standard commercial-off-the-shelf mechanical parts and electrical components without the need of sourcing components with high thermal tolerance.

FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the operation of the electro-mechanical module 200 for rotating the storage chamber 300. Although the illustrated embodiment is performing a rotation in an anti-clockwise direction, it is apparent that the rotation may also be in a clockwise direction or both directions. The electro-mechanical module 200 comprises a motor shaft 210 and one or more mounting plates 220 for attaching the storage chamber 300 to the motor shaft 210 to transfer a rotational movement to the storage chamber 300. The one or more mounting plates 220 may be welded to or otherwise fixed to the thermal insulating plate 540 in such a way as to firmly connect the one or more mounting plates 220 to the storage chamber 300. In one embodiment, the electro-mechanical module 200 may comprise a servo motor or a stepping motor. The servo motor or the stepping motor may further be connected to one or more reduction gear or the like. In another alternative embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 4, the electro-mechanical module 200 may comprise a prime motor 231 and a reduction gear assembly 232. The prime motor 231 can be any suitable electric motor selected from an alternating current (AC) motor, a brushed direct current (DC) motor, a brushless DC motor, a permanent magnet DC motor, and the like. For cooling down the electro-mechanical module 200 to avoid over-heating, a fan and a plurality of ventilation openings (not shown) may be provided.

Turning now to the cooling system 400 of a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure as illustrated in FIG. 5, the cooling system 400 includes two substantially identical cooling modules, referred to as first cooling module 410 and second cooling module 420. A single-stage vapor-compression refrigeration system is used as an example. The first cooling module 410 is configured to cool the storage chamber 300 to the ultra-low temperature, for example, −70° C. (−94° F.) or lower. Similarly, the second cooling module 420 is configured to cool the dispensing chamber 100 to the low temperature, for example, 8° C. (46.4° F.) or lower.

In the first cooling module 410, a first refrigerant is in fluid communication through the conduits 418 of the first cooling module 410. A first compressor 411 compresses the first refrigerant and is operatively connector to a first condenser 412. The first condenser 412 is a heat exchange that cools and condenses the first refrigerant from the first compressor 411. A first condenser fan 413 directs ambient air across the condenser 412 to facilitate heat transfer from the first refrigerant to the surrounding environment. The first refrigerant then flows through an expansion valve 414, where the first refrigerant expands to a low pressure and a low temperature. The cold first refrigerant then flows through the first evaporator 415, which is another heat exchange that is configured to absorb heat from the storage chamber 300. A first cooling fan 416 is used to facilitate the cooling effect and direct the cool air into the storage chamber 300. After picking up the heat in the first evaporator 415, the first refrigerant returns to the first compressor 411 through a first accumulator 417 to complete the first refrigeration system.

In the second cooling module 420, a second refrigerant is in fluid communication through the conduits 428 of the second cooling module 420. A second compressor 421 compresses the second refrigerant and is operatively connector to a second condenser 422. The second condenser 422 is a heat exchange that cools and condenses the second refrigerant from the second compressor 421. A second condenser fan 423 directs ambient air across the condenser 422 to facilitate heat transfer from the second refrigerant to the surrounding environment. The second refrigerant then flows through an expansion valve 424, where the second refrigerant expands to a low pressure and a low temperature. The cold second refrigerant then flows through the second evaporator 425, which is another heat exchange that is configured to absorb heat from the dispensing chamber 100. A second cooling fan 426 is used to facilitate the cooling effect and direct the cool air into the dispensing chamber 100. After picking up the heat in the second evaporator 425, the second refrigerant returns to the second compressor 421 through a second accumulator 427 to complete the second refrigeration system.

It is apparent that the cooling system 400 may be implemented by other configurations other than the single-stage vapor-compression refrigeration system without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. For example, the cooling system 400 may employ a cascade configuration, a multi-stage configuration, or other configurations.

Referring back to FIGS. 1 and 2, the system 10 of the present disclosure further comprises a temperature feedback control unit configured to periodically sense temperatures of the storage chamber 300 and the dispensing chamber 100, and to adjust the cooling system 400 for maintaining the storage chamber 300 at the ultra-low temperature and the dispensing chamber 100 at the low temperature. The temperature feedback control unit comprises a plurality of temperature sensors 520 positioned at a plurality of locations on a peripheral surface of the storage chamber for determining the temperature of the storage chamber 300, and one or more dispenser temperature sensors 521 positioned to determine the temperature of the temperature sensitive items in the dispensing chamber. In certain embodiments, the plurality of temperature sensors 520, 521 is selected from a group consisting of a thermocouple, a resistance temperature detector, and a thermistor. In the storage chamber 300, each temperature sensor 520 has a measuring end arranged inside the storage chamber 300 for obtaining an accurate measurement of the temperature inside, and a non-measuring end of the temperature sensor 520 clamped or otherwise affixed outside the storage chamber 300 in a way that the operation of the temperature sensor 520 is not affected by the extremely low temperature environment of the storage chamber 300. For the dispenser temperature sensor 521, it is selected from a group consisting of a thermocouple, a resistance temperature detector, a thermistor, and an infrared temperature sensor. Preferably, the one or more dispenser temperature sensors 521 are configured to measure the temperature of the dispensing chamber 100 and the temperature sensitive item on the tray 110. All the temperature measurements are transmitted to a main control unit 500 for feedback control, which will be detailed. In certain embodiments, the system 10 has a display module 510 configured to display the temperatures of the storage chamber 300 and the dispensing chamber 100.

Now referring to FIGS. 6A and 6B, the storage chamber 300 and the door assembly 320 are illustrated. As discussed, the storage chamber 300 has a plurality of walls 313 defining plural compartments 310 formed integrally therein for storing the temperature sensitive items. Each compartment 310 is formed by two side walls 313A, 313B sandwiching the enclosed area, which is maintained at an extremely low temperature environment. The two side walls 313A, 313B diverge from the vertical axis A to the peripheral surface of the storage chamber 300. The bottom side of the compartment 310 is an inclined bottom surface 311 that is inclined by a pre-determined angle from a plane defined by the horizontal axis B. The pre-determined angle can be an angle that provides a sufficient gravitational force to the temperature sensitive item to slide down along the inclined bottom surface 311. In certain embodiments, the pre-determined angle is in a range between 20 degrees to 50 degrees. On the inclined bottom surface 311, there is provided one or more holes 312 disposed therethrough for allowing air circulation between each of the plural compartments 310. Therefore, the cool air from the first cooling module 410 can pass through the one or more holes 312 on the inclined bottom surface 311 and maintain the temperature of all compartments 310 at the desired temperature range.

The storage chamber 300 is surrounded by a thermal-insulating circumferential wall 330 with one or more door assemblies 320 on the thermal-insulating circumferential wall 330 operable to allow the temperature sensitive item to slide from the respective compartment 310 to the dispensing chamber 100 by the gravitational force. In view thereof, no mechanical part or robotic device is required for moving the temperature sensitive item from the storage chamber 300 to the dispensing chamber 100, which can also minimize the risk of handling errors and temperature rise of other temperature sensitive items in the storage chamber 300. Furthermore, the user is also not exposed to the risk of operational safety by reducing the need of handling such an extremely low temperature environment.

The thermal-insulating circumferential wall 330 is arranged to enhance the thermal insulation effect of the storage chamber 300. In certain embodiments, the thermal-insulating circumferential wall 330 is formed of one or more insulators, such as fiberglass, polystyrene, polyurethane foam, vacuum insulation layer, and the like.

In certain embodiments, the one or more door assemblies 320 are provided vertically in the form of a column at positions corresponding to the one or more rows of the storage chamber 300, which are equivalent to the vertical positions of each circular layer of compartments 305. Each individual door assembly 320 comprises a sliding door 323, one or more push pull rods 322, and a control unit 321. The sliding door 323 is preferably an insulated door arranged for permitting egress of the temperature sensitive item from the respective compartment 310. The control unit 321 further comprises one or more pulleys and an actuator for moving the sliding door 323 along a sliding rail 324 between an open position and a close position.

For example, when the user wants to collect the temperature sensitive item from a particular compartment 310, the electro-mechanical module 200 rotates the storage chamber 300 to an angle that aligns that particular compartment 310 with the sliding door 323. Next, the door assembly 320 of the respective row of that compartment 310 is actuated and pulls the sliding door 323 along the sliding rail 324 to an open position, thereby the temperature sensitive item can slide out of the compartment 310 to the dispensing chamber 100.

In FIG. 7, a fragmentary view of the dispensing chamber 100 is depicted. The dispensing chamber 100 comprises a vertical reciprocating mechanism and a tray 110 moveable along a frame 140. The frame 140 limits the movement of the tray 110 to a vertical direction substantially equivalent to the vertical axis A. The tray 110 has one or more vertical guiding means 141 to support the tray 110 at a position along the frame 140. The vertical reciprocating mechanism is configured to move the tray 110 vertically to one or more positions, wherein the one or more positions corresponding to the vertical positions of the one or more rows of the storage chamber 300. In certain embodiments, the vertical reciprocating mechanism comprises a position alignment device 150 positioned at a bottom side of the tray 110 for detecting one or more position alignment marks under the one or more door assemblies 320, thereby the tray 110 can align with the one or more door assemblies 320. The position alignment device 150 is further configured to communicate with the main control unit 500 for determining the vertical position of the tray 110.

In certain embodiments, the tray 110 further comprises a slider 130 positioned above the tray 110, and in the vicinity of the boundary between the tray 110 and the door assembly 320. Therefore, the slider 130 provides a support for the temperature sensitive item to slide down from the compartment 310 to the tray 110. The vertical reciprocating mechanism may be any of various conventional mechanisms capable of realizing vertical reciprocating movements, such as a conveyor belt, a hydraulic cylinder, a lead screw, a ball screw, or an electrically driven push pull rod.

Electrical power can be supplied to the system 10, which can be supplied from a battery, a power outlet, or alternatively through a voltage regulator. Interconnecting wiring and cables, power supply housing, and other electronic parts may be used and may be positioned at various locations throughout the system 10 for providing power to at least the electro-mechanical module 200, the dispensing chamber 100, the door assemblies 320, and the cooling system 400. For convenience and simplicity, the electrical power and the respective electronic parts have not been shown in the figures.

FIG. 8 shows a block diagram illustrating the system 10 according to certain embodiments of the present disclosure. The system 10 is generally controlled by a main control unit 500, which is configured to receive one or more control signals from a control panel 530. The user can use the control panel 530 to adjust the temperature and dispense an item from the storage chamber 300. The main control unit 500 couples control signals to activate the electro-mechanical module 200 and rotate the storage chamber 300 to a particular angle. The main control unit 500 also couples control signals to the dispensing chamber 100 to move the tray 110 in a particular vertical position, such that when the corresponding door assembly 320 is actuated, the item in the compartment 310 can slide down to the tray 110.

The temperatures of the storage chamber 300 and the dispensing chamber 100 are detected by the temperature sensors 520, which periodically feedback the temperature data to the main control unit 500. In certain embodiments, the main control unit 500 includes a feature extraction module 501 configured to analyze the temperature data. The feature extraction module 501 extracts a maximum temperature or an average temperature from each temperature sensors 520. The feature extraction module 501 performs time-domain analysis on the temperature data. Preferably, the time-domain analysis determines the standard deviation and peak-to-peak temperature difference for each temperature sensors 520 over a short period of time, such as 1 to 10 minutes, for determining the overall cooling condition of the storage chamber 300.

The cooling module 400 is controlled by the main control unit 500 based on the temperature data from the temperature sensors 520, such that the temperatures of the storage chamber 300 and the dispensing chamber 100 are maintained relatively stable at the desired temperature range. A display module 510, including at least a display driver and a display panel, is also connected to the main control unit 500 for displaying at least the temperature of the storage chamber 300. In certain embodiments, the display module 510 is a touch screen panel which can also receive control signals from the user.

The system 10 of the present disclosure may be operable as an Internet of things (IoT) device, as the main control unit 500 is further connected to a wireless communication interface 550 for communicating with external devices or a cloud database. In such embodiment, the wireless communication interface 550 is configured to support one or more communication protocols, including cellular radio connections, Bluetooth, Wireless Body Area Network (WBAN), and Near Field Communication (NFC). In case the system 10 does not have Internet-connectivity or a wireless network is not present, the system 10 may first be connected to other communication devices, such as external data transmitter, cell phones, desktop computers, laptop computers, or tablet computers, etc., and then connected to the Internet via the communication devices.

By operating as an IoT device, the system 10 can provide a report to external devices, wherein the report comprises temperature data of the storage chamber 300 and the dispensing chamber 100, the inventory status, error records, and other device information. The user can also use an external device to control the system 10 remotely by adjusting the rotational speed of the electro-mechanical module 200, and controlling the temperature of the storage chamber 300 and the dispensing chamber 100.

This illustrates the storage and dispensing system for storing and dispensing temperature sensitive items in accordance with the present disclosure. It will be apparent that variants of the above-disclosed and other features and functions, or alternatives thereof, may be combined into many other devices. The present embodiment is, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the disclosure is indicated by the appended claims rather than by the preceding description, and all changes that come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

Claims

1. A storage and dispensing system for storing and dispensing temperature sensitive items, the system comprising:

a storage chamber having a plurality of walls defining plural compartments formed integrally therein for storing the temperature sensitive items at an ultra-low temperature, each compartment being formed as a cylindrical sector with an inclined bottom surface, the plural compartments being arranged circumferentially around a vertical axis and stacked together in one or more rows, thereby an individual temperature sensitive item is slidable out of a respective compartment by gravitational force;

a dispensing chamber configured to receive the temperature sensitive items from the storage chamber and move the temperature sensitive items to an outlet for collection; and

an electro-mechanical module configured to rotate the storage chamber about the vertical axis, thereby the storage chamber does not include any mechanical or electrical components inside,

wherein: the storage chamber is surrounded by a thermal-insulating circumferential wall with one or more door assemblies on the thermal-insulating circumferential wall operable to allow the individual temperature sensitive item to slide from the respective compartment to the dispensing chamber.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the electro-mechanical module comprises a motor shaft and one or more mounting plates for attaching the storage chamber to the motor shaft to transfer a rotational movement to the storage chamber.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the electro-mechanical module comprises a servo motor or a stepping motor.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the electro-mechanical module comprises a prime motor and a reduction gear assembly, wherein the prime motor is a direct current motor or an alternating current motor.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the electro-mechanical module and the storage chamber are separated by a thermal insulating plate such that the electro-mechanical module operates at a temperature higher than the ultra-low temperature.

6. The system of claim 1 further comprising a cooling system having a first cooling module and a second cooling module, wherein the first cooling module is configured to cool the storage chamber to the ultra-low temperature, and the second cooling module is configured to cool the dispensing chamber to a low temperature.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the cooling system comprises a compressor, a condenser, an accumulator, an expansion valve, and an evaporator.

8. The system of claim 6 further comprising a temperature feedback control unit configured to periodically sense temperatures of the storage chamber and the dispensing chamber and adjust the cooling system for maintaining the storage chamber at the ultra-low temperature and the dispensing chamber at the low temperature.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the temperature feedback control unit comprises a plurality of temperature sensors positioned at a plurality of locations on a peripheral surface of the storage chamber for determining the temperature of the storage chamber.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the plurality of temperature sensors is selected from a group consisting of a thermocouple, a resistance temperature detector, and a thermistor.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the temperature feedback control unit comprises one or more dispenser temperature sensors positioned to determine the temperature of the temperature sensitive items in the dispensing chamber.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the one or more dispenser temperature sensors are selected from a group consisting of a thermocouple, a resistance temperature detector, a thermistor, and an infrared temperature sensor.

13. The system of claim 8 further comprises a display module configured to display the temperatures of the storage chamber and the dispensing chamber.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the dispensing chamber comprises a vertical reciprocating mechanism and a tray, and the vertical reciprocating mechanism moves the tray vertically to one or more positions corresponding to the one or more rows of the storage chamber.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the vertical reciprocating mechanism comprises a conveyor belt, a hydraulic cylinder, a lead screw, a ball screw, or an electrically driven push pull rod for moving the tray vertically.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the vertical reciprocating mechanism comprises a position alignment device positioned at a bottom side of the tray for detecting one or more position alignment marks to align the tray to the one or more door assemblies.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein an individual door assembly comprises a sliding door, one or more push pull rods, and a control unit.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the control unit is configured to move the sliding door along a sliding rail between an open position and a close position.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the inclined bottom surface has one or more holes disposed therethrough for allowing air circulation between each of the plural compartments.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein the temperature sensitive items are vaccines for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

21. The system of claim 8 further comprising a main control unit configured for:

activating the electro-mechanical module to rotate the storage chamber;

coupling control signals to the one or more door assemblies and the dispensing chamber for moving the temperature sensitive items from the storage chamber to the outlet; and

controlling the cooling module based on temperature data from the temperature sensors.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the main control unit comprises a feature extraction module configured to analyze the temperature data by extracting a maximum temperature or an average temperature from each temperature sensors, wherein the feature extraction module performs time-domain analysis on the temperature data.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the time-domain analysis determines a standard deviation and a peak-to-peak temperature difference for each temperature sensors over a short period of time.

24. The system of claim 21 further comprising a wireless communication interface connected to the main control unit and configured for communicating with external devices or a cloud database.