Overview

As smart medical technologies continue to transform hospital workflows, intelligent medicine cabinet systems have become essential for modern pharmaceutical management. Traditional manual methods are prone to inefficiencies and errors, while secure access and real-time tracking are increasingly required in clinical settings. To meet these challenges, a healthcare equipment provider partnered with InnoAioT to deploy a fanless industrial panel PC as the intelligent control core of its smart medicine cabinet. In this case study, we explore how InnoAioT’s PPC-J156WAC solution enabled secure access control, enhanced medication management, and ensured stable system operation in modern medical environments.

Challenges

• • Needed an embedded computing system to act as the control hub for the smart medicine cabinet
• • Required secure access through biometric authentication to restrict drug handling to authorized personnel only
• • Demanded a fanless and compact industrial panel PC with anti-static and surge protection for safe, quiet operation in hospital settings
• • Sought stable communication with PLCs for control logic and with servers for real-time data management
• • Required glove-compatible, high-resolution touchscreen for quick and accurate operation by medical staff
• • Installation needed wide power input and flexible connectivity for seamless system integration

Solutions

InnoAioT’s PPC-J156WAC Industrial Panel PC

To address these needs, the client deployed InnoAioT’s 15.6” PPC-J156WAC industrial panel PC as the main control system within the intelligent medicine cabinet. Designed for reliability and hygiene in healthcare environments, the PPC-J156WAC provides responsive control, real-time data exchange, and secure user access in a fanless and durable form factor.

Key features include:

• • Fanless industrial panel PC with Intel® Celeron® J1900 processor for silent and stable performance
• • 15.6” Full HD TFT LED display with 10-point capacitive touch, glove-friendly and anti-reflective
• • IP65-rated aluminum alloy front panel for water and dust resistance in hospital environments
• • Dual Gigabit LAN ports for fast communication with hospital server systems
• • Dual COM ports (RS232/422/485) for PLC integration and device control
• • Built-in TPM2.0 module for hardware-level security and data protection
• • ESD and surge protection (6KV/8KV ESD, 600W TVS) to ensure reliability in sensitive medical applications
• • Wide-range DC 9~36V input with over-voltage, over-current, and reverse protection for flexible deployment

Benefits

• • Secure, traceable access control via fingerprint login to limit drug access to authorized personnel
• • Reliable, real-time communication between PLCs and server for full-process monitoring and remote management
• • Fanless and noise-free operation, ideal for sterile and quiet medical environments
• • Easy integration with smart cabinet systems through flexible I/O and standard protocols
• • Improved operational efficiency with clear, glove-friendly touchscreen interface and instant response
• • Enhanced equipment protection with industrial-grade anti-static and surge resilience

Company Background

A leading healthcare technology integrator in China specializes in developing intelligent medical equipment solutions to support hospital wards and pharmacies. By leveraging IoT technology and automation, their intelligent medicine cabinet systems help ensure drug safety, improve staff efficiency, and meet the growing demands for accuracy and compliance in pharmaceutical management.

Their smart cabinet systems enable hospitals to automate drug storage, track expiration dates, reduce human error, and enhance the overall quality of care. To realize these goals, the systems must rely on rugged, secure, and high-performance industrial computers that can support stable control, monitoring, and data processing functions.

Challenges

1. Ensuring Secure and Controlled Drug Access

The client required a system that could restrict access to medications through biometric authentication such as fingerprint login. Unauthorized personnel needed to be prevented from retrieving drugs, and all operations had to be traceable and secure.

2. Managing Full-Process Drug Circulation

To reduce errors in drug dispensing and usage, the solution needed to standardize the entire medication cycle—from storage to administration—through intelligent prompting and full-process logging.

3. Achieving Real-Time Monitoring and Centralized Control

Pharmacy administrators needed to monitor cabinet activity in real-time via server communication. The system also had to provide immediate alerts on expiring or missing medications to support regulatory compliance and safety.

4. Seamless Integration Within Compact Cabinet Systems

Given the tight space constraints within the smart cabinets, the computing device had to be compact, lightweight, and compatible with existing interfaces and system designs.

Solutions

InnoAioT’s PPC-J156WAC Panel PC as the System Control Center

The PPC-J156WAC served as the central control platform for the medicine cabinet, running Windows 10 IoT and hosting the intelligent cabinet management system software. This panel PC communicates with the lower-level PLC through its integrated RS232 serial port for real-time control of cabinet operations, while its dual LAN ports ensure continuous synchronization with the central server.

In addition to control functions, the PPC-J156WAC also allows for data queries and system monitoring directly from the control room, enabling efficient remote management of medication distribution and inventory.

Key product advantages include:

• • Robust SUS aluminum front panel with IP65 waterproof design
• • High-resolution 15.6” capacitive touchscreen for clear, glove-friendly operation
• • Fanless cooling design to minimize noise and contamination risks
• • Surge and anti-static protection for stable operation in sensitive environments
• • TPM2.0 security module for encrypted authentication and system integrity
• • Wide power input range for deployment flexibility across medical scenarios

The Benefits

Enhanced Safety and Compliance

Fingerprint login functionality prevents unauthorized access, ensuring that only trained and certified medical staff can dispense or modify medication inventory.

Real-Time Operational Transparency

Full-process monitoring and server synchronization allow pharmacy managers to track medicine usage, expiration dates, and cabinet access history in real time.

Compact and Reliable Integration

The PPC-J156WAC’s form factor, interface options, and protective design made it ideal for seamless integration into the client’s existing smart cabinet infrastructure without the need for custom mounting or retrofitting.

Improved Workflow Efficiency

Medical staff benefit from a smooth, responsive touch interface—even with gloves—alongside system reliability and low maintenance requirements, all of which contribute to greater operational efficiency.

Conclusion

By integrating InnoAioT’s PPC-J156WAC industrial panel PC into their intelligent medicine cabinet systems, the healthcare equipment provider significantly improved medication security, operational reliability, and real-time visibility. The solution enabled more precise, accountable, and efficient pharmaceutical workflows in hospital environments. InnoAioT remains a trusted partner in delivering smart, rugged computing solutions for the evolving needs of modern healthcare.