Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Method for storing a plurality of identical piece goods in a picking device
The present invention relates to a method for storing a plurality of identical
piece goods,
in particular pharmaceutical packages, in a picking device, and a picking
device which is
suitable for carrying out the method.
Automated picking devices are frequently used in pharmacies to allow space-
saving
storage of pharmaceutical packages. The pharmaceutical packages may be stored
"chaotically"
in the known picking devices that are suitable for pharmacies; i.e., the
pharmaceutical packages
are not stored at predetermined storage locations in the device, but, rather,
at those storage
locations in which enough storage space is currently present. Excessive empty
volume may thus
be avoided, so that the number of stored pharmaceutical packages per square
meter of floor
space is significantly increased. Chaotic storage is routinely used for
pharmaceuticals or
pharmaceutical packages having a fairly low dispensing rate (so-called "slow-
moving
products").
For pharmaceuticals or pharmaceutical packages having a high dispensing rate,
unmixed
storage in chute systems is routinely used, in which a plurality of identical
pharmaceutical
packages is stored in typically inclined storage chutes having a release
device situated at the
end. If a pharmaceutical situated in a storage chute is required, it is
necessary only to activate
the release device in order to dispense a pharmaceutical package. If a
pharmaceutical is required
which is chaotically stored, it must be grasped at its storage location, using
an operator unit, and
retrieved. Retrieval of a chaotically stored pharmaceutical package takes more
time, so that in
particular for picking devices having an increased general retrieval
frequency, a combination of
chaotic and unmixed storage is customary.
Regardless of whether only chaotic or unmixed storage or a combination of
storage types
is used, it is customary to deposit multiple pharmaceutical packages of the
same pharmaceutical
in the picking device. In known methods, for this purpose the pharmaceutical
packages are
either individually placed on a storage device and successively moved into the
picking device,
or a plurality of identical pharmaceutical packages is deposited on a resting
surface of a storage
device. The number of deposited pharmaceutical packages is then manually
reported to a
control unit of the picking device, thus initiating the start of storage. The
known methods are
time-consuming (successive storage) or prone to error (provision of an
incorrect number of
deposited pharmaceutical packages).
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method by
which a plurality
of identical piece goods may be stored in a time-saving inanner and with a
reduced frequency of
errors. A further object of the present invention is to provide a picking
device with which such a
method may be carried out.
The object is achieved by a method according to Patent Claim I. In the method
according
to the invention for storing a plurality of identical piece goods in a picking
device which
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includes at least one rack row, at least one storage device, a control unit,
and an operator unit
coupled to the control unit, multiple piece goods are placed on a resting
surface of a storage
device, and it is detected whether a last piece good has been placed on the
resting surface. As
soon as this is detected, the piece goods are moved along a storage direction
into a removal area
of the storage device, the storage direction corresponding to the direction of
movement of a
storage device into the picking device.
When the piece goods have been placed in the removal area, a gripping
apparatus of the
operating unit is moved into this removal area so that the gripping apparatus
is able to access
the piece goods, and the piece goods are grasped with the gripping apparatus
and moved from
the removal area onto a support table of the control unit over an end-face
edge of the support
table.
The piece goods may be removed from the storage device and stored immediately
after
they are moved into the picking device. However, the piece goods may also
first be temporarily
stored on the removal device in their respective removal area; i.e., a fairly
large number of piece
goods (i.e., multiple groups of piece goods which are identical in each case)
is collected on a
storage device before the piece goods are moved from their respective removal
area by the
operator unit.
According to the invention, the number of piece goods situated in the support
area is
determined based on piece goods data and size data of the piece goods that are
detected with at
least one sensor system, in particular after it has been established that a
last piece good has been
placed in the support area.
The piece goods data are detected after the last piece good has been
deposited, and may
comprise the position or the size of the piece goods and their arrangement
with respect to one
another, i.e., whether four, for example, piece goods are present as a
combination or situated
next to one another or at a distance from one another. These data are detected
using a sensor
system which is suitable for this purpose, for example a light grid
combination or a camera
system, and may include a plurality of any sensors known to those skilled in
the art.
Based on the piece goods data and the size data of the piece goods which are
known to
the control unit, the control unit can unambiguously detect the number of
deposited piece
goods, in particular independently of the type of arrangement of the piece
goods with respect to
one another.
According to the invention, it is therefore no longer necessary to transmit to
the control
unit the exact number of deposited piece goods prior to the start of storage.
The storage of the
piece goods is thus accelerated and the likelihood of errors is reduced, since
manual indication
of the nuinber of piece goods to be stored may be dispensed with.
It is essential to the invention that the number is determined with an
appropriate sensor
system after the last piece good is deposited. Precisely where and how this
takes place is not
essential to the invention.
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In one embodiment, the piece goods data may be determined by a support area
sensor
system associated with a support area before the piece goods are inoved along
the storage
direction into the removal area. Such a method procedure has the advantage
that the exact
number of piece goods is certain at an early point in time in the storage
process, and therefore
enough time remains to establish the optimal method procedure (for example,
the location of
the removal area, which is not a fixedly defined area, but, rather, which may
be selected
depending on the subsequent storage location). For example, a camera system or
a light grid
combination associated with a support area may be used as a support area
sensor system for
determining the piece goods data.
In one embodiment, the piece goods data may be determined by a storage sensor
system
associated with a storage device while the piece goods are moving along the
storage direction or
after the piece goods have moved into the removal area. Such an embodiment has
the advantage
that the piece goods data are detected within the device, where fewer
interference signals are
present. The two methods mentioned above for detecting the piece goods data
may also be
combined to increase the certainty in detecting the number (a discrepancy in
the numbers
detected by the two sensor systems then indicates an error).
In one embodiment, the piece goods data may be determined by a removal area
sensor
system associated with a removal area while the piece goods are moving onto
the support table.
In this embodiment, the number of piece goods is determined only relatively
late in the storage
process; however, in this way it may be ensured that the number of piece goods
determined
corresponds exactly to the number later stored. It is conceivable, for
example, that during the
moveinent of the piece goods into the removal area, a piece good shifts in
such a way that it
cannot be cleanly grasped by the gripping apparatus and moved onto the support
table. In this
embodiment, such a piece good is not "counted." A further advantage of this
embodiment is that
a sensor system having a very simple design may be used; a sensor which
measures the incident
quantity of light may be sufficient.
In this embodiment, the piece goods data of the moved piece goods or a
corresponding
signal from the sensor system may indicate, for example, at what point in time
a piece good is
moved over the end-face edge of the support table. Based on the size data of
the piece goods to
be stored, the movement speed of the gripping apparatus (or the particular
instantaneous
position of the motor), and the piece goods data or the corresponding signal,
the control unit can
determine the number of piece goods moved onto the support table, so that
manual input of the
number of the piece goods is not necessary.
In this embodiment, the exact arrangement of the piece goods is not important;
i.e., the
piece goods may be placed directly next to one another, or any arbitrary
distances between the
piece goods may be present. The movement of the gripping apparatus into the
removal area of
the storage device is always carried out in such a way that it is ensured that
all piece goods to be
stored are grasped and moved onto the support table. In addition, during the
movement of the
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piece goods from the removal area onto the support table, it is unimportant
whether the exact
arrangement of the piece goods is maintained, or whether the piece goods are
pulled together
prior to the actual movement onto the support table; i.e., gaps which may be
present between
the piece goods are closed during or after grasping and prior to the movement
onto the support
table. This is the case, for example, when the gripping apparatus includes
gripper jaws, in which
one or both gripper jaws are moved toward one another by a pivot motion in the
"front" section,
resulting in a V-shaped grip profile. During the movement of the gripping
apparatus or the
gripper jaws from the removal area in the direction of the support table, the
piece good farthest
from the end-face edge is initially gripped or grasped and moved in the
direction of the support
table until the first piece good meets the second piece good, which is
likewise moved along in
the direction of the support table. This type of storage results in an
uninterrupted sequencing of
a plurality of piece goods.
In such a case, the sensor detects that only one object moves past, namely, a
combination
of, for example, four piece goods. With knowledge of the dimensions or the
piece goods data of
the piece goods, the movement speed, or the instantaneous motor position of
the gripping
apparatus, as well as the signal or the storage information supplied by the
sensor, the control
unit can unambiguously determine that the combination moved onto the support
table
comprises four piece goods.
To accurately calculate the number of piece goods moved, the size data (i.e.,
the
dimensions of a single piece good) for the piece goods to be stored must be
available to the
control unit. If a large number of identical piece goods is to be stored, it
is possible, for
example, for the size data for the piece goods to be stored to be detected one
time prior to the
storage of this large number of piece goods and used during each storage
operation; i.e., the size
data are not renewed prior to each storage operation.
However, if new size data concerning the new piece goods to be stored are not
provided
when there is a change in the type of piece goods, this may result in a
failure to automatically
determine the number of piece goods to be stored.
The size data are customarily internally linked with identifying information
concerning
piece goods. This identifying information is important for the storage and the
subsequent
retrieval, since the control unit must unambiguously know which piece good is
stored at which
storage location (whether this involves chaotic storage on a shelf or unmixed
storage in a
storage chute). However, for strictly determining the number of piece goods,
identifying
information beyond the size data is not important.
The identifying information is usually applied to the piece goods themselves
or to their
outer packaging. However, the case may be that the identifying information
that is present does
not include the size data of the piece goods to be stored. For
pharmaceuticals, for example, it is
not yet customary for the identifying information associated with the package
to contain size
data concerning the package.
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To avoid the above-described case of miscalculation, in one embodiment it may
be
provided that the control unit is provided with identifying information prior
to the movement of
the piece goods. A procedure may be followed in which new identifying
information is
provided prior to each new storage process. However, this is not necessary
when a large number
of identical piece goods is to be stored, so that this "obligation" to provide
new identifying
information may be switched off manually or by control by the control unit.
As already noted above, the case may be that no size data are present for the
piece goods
to be stored (since new identifying information may possibly not include size
data, and the data
have not yet been entered or learned). To avoid the necessity for manually
entering the size
data, in one preferred embodiment it is provided that prior to a new storage
process, the control
unit checks whether size data are present for the piece goods to be stored,
and if this is not the
case, a user is requested to place a single piece good, whose size data are
detected and stored
together with identifying information concerning the piece good. After the
size data are
detected, the additional piece goods to be stored may be retrieved and stored.
Such an
embodiment simplifies the storage of "new" piece goods, since the detection of
the size data is
automated, thus reducing the susceptibility to error.
A detection that a last piece good has been placed on a resting surface may
take place, for
example, by a user activating a suitable input means, for example a foot pedal
or a pushbutton.
To further speed up and simplify the storage operation, in one preferred
embodiment it is
provided that placing the last piece good of the plurality of piece goods to
be stored initiates the
storage. For this purpose, in this preferred embodiment, the depositing of a
piece good in a
detection range of a support detection sensor associated with a resting
surface is detected. Thus,
in this embodiment, a further operation is no longer necessary after the last
piece good is
placed; depositing in the detection range of the support detection sensor
initiates the movement
of the piece goods to the removal area.
If the picking device includes a support area sensor system, in one preferred
embodiment
it is provided that the arrangement of a last piece good in a support area is
determined by the
support area sensor system. The sensor system must then be designed in such a
way that, on the
one hand, the deposited piece goods are detectable, and on the other hand, a
piece good is
situated in a certain detection range. In that case, a sensor system for
detecting the position of
the piece goods relative to one another, and the position of at least one
piece good in the
detection range, is utilized, thus avoiding use of a second sensor system.
As previously indicated, the gripping apparatus is always moved far enough
into the
removal area that movement of all piece goods from the removal area onto the
support table is
ensured. In one particular embodiment of the method according to the
invention, it is not just
the deposition per se, but, rather, the exact deposition location of the last
piece good that is
determined, and the movement of the gripping apparatus into the removal area
is controlled
based on the deposition location. The deposition location may be determined by
a special
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sensor system or a sensor system that is already present. With knowledge of
the exact
deposition location of the last piece good, it is thus possible to control the
precise penetration
depth of the gripping apparatus into the removal area. Thus, in this
embodiment it is not
absolutely necessary to always move the gripping apparatus completely into the
removal area,
thus speeding up the movement of the piece goods from the removal area onto
the support
table.
The object is further achieved by a picking device according to Patent Claim
10. The
picking device according to the invention includes at least one rack row
having at least one rack
with a plurality of shelves situated one above the other. The piece goods to
be stored may be
chaotically stored on these shelves, or may be stored in storage chutes formed
on the shelves.
The picking device also includes at least one storage device having a resting
surface for
receiving piece goods to be stored, these piece goods being moved into the
picking device by
means of the storage device after placement on the resting surface. The
picking device further
includes an operator unit, coupled to a control unit, with a support table for
receiving one or
more piece goods, the support table having an end-face edge associated with a
storage device.
The operator unit also includes a gripping apparatus by means of which piece
goods may be
grasped in the removal area of a storage device and moved from the storage
device, over the
end-face edge, onto the support table. The picking device also includes at
least one sensor
system, coupled to the control unit, with which piece goods data are
detectable and
transmittable to the control unit, the control unit being designed in such a
way that the number
of piece goods situated in the support area is determinable based on the piece
goods data and
the size data of the piece goods.
Due to using the above-mentioned sensor system with which piece goods data are
detectable, the control unit, based on the signal or the piece goods data
supplied by the sensor
system, optionally using additional data, is able to automatically determine
the number of piece
goods moved. Details in this regard have already been described with reference
to the method
according to the invention.
In one embodiment of the picking device, a sensor system is designed as a
support area
sensor system, with which piece goods data of the piece goods situated in the
support area are
detectable.
In one embodiment, a sensor system is designed as a storage sensor system,
with which
piece goods data are detectable while the piece goods are moving along the
storage direction or
after the piece goods have moved into the removal area.
In one embodiment, a sensor system is designed as a removal area sensor system
associated with a removal area, with which piece goods data are detectable
while the piece
goods are moving onto the support table.
A release device which, when activated, initiates storage of the piece goods
is coupled to
the control unit; in this storage, the piece goods are moved from the support
area into the
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removal area by means of a storage device. The release device may be designed
as a foot pedal
or a simple pushbutton, for example, which initiates the storage when
activated. However, in
one preferred embodiment it is provided that the release device is designed as
a support
detection sensor, associated with a support area of a storage device, which
detects when a piece
good or portion of a piece good is deposited in the detection range. Thus, in
this preferred
embodiment, after the last piece good is deposited no additional further
operation must be
completed in order to initiate the storage of the deposited piece goods. The
depositing of the
last piece good in the detection range initiates the storage, so that the
storage itself may be
carried out more quickly.
If the picking device includes a support area sensor system, in one preferred
embodiment
it is provided that the release device is provided by the support area sensor
system, i.e., that the
functionality of the release device is also achieved by the support area
sensor system, and thus
the number of components may be reduced and the costs for the device may be
lowered.
The sensor system for detecting the movement of piece goods over the end-face
edge of
the support table may be situated on any arbitrary component in the region of
the removal area,
as long as it is ensured that the movement of a piece good over the end-face
edge can be
detected with the sensor system. However, in one preferred embodiment it is
provided that the
sensor system is situated at the end-face edge of the support table itself.
This ensures that the
sensor systein is always ideally positioned with regard to the piece goods to
be stored, so that it
may be ensured that the sensor system is able to detect the movement of the
piece goods over
the end-face edge, regardless of the nature of the piece goods.
The device according to the invention and the method according to the
invention are
described in greater detail below, with reference to the appended drawings,
wherein:
Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a first embodiment of the picking device
according
to the invention;
Figure 2 shows a detailed view of the front area of the first embodiment;
Figure 3 shows a top view of the first embodiment;
Figure 4 shows a detailed view of the control unit;
Figures 5a-5e show various stages of the storage according to a first
embodiment of the
method according to the invention;
Figure 6 shows an example of a sensor system, and
Figures 7a and 7b schematically show the signals of the sensor during movement
of piece
goods over the sensor.
Figure 1 shows a perspective illustration of a first embodiment of the picking
device I
according to the invention. The picking device 1 includes a framework
structure 2 on which a
plurality of cladding elements 3 is mounted. For the sake of clarity, a number
of the cladding
elements as well as some elements of the framework structure 2 are omitted.
The picking device
1 includes a first rack row 10 having multiple racks, each having a plurality
of shelves 12
CA 02997230 2018-03-01
situated one above the other and extending in a horizontal plane (only three
shelves 12 are
illustrated in Figure 1; additional shelves are situated above, beneath, and
next to those
illustrated). The individual shelves 11 of the first rack row 10 are formed by
shelf walls 13 and
a plurality of the above-mentioned shelves 12. In the embodiment shown, all
end faces (loading
edges) of the shelves are situated in a vertical plane, which simplifies
storage and retrieval of
piece goods or pharmaceutical packages to and from the shelves. The shelves
shown are
designed for chaotic storage of pharmaceutical packages.
In the shown embodiment of the picking device according to the invention,
opposite from
the first rack row 10 a second rack row 10 is provided, which for reasons of
clarity is merely
iu indicated; only individual elements of the support frame for this rack
row and a shelf 12' having
a storage chute 14 for unmixed storage are illustrated.
In the embodiment shown, the picking device includes two storage devices 20,
30 which
are situated one above the other and integrated into the first rack row 10, so
that shelves 12 are
provided above and beneath the two storage devices 20, 30. The storage devices
20, 30 protrude
from the picking device at its front, and at the protruding portion include a
support area 21, 31,
respectively, on which pharmaceutical packages may be deposited for storage.
In Figure I,
three identical pharmaceutical packages 6 are situated in the support area 21
of the top storage
device 20.
An operator unit 50, which is horizontally and vertically movable on a guide,
is provided
between the illustrated first rack row and the merely indicated second rack
row, and is
described in greater detail with reference to Figures 3 and 4. This operator
unit is movable
along a horizontal guide 55, merely indicated, and a vertical guide 56 in a
channel between the
two rack rows.
Also situated in the picking device is a retrieval device 40, which in the
embodiment
shown is designed as a conveyor belt and is indicated between the second rack
row and the right
outer wall of the picking device. Via the retrieval device, pharmaceutical
packages which are
moved onto the retrieval device are moved to a removal area 41 of the
retrieval device. The
pharmaceutical packages can reach the retrieval device for example by being
moved onto the
retrieval device with the operator unit 50, optionally with connection of an
auxiliary retrieval
path, not illustrated, in between. At the inclined storage chutes, the
pharmaceutical packages
may be easily moved onto the retrieval device by activating a release device
situated at one end
of a storage chute. In such a case, the pharmaceutical packages simply fall by
gravity onto the
retrieval device.
Lastly, in Figure I a control unit 70 which is coupled to the operator unit,
the sensors and
sensor systems, and typically the storage devices and the retrieval device, is
situated in the front
area of the picking device. A door opening 4 is provided in the middle of the
front area of the
picking device, through which the device may be entered for maintenance
purposes and in the
event of malfunctions.
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Figure 2 shows a detailed view of the front area of the first embodiment of
the picking
device; in this view, in particular the support area of the storage device 20,
30 is apparent. In
Figure 2, two identical pharmaceutical packages 6 are situated in the support
area 31 of the
bottom storage device 30.
A support area sensor system 200, 300 is situated in each case above the
support area of a
storage device. For example, the sensor system may be a light grid combination
or a
camera/camera combination with which piece goods data, i.e., data concerning
the position of
piece goods on the particular support area, may be determined. Depending on
the exact
configuration of the support area sensor system, the arrangement of a
pharmaceutical package 6
in a detection range 23 may be detected with the support area sensor system,
optionally with an
accurate determination of the location of the arrangement (based on the width
of the storage
device 20). An example of a sensor system will be discussed in greater detail
below with
reference to a subsequent figure.
In the "left" area of the support area sensor system 200, an alternative
support detection
sensor 24 is indicated with which the above-mentioned functions may be carried
out in the
event that, in one embodiment, no support area sensor system or no support
area sensor system
having the above-mentioned functions is installed.
As soon as a piece good is deposited in a detection range 22, 32 or at least
partially
protrudes into the detection range, an appropriate signal is transmitted to
the control unit 70.
The extent to which a pharmaceutical package must protrude into a detection
range in order to
trigger an above-mentioned signal may be set at the control unit or the
support detection sensor,
or the sensor system itself.
Also indicated in Figure 2 is an input and/or output device 5 above the top
storage device
20, with which information concerning the pharmaceutical packages to be stored
may be
displayed and/or input.
Figure 3 shows a top view of the first embodiment of the picking device
according to the
invention; for the sake of clarity, the majority of the support frame 2 is
omitted. The storage
device 20. which leads from an outer region having the support area 21 to far
into the picking
device, is apparent on the left side. Four identical pharmaceutical packages 6
are situated in a
removal area 25 of the storage device 20. In this illustration, it is also
apparent that the storage
device is integrated into the first rack row 10, since in the "top" area,
shelves 12 and shelf walls
13 are indicated above the storage device 20. The retrieval device 40 together
with the removal
area 41 is apparent on the right side, and toward the interior of the picking
device is adjoined by
the second rack row 10', merely indicated. The horizontally and vertically
movable operator
unit 50 is situated between the first rack row 10 and the second rack row 10',
the horizontal
guide 55 normally extending over the entire length of the picking device to be
able to reach all
shelves of the device with the operator unit. The operator unit 50 includes a
support table 51
having an end-face edge 52, over which pharmaceutical packages are pulled with
a gripping
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apparatus 60 onto the support table 51.
Also indicated in Figure 3 is a storage sensor system 250, indicated between
the removal
area 25 and the support area 21, with which the piece goods data of piece
goods moved in the
storage direction toward the removal area are detected. The exact
configuration of the sensor
system depends on the particular specific requirements and structural
circumstances. Thus, here
as well, the use of a camera system or a light grid combination is
conceivable; however, the
sensor system is not limited to the two designs mentioned above, and all
sensor systems which
are able to determine the required piece goods data, i.e., the exact
arrangement of the piece
goods, may be used.
Figure 4 shows a detailed view of the control unit. In the embodiment shown,
the gripping
apparatus 60 of the control unit 50 includes two gripper jaws 61a, 61b, which
via two pivot
joints 62a, 62b are pivotable in such a way that the tips 63a, 63b of the
gripper jaws 61a, 61b
can be moved toward and away from one another without the base of the gripper
jaws 61a, 61b
being substantially moved. The entire gripping apparatus 60 may be moved above
the support
table 51 and into the removal area 25 of the retrieval device 20, grasping the
pharmaceutical
packages 6 in the removal area and pulling them over the end-face edge 52 of
the support table
51 over a sensor 80 situated at the removal area and/or over two sensors 81a,
81b at the end-
face edge of the support table 52; when the pharmaceutical packages move over
the sensors, the
sensors generate a signal and relay it to the control unit. In the embodiment
shown, one sensor
80 is situated at the removal area 25, i.e., at the storage device 20, and two
sensors 81a, 81b are
situated at the end-face edge of the support table. This arrangement
represents only one possible
configuration of sensors. It is also possible to use only one sensor at the
removal area or at the
end-face edge of the support table. The exact number and configuration of the
sensors is not
critical, but it is important that the movement of the pharmaceutical packages
from the removal
area onto the support table can be precisely detected by means of a sensor.
Figures 5a¨e show various stages in the storage of a plurality of identical
piece goods or
pharmaceutical packages. For simplicity, only the components that are
essential for the
individual method steps are schematically illustrated in the above-mentioned
figures.
Figure 5a shows a storage device 20 having a support area 21 and a detection
range 23 of
a support detection sensor (not illustrated). Three identical piece goods or
pharmaceutical
packages 6 are situated in the support area 21 at a distance from one another,
the "top"
pharmaceutical package protruding into the detection range 23.
The protrusion of the top pharmaceutical package into the detection range 23
is detected
by the support detection sensor (not illustrated) associated with the
detection range 23, and is
transmitted to the control unit. The piece goods or pharmaceutical packages 6
are then moved
via the storage device 20 into a removal area 25, as is apparent in Figure 5b.
The removal area is a section within the picking device which the gripping
apparatus
accesses for moving the pharmaceutical packages front a storage device onto
the support table
CA 02997230 2018-03-01
of the control unit, in that the gripping apparatus is moved into this removal
area. The removal
area is not a "stationary" area within the picking device, and instead may
vary, depending on
the position of, for example, the control unit or the deposition location of
the piece goods to be
stored.
As previously indicated, the gripping apparatus may have two gripping or
clamping jaws
which may be pivoted, for example. Alternatively, it is also conceivable for
the two gripper
jaws to be configured to be movable in parallel toward one another, and for
the pharmaceutical
packages to be clamped or gripped by moving one or two gripper jaws.
In Figure 5c, the two above-mentioned variants, namely, the pivotable gripper
jaws and
the gripper jaws which are movable in parallel, are indicated in one figure;
in the two
illustrations, the gripper jaws 61a, 61b have not yet completely closed; i.e.,
the pharmaceutical
package(s) has/have not yet been grasped. Regardless of the type of gripper
jaws used, a
clearance 7 is present between the pharmaceutical packages 6 (situated as in
this example).
However, the pharmaceutical packages may be situated on the support area 21,
without a
clearance, between the gripper jaws as a combination of multiple
pharmaceutical packages. In
the embodiment shown, a sensor 80 which is able to detect a movement of the
piece goods onto
the support table 51 is associated with the removal area 25. When the
pharmaceutical packages
move over the sensor, the sensor generates a signal (or a change in signal)
which is relayed to
the control unit, and based on this signal or the position information of the
pharmaceutical
packages corresponding to this signal, the control unit can determine the
number of
pharmaceutical packages moved, using additional data (see Figures 6a, 6b).
Starting from the illustration in Figure 5c, the gripper jaws 61a, 61b of the
gripping
apparatus are closed until the top pharmaceutical package in the left
illustration, and all
pharmaceutical packages in the right illustration, is/are clamped or gripped.
lf, as indicated in
Figure 5d, the packages are now moved in the direction of the support table
51, via the
pivotable gripper jaws (left portion of Figure 5d), initially only the "top"
pharmaceutical
package is moved, in particular in such a way that the clearance 7 between the
top and the
middle pharmaceutical package is eliminated. The combination of the two
pharmaceutical
packages is then moved to the "bottom" pharmaceutical package upon further
movement of the
gripper jaws toward the support table 51, resulting in a combination of three
pharmaceutical
packages with no space in between.
The situation is different for the pharmaceutical packages which have been
grasped by the
gripping apparatus having the gripper jaws which are movable in parallel, as
indicated in the
right portion of Figure 5d. Due to the parallel movement of one or both
gripper jaws 61a, 61b,
all pharmaceutical packages, which have the same dimensions because they are
identical, are
grasped at the same time, so that no shifting of the pharmaceutical packages
toward one another
takes place while the gripper jaws move toward the support table 51; i.e., the
clearances 7
between the pharmaceutical packages are maintained.
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The "result" of the gripping movement is apparent in Figure 5e. In the left
illustration
with the pivotable gripper jaws 61a, 61b, the three pharmaceutical packages
are moved as a
combination, with no space in between, onto the support table 51. In the right
illustration with
the gripper jaws which are movable in parallel, the pharmaceutical packages
are moved onto the
support table 51 corresponding to their original resting position; i.e., a
clearance 7 is still
present between the pharmaceutical packages.
Figure 6 shows an example of a sensor system 200 which may be used as a
support area
sensor system 200, 300 or a storage sensor system 250, 260. The sensor system
is a light grid or
a combination of two light grids 210, 230 and 220, 240, comprising a
horizontal light grid 210,
230 having a plurality of light sources 211 and receivers 231, and a vertical
light grid 220, 240
likewise having a plurality of light sources 221 and receivers 241. Light
beams 212, 222 are
emitted from the light sources 21 I, 221 and received at the receivers 231,
241. The piece goods
data are determined based on which light beams reach a receiver.
In the embodiment shown, the light grids appear to be situated at the same
height relative
to the direction of movement of the piece goods, but in practical terms this
is not the case. The
light grids are spaced at least far enough apart that the light beams of the
grids do not have an
interfering effect.
Alternatively, a sensor system may be achieved by a camera system, wherein the
data
(images) detected by the camera system undergo image processing which provides
the
necessary piece goods data.
Figures 7a and 7b depict the signal supplied by the sensor 80 as a function of
the
movement of the pharmaceutical packages onto the support table 51, wherein (in
this
embodiment) the X axis shows the time axis and the Y axis shows the signal
intensity. In this
embodiment, it is assumed that the sensor simply measures the intensity of the
light striking it.
Different sensors, for example contact sensors, may be used in other
embodiments.
Figure 7a depicts the movement of the combination of three pharmaceutical
packages
over the sensor 80. It is apparent that the intensity of the light detected by
the sensor decreases
at a point in time tl and once again increases at a point in time t2. The
control unit is able to
automatically determine the number of pharmaceutical packages moved, based on
the time
period At12 (12 ¨ tl), the number of changes in signal (position information
of the
pharmaceutical packages), the movement speed of the gripper jaws, and the
identifying
inforination concerning the pharmaceutical packages.
In Figure 7a, a change in intensity has been determined only for a time
interval t l/t2, and
based on the additional information it may be determined that three
pharmaceutical packages
have been moved onto the support table. The situation is different when the
pharmaceutical
packages are not pushed or pulled together to form a combination, but, rather,
are moved over
the sensor with clearances 7 between the pharmaceutical packages. This is
depicted in Figure
7b, where a decrease in the light intensity is detected at three points in
tittle t2, t4, t6, and an
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increase in the light intensity is detected at three points in time tl, t3,
t5, wherein the period of
the decreased light intensity corresponds to a movement of a pharmaceutical
package over a
sensor. The number of pharmaceutical packages may be unambiguously determined
based on
this information At12 (t2 ¨ t I ), At34 (t4 ¨t3), and At56 (t6 ¨t5), the
movement speed of the
gripper jaws, and the identifying information concerning the pharmaceutical
packages.
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