Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
Devi ce and method for separati ng pi ece goods
The present i nventi on rel at es to a devi ce and a method for
separati ng pi ece goods to be stored i n a pi cki ng devi ce, and i n
part i cul ar for separati ng pharmaceuti cal product packages to be
stored i n a pharmacy pi cki ng devi ce.
I n modern pharmacy pi cki ng devi ces, a van i ety of different
pharmaceuti cal product packages are stored accordi ng to the
pri nci pl e of chaoti c storage and, when necessary, are removed
from storage using a control unit. The storage of the
pharmaceuti cal product packages i n t hi s case i s on ented
accordi ng to the unoccupi ed storage spaces avail abl e in the
pi cki ng devi ce and, under the pri nci pl e of chaotic storage, not
on the type of pharmaceuti cal , i . e. , the packages are not stored
sorted i n t hi s type of storage. To store the pharmaceuti cal
product packages, a user may deposit them, for exampl e, on a
storage belt, by means of whi ch the pharmaceuti cal product
packages are then moved i nto the pi cki ng devi ce. With the
control unit of the pi cki ng devi ce, the pharmaceuti cal product
packages are then pi cked off the storage belt and moved to and
situated i n a storage space predetermi ned by a control devi ce.
The process of stori ng a number of pharmaceuti cal product
packages may be relatively ti me consuming, depending on the
number of pharmaceuti cal product packages to be stored, so that
it is known from the pri or art to combi ne pharmacy pi cki ng
devi ces with automated devi ces for separati ng pi ece goods. These
are used to provi de pi ece goods separated from a pl ural i ty of
pi ece goods, whi ch are then i dent i f i ed and stored.
Such devi ces for separati ng pi ece goods are known from the
pri or art. I n WO 2012/167846 Al, for example, a devi ce for
separati ng pi ece goods is known, whi ch compri ses a devi ce for
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conveyi ng pi ece goods from a stock of pi ece goods to a support
surf ace of a coil ecti ng devi ce. The conveyor separates the pi ece
goods by movi ng an obl i quel y situated sl i der under the stock of
pi ece goods, i n order to thereby move a pi ece good onto the
support surface. Dependi ng on the si ze of the sl i der and on the
pi ece goods of the stock, however, it may happen that not one
pi ece good, but two or even three pi ece goods are moved onto the
support surface. Thi s i s al so conti ngent on how the pi ece goods
are on ented i n the stock, i . e. , whether, for exampl e, several
pi ece goods rest i ng on thei r narrowest si de surf ace i n the stock
are present, whi ch are then al I moved onto the support surf ace
with one movement of the sl i der. As a result, the pi ece goods
are arbi trari I y on ented on the support surface, i . e. , it is not
possi bl e with the known devi ce to provi de the pi ece goods
separately and rest i ng on a predetermi ned si de surface.
It is therefore an obj ect of the present i nventi on to
provi de a devi ce and a correspondi ng method, with whi ch it is
possi bl e to provi de pi ece goods separately and rest i ng on a
predetermi ned si de surface.
The obj ect i s achi eyed by a devi ce accordi ng to the
i nventi on and by a met hod accor di ng to the i nventi on for
separat i ng pi ece goods to be stored i n a pi cki ng devi ce. The
devi ce accor di ng to the i nventi on compri ses a feed devi ce for
provi di ng a pl ural i ty of non-separated pi ece goods i n a
recei vi ng area extending i n an X- and Y- di recti on of the devi ce,
an upper 3D recording devi ce situated in the Z- di rect i on,
orthogonal to the X- and Y- di rect i ons, above the feed devi ce for
recordi ng 3D images of pi ece goods situated on the feed devi ce
i n the recei vi ng area, and a control devi ce coupl ed to the upper
3D recordi ng devi ce for eval uat i ng 3D images ascertai ned with
the upper 3D recordi ng devi ce and for determi ni ng one pi ece good
of the plurality of pi ece goods to be picked up. The 3D images
are eval uated usi ng convent i onal image processi ng software with
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the aim of det ect i ng different obj ect s (namely the pi ece goods)
in the 3D image and of establishing whi ch pi ece good may be
pi cked next or i s pi cked next. It is thus concei vabl e, for
exampl e, that multi pl e of the pl ural i ty of pi ece goods rest one
on top of one another, so that an underl yi ng pi ece good i s
overl ai d, for exampl e, by an overl yi ng pi ece good i n such a way
that only the partially overl yi ng pi ece good may be picked, but
not the underl yi ng pi ece good. Exactly how the i mage processi ng
and the determi nati on of the pi ece good to be pi cked i s carri ed
out i s i rrel evant for the present i nventi on; it is possi bl e for
al I approaches known to those ski I I ed i n the art, i n part i cul ar,
under the term "machi ne vi si on" to be used.
The devi ce accordi ng to the i nvent i on further compri ses a
conveyor coupl ed to the control devi ce havi ng a gri ppi ng means
rotatable about the Z- axi s ( i . e. , the verti cal axis) for picking
a speci f i c pi ece good determi ned by the control devi ce from the
pl ural i ty of pi ece goods, a deposit surf ace situated i n the X-
di recti on downstream from the recei vi ng area for deposi ti ng
pi ece goods pi cked by the conveyor, as well as a I at eral
recordi ng devi ce for produci ng at I east one i mage of a pi ece
good pi cked by the conveyor. Accor di ng to the i nvent i on, the
control devi ce i s conf i gured so that the at I east one image
produced usi ng the I at eral recordi ng devi ce i s processed i n
order to ascertai n the di mensi ons of the pi cked pi ece good. If
it shoul d be est abl i shed dun i ng processi ng that not al I
di mensi ons of the pi cked pi ece good were abl e to be ascertai ned
from the image, the pi cked pi ece good i s rotated by a
predetermi ned angle about the Z- axi s and another image is
produced, whi ch i s then processed accordi ngl y, t hi s process
bei ng repeat ed until al I di mensi ons of the pi ece good are
ascertai ned. The control unit predetermi nes by whi ch angl e the
pi cked pi ece good i s rotated, wherei n t hi s val ue may be a
permanently programmed val ue or results from the processi ng of
the precedi ng image. The on ent at i on of the pi cked pi ece good i s
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ascertai ned based on the results of the i mage processi ng or of
the di mensi ons of the pi cked pi ece good, and the preferred
storage surf ace of the pi cket pi ece good i s est abl i shed on the
basi s of speci f i cat i ons by the control devi ce. The conveyor i s
then act i vat ed by the control devi ce as a f unct i on of the
or i ent at i on and of the preferred storage surf ace i n such a way
that a pi cked pi ece good i s situated on a preferred storage
surf ace on the deposi t surface.
The devi ce accordi ng to the i nvent i on thus compri ses not
onl y a 3D recordi ng devi ce for est abl i shi ng the pi ece good that
is to be removed next from the stock, but another recordi ng
devi ce, whi ch creates one or mul ti pl e images of the pi cked pi ece
good, wherei n based on t hi s image or these i mages, it is
possi bl e to determi ne the di mensi ons of the pi cked pi ece good so
that the on ent at i on of the pi cked pi ece good may be
ascertained. The dimensions of the pi cked pi ece good namely
cannot readily be taken from the 3D image of the upper 3D
det ecti on devi ce, si nce it is not ensured that the enti re pi ece
good i s detected by the upper 3D det ecti on devi ce. Furthermore,
it is not rout i nel y possi bl e with the upper 3D recordi ng devi ce
to ascertai n the hei ght of a pi ece good to be pi cked or of one
that has been pi cked. By usi ng the I at er al recordi ng devi ce,
however, it is possi bl e to easi I y determi ne the three di mensi ons
of the pi cked pi ece good, so that the or i ent at i on of the pi cked
pi ece good may be determi ned, i . e., for exampl e, whet her the
I ar gest bear i ng surf ace of the pi ece good i s situated bel ow, on
the si de, or on the end face of the pi ece good. The I at er al
recordi ng devi ce may be a 2D or 3D recordi ng devi ce. When usi ng
a 2D recordi ng devi ce, the pi cked pi ece good must be rotated
about the vert i cal axi s to determi ne al I di mensi ons and at I east
two i mages must then be produced and eval uat ed. If a 3D
recordi ng devi ce is used, with appropri ate posi ti oni ng of the 3D
recordi ng devi ce, one image may suf f i ce to determi ne al I
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di mensi ons of the pi cked pi ece good; i n such a case, however, a
rotation about the Z- axi s will al so be regularly requi red.
A 3D camera may be used as a 3D recordi ng devi ce, for
exampl e. 3D cameras are camera systems that al I ow the vi sual
represent at i on of ranges of an enti re scene. The term "3D
cameras" i s i ntended here to encompass, i n part i cul ar, the
f ol I owi ng systems:
- Stereo cameras, i n whi ch the envi ronment i s recorded
si mul taneousl y usi ng two cameras, wherei n the di stance between
the camera I enses usual I y corresponds to the di stance between
the human eyes. The resul ti ng i mage pai r may be processed i n a
computer (of a control devi ce) and a depth map may thus be
produced.
- Tri angul at i on systems, i n whi ch a I i ght source i mages a
def i ned pattern on the obj ect. A camera records thi s pattern
from a different angl e and cal cul at es the di stance or a depth
map based on the di storti on.
- TOF cameras (time of flight cameras), whi ch indicate the
di stance by measuring transit time of the light.
- I nterf erometry system, whi ch operates usi ng i nterf erences
between a measuri ng beam and an obj ect beam.
- Li ght f i el d cameras, i n whi ch i n addi ti on to the
bri ghtness of a pixel , the I i ght di recti on of the rays that
result in a pixel i s al so recorded at the expense of the
resol uti on usi ng micro lens arrays, from whi ch data a depth map
may then be cal cul ated.
With knowl edge of the or i ent at i on of the pi cked pi ece good
and taki ng i nto account a storage surf ace predetermi ned by the
control devi ce, whi ch will rout i nel y be the largest bear i ng
surf ace of a pi ece good, the pi ece good may then be situated on
preci sel y t hi s storage surf ace on the deposi t surface. Dependi ng
on the on ent at i on of the pi cked pi ece good, it may be
suf f i ci ent to simply deposit the pi ece good on the deposit
surface, namely, when the pi ece good i s pi cked on a preferred
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storage surface. For exampl e, if the preferred bean i ng surf ace
is provi ded by a side surf ace of the picked pi ece good, the
pi ece good must be ti pped after bei ng deposi ted on the deposit
surface, whi ch may be done, for exampl e, by the conveyor. For
t hi s purpose, the conveyor may be posi ti oned next to the pi ece
good and the pi ece good may then be ti pped usi ng the conveyor.
I n a preferred embodi ment of the devi ce accordi ng to the
i nventi on, the I at eral recordi ng devi ce i s desi gned as a 30
recordi ng devi ce. As stated previ ousl y above, the use of a 3D
recordi ng devi ce reduces the images necessary for detecti ng all
di mensi ons after the pi cki ng has occurred - i deal I y, one 30
image i s suf f i ci ent to ascertai n al I di mensi ons.
How exactly the conveyor is conf i gured is conti ngent, i n
part i cul ar, on the expected di mensi ons and wei ghts of the pi ece
goods to be separated. I n the case of a pharmacy pi cki ng devi ce,
these di mensi ons and wei ghts are on the one hand rel at i vel y
mi ni mal , on the other hand, they are subj ect to rel at i vel y
mi ni mal fl uct uat i ons. I n a preferred embodi ment, it is therefore
provi ded that the conveyor is desi gned as a sucti on gri pper
movabl e in t he X-, Y- and Z- di recti ons havi ng at I east one
sucti on head rotatable about the Z- axi s. The use of a sucti on
gri pper al so al I ows such pi ece goods to be picked, the pi cki ng
of whi ch i s otherwi se prevented or hampered by unfavorably
situated adj acent pi ece goods. The rot at abi I i ty of the sucti on
head about the Z-axis may be achieved by only the sucti on head
itself bei ng rot at abl e - alternatively, the whol e sucti on
gri pper or a component carryi ng the sucti on head may be
rotatable about the Z- axi s and thus "also rotate" the sucti on
head.
I n order to adapt the pi cki ng of a pi ece good to the
di mensi ons of the pi ece good itself, it is provi ded i n a
preferred embodi ment of the pi cki ng devi ce accordi ng to the
i nvent i on that the sucti on gri pper has two differently
di mensi oned sucti on heads, so that dependi ng on the si tuati on,
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it is possi bl e to sel ect the suction head that i s best sui ted
for the next pi ece good to be pi cked. Thus, it is conceivable
that the next pi ece good to be determi ned i s one havi ng a very
narrow recei vi ng surface, whi ch may be reasonabl y grasped onl y
wit h a smal I suct i on head, i n ot her cases, it is concei vabl e
that the sel ecti on of the I arger suct i on head i s more benef i ci al
i n order, i n part i cul ar, to provi de stability to the pi cked
pi ece good on the suct i on head.
I n order to be abl e to rapi dl y sel ect between the at I east
two different suct i on heads, it is provi ded i n one preferred
embodi ment of the pi cki ng devi ce that the suct i on head i ncl udes
a rotary body, on whi ch the suct i on heads are situated, wherei n
the rotary body i s rot at abl e about a hori zont al I y ext endi ng
rot at i on axi s. I n a correspondi ng embodi ment of the suct i on
gri pper, a r api d and structural I y si mpl e switch between the
differently di mensi oned suct i on heads i s possi bl e.
I n a preferred embodi ment of the pi cki ng devi ce accordi ng to
the i nvent i on, it is provi ded that the deposit surf ace i s
desi gned to be r ot at abl e- int hi s way, the deposi t ed pi ece good
may be even better prepared for subsequent storage or for the
precedi ng removal from the deposit surface.
The obj ect of the i nvent i on i s further achi eyed by a met hod
accordi ng to cl ai m 7. Accor di ng to the i nventi on
a) usi ng a feed devi ce, a pl ural i ty of non- separated pi ece
goods are situated i n a recei vi ng area ext endi ng i n an X- and Y-
di r ect i on,
b) at I east one 3D image of the pl ural i ty of non-separated
pi ece goods i s produced usi ng an upper 3D recordi ng devi ce
situated in a Z- di r ect i on, orthogonal to the X- and Y- di r ect i ons
above the feed devi ce,
c) the at I east one 3D image i s processed usi ng a control
devi ce coupl ed to the 3D r ecordi ng devi ce for ascertai ni ng the
posi ti on of the non-separated pi ece goods, and it is determi ned
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which pi ece good of the plurality of pi ece goods is pi cked next.
Once such a pi ece good i s determi ned,
d) the pi ece good i s pi cked usi ng a gri ppi ng means of a
conveyor rotatable about the Z- axi s,
e) at I east one i mage of the pi cked pi ece good i s produced
usi ng a lateral r ecor di ng devi ce, coupled to the control devi ce,
and
f) the at I east one image produced by the I at er al recordi ng
devi ce i s processed for ascertai ni ng the di mensi ons of the
pi cked pi ece good,
g) wherei n, if not al I di mensi ons of the pi cked pi ece good
are abl e to be determi ned, the pi cked pi ece good i s rotated by a
predetermi ned angle about the Z- axi s and steps e) and f) are
repeated until all di mensi ons of the pi cked pi ece good are
ascertai ned, and
h) based on the results of the i mage processi ng, the
or i ent at i on of the pi cked pi ece good is ascertai ned and the
preferred storage surf ace of the pi cked pi ece good i s
est abl i shed on the basi s of speci f i cat i ons by the control
device. Subsequently,
i ) the pi cked pi ece good is moved to a deposit surf ace
situated in the X- di recti on downstream from the receiving area
and
j ) the pi cked pi ece good i s situated on a preferred storage
surf ace on the deposi t surface, whi ch has been determi ned i n
met hod step f ) .
As previ ousl y i ndi cat ed above, it may be suf f i ci ent,
dependi ng on the or i ent at i on of the pi cked pi ece good, to
deposit it as pi cked - t hi s is then suf f i ci ent if the pi ece good
has been pi cked on a storage surface. If t hi s i s not the case,
the pi ece good may be repositioned after an initial placement.
I n a preferred embodi ment of the met hod accordi ng to the
i nventi on, it is provi ded that the pi cked pi ece good i s situated
on a storage surf ace by f i rst bei ng situated on another surf ace
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on the deposit surf ace and then bei ng ti pped onto the storage
surface. Thi s may be carri ed out si mpl y with the conveyor, for
exampl e, by movi ng the conveyor next to the pi ece good and
ti ppi ng it usi ng the conveyor.
I n a preferred embodi ment of the method, it is provi ded that
a 3D image of the pi cked pi ece good i s produced usi ng the
I at eral recordi ng devi ce. I n t hi s way, the number of images that
are necessary for ascertai ni ng the di mensi ons of the pi cked
pi ece good may be reduced. I deal I y, one 3D i mage i s suf f i ci ent
for det ermi ni ng al I three di mensi ons.
I n order to i ncrease the fl exi bi I i ty when si tuati ng the
pi ece good on the deposit surface, it is provi ded i n a preferred
embodi ment of the met hod that the pi cked pi ece good i s rotated
accordi ng to speci f i cat i ons of the control devi ce about the Z-
axi s ( i . e. , the vert i cal axi s), before bei ng situated on the
deposit surface. Thus, an opt i mal on ent at i on for a subsequent
storage may be achi eyed, wher ei n the " opt i mal " or i ent at i on may
be cont i ngent on, for example, the unoccupied spaces in the
pi cki ng devi ce.
I n another preferred embodi ment of the method accordi ng to
the i nventi on, the pi cked pi ece good is rotated about the Z- axi s
and scanned i n the process by the I at eral recordi ng devi ce for
det ermi ni ng an i dent i f i er. If such an i dent i f i er can be
ascertai ned, the process step of i dent i f yi ng the pi ece good,
whi ch usual I y f ol I ows but i s not associ at ed with the separati on
itself, may be ski pped, whi ch accel erates the overall storage
process.
A preferred embodi ment of the devi ce accordi ng to the
i nventi on and of the method accordi ng to the i nventi on i s
descri bed bel ow with reference to the drawi ngs, i n whi ch:
Fi gures la and lb show an obl i que vi ew of the preferred
embodi ment of the devi ce accordi ng to the i nventi on, wherein
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detecti on areas of the recordi ng devi ces i ndi cat ed i n Fi gure la
are omi tted i n Fi gure lb;
Fi gure 2 shows another obi i que vi ew of the preferred
embodi ment with pi ece goods;
Fi gure 3 shows a top vi ew of the preferred embodi ment with
pi ece goods;
Fi gure 4 shows the embodi ment from the rear, i . e., I ooki ng
at the conveyor;
Fi gures 5a and 5b show an obi i que vi ew and a rear vi ew of a
f i rst process si tuati on of the preferred embodi ment of the
met hod accordi ng to the i nventi on;
Fi gures 6a and 6b show a second process si tuati on of the
preferred embodi ment of the method accordi ng to the i nventi on;
Fi gures 7a - 7c show front vi ews of further process
si tuati ons of the preferred embodi ment of the method, namely,
the pl acement and ti ppi ng of a pi cked pi ece good on the deposit
surface;
Fi gures 8a and 8b show si de vi ews of different process
si tuati ons; and
Fi gure 9 shows a fl ow chart of the preferred embodi ment of
the method.
Fi gures la and lb show obl i que vi ews of a preferred
embodi ment of the devi ce 1 accordi ng to the i nventi on for
separati ng pi ece goods to be stored i n a pi cki ng devi ce, wherei n
the pi ece goods may i n part i cul ar be pharmaceuti cal product
packages, whi ch are to be stored i n a pharmacy or hospi tal
pi cki ng devi ce. The embodi ment ill ust rat ed compri ses a feed
devi ce 10, whi ch i n the embodi ment shown compri ses a conveyor
bel t 13 havi ng si de stri ps 12, whi ch are i nt ended to prevent
pi ece goods from falling off. As is i ndi cat ed i n Fi gure lb, an
area 11 i s provi ded i n the "1 eft" sect i on of the conveyor belt,
t hi s area bei ng a recei vi ng area 11 i n whi ch pi ece goods are
situated, as i s apparent i n the f ol I owi ng f i gures. The recei vi ng
CA 03162609 2022- 6- 21
area 11 ext ends i n t he X- and Y- di rect i ons of t he devi ce,
wher ei n the X- and Y- di r ect i ons def i ne a pl ane. I n t he Z-
di r ect i on, whi ch i s situated orthogonal to the pl ane spanned by
the X- and Y- di rect i ons, a 3D r ecor di ng devi ce 20 having a
det ect i on area 21 i s situated above the f eedi ng devi ce 10, with
whi ch 3D images of the pi ece goods situated i n the recei vi ng
area 11 are produced.
The embodi ment of the pi cki ng devi ce 1 accor di ng to the
i nvent i on shown further compri ses a gui de frame 5 situated on
the side of the feed devi ce 10, on whi ch a conveyor 40 is
movably situated, whi ch i n the embodi ment shown i s desi gned as a
suct i on gri pper. The suct i on gri pper compri ses a Z- gui de 43,
whi ch i s movable on the guide frame 5 in the X- di rect i on. A Y-
gui de 44 is movable on t hi s Z- gui de 43 in the Z- di rect i on,
wherei n, i n turn, a hol der 45 i s movable on the Y- gui de 44 i n
the Y- di rect i on. A rotary body 42 is fixed on the hol der 45 ( or
on a rotary body hol der 46 shown i n the f ol I owi ng f i gures), to
whi ch i n turn two gri ppi ng means desi gned as suct i on heads are
situated, as shown i n greater detail with reference to the
f ol I owi ng f i gures.
Situated upstream from the conveyor 40 is a lateral
recordi ng devi ce 60 havi ng a det ect i on area 61, and situated
downstream from the feed devi ce 10 i s a deposit surf ace 50 for
deposi ti ng pi ece goods picked by the conveyor 40. Fi nal I y, the
pi cki ng devi ce 1 compri ses a control devi ce 30, whi ch i s coupl ed
vi a I i nes not shown to the upper 3D r ecor di ng devi ce 20, to the
I at eral r ecor di ng devi ce 60, as well as to the conveyor 40 and
opt i onal I y to the feed devi ce 10. Accordi ng to the i nvent i on,
the control devi ce 30 i s conf i gured i n such a way that an image
produced usi ng the I at er al r ecor di ng devi ce 60 i s processed for
ascert ai ni ng the di mensi ons of the pi cked pi ece good.
The processi ng as well as the number of images depends on
the type and f unct i onal i ty of the I at eral r ecor di ng devi ce. If a
3D r ecor di ng devi ce i s used, as i s the case i n the embodi ment
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shown, it may be suf f i ci ent , with appropr i ate posi ti oni ng of the
recordi ng devi ce with respect to the recei vi ng area 11, to
produce merely one image of a pi cked pi ece good and to process
it in order to ascertai n all three di mensi ons. It will be
rout i nel y necessary, however, even when usi ng a 3D recor di ng
devi ce, to produce multi pl e 3D i mages i n order to det ermi ne all
di mensi ons. Before produci ng a subsequent i mage, the pi cked
pi ece good i s rotated by a predetermi ned angl e X. I n t hi s case,
the process i s repeated until al I three di mensi ons of the pi ece
good are ascertai ned. If a 2D r ecor di ng devi ce i s used, it is
necessary i n any case to produce at I east two i mages that render
the pi cked pi ece good i n a different per spect i ye. For t hi s
purpose, the pi ece good may be rotated, for exampl e, 900 about
the Z- axi s once the f i rst image is produced.
The or i ent at i on of the pi cked pi ece good i s ascertai ned
based on the results of the i mage processi ng, wherei n it is al so
ascertai ned based on the or i ent at i on of the pi cked pi ece good
where, for exampl e, the I ar gest bear i ng surf ace of the pi cked
pi ece good i s situated. Dependi ng on the arrangement of the
pi ece good before bei ng pi cked, t hi s arrangement may represent
the suction surf ace of the pi ece good (and its mati ng surface),
although it is al so possi bl e that the si de surf ace or the end
face (relative to the X- di recti on of the devi ce), i s the largest
bear i ng surf ace of the pi ece good.
The preferred storage surf ace of the pi cked pi ece good i s
est abl i shed based on speci f i cat i ons of the control devi ce, which
is able to receive these speci f i cat i ons from a control devi ce of
a pi cki ng devi ce, i n whi ch the pi ece goods are to be stored,
wherei n this preferred storage surf ace will routinely be the
I ar gest bear i ng surf ace of the pi cked pi ece good. The conveyor
i s then act i vat ed vi a the control devi ce of the devi ce for
separat i ng pi ece goods i n such a way that a pi cked pi ece good i s
Situated on a preferred storage surf ace on the deposit surf ace
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50, t hi s bei ng descri bed i n greater detail with reference to the
f ol I owi ng f i gures.
Fi gures 2, 3 and 4 show an obi i que vi ew, a top vi ew and a
rear vi ew of the preferred embodi ment of the devi ce accordi ng to
the i nventi on, wherei n four pi ece goods are situated i n the
recei vi ng area 11 of the feed devi ce 10 i n Fi gures 2 through 4.
Two of the pi ece goods, whi ch are i denti f i ed by the reference
numeral 2, are situated f ree-standi ng i n the recei vi ng area; the
pi ece good 2" i s part i ally over I ai d by the pi ece good 2' , as i s
apparent, i n part i cul ar, i n the rear vi ew of Fi gure 4. I n the
rear vi ew, the vi ew i s "from behi nd" over the feed devi ce 10 i n
the X- di rect i on toward the deposit surf ace 50, whereas i n the
front vi ew, the vi ew is from the deposit surf ace 50 i n the X-
di recti on toward the feed devi ce 10. I n the embodi ment shown,
the X- di rect i on i s det ermi ned by the transport di rect i on of the
pi ece goods from the recei vi ng area 11 to the deposit surf ace 50
situated downstream.
Fi gures 5a, 5b, 6a, and 6b each show an obl i que vi ew and a
rear vi ew of different process si tuati ons dun i ng the separati on
of pi ece goods. I n the process si tuati on shown i n Fi gures 5a and
5b, a sucti on head 41a of a sucti on gri pper i s pl aced on an
upper si de surf ace of a pi ece good 3. As i s apparent i n Fi gure
5b, the suction gri pper i n the embodi ment shown compri ses a
central rotary body 42, whi ch i s rot at abl y mounted on a rotary
body hol der 46 about a hori zont al I y formed rot at i on axis. Two
sucti on heads are situated on the rotary body 42, namely, the
sucti on head 41a seated on the pi ece good 3 and the sucti on head
41b situated oppositely thereof. As is apparent in Fi gure 5b
(and in Fi gure 6b), the di ameter of the sucti on head 41a is
greater than that of the sucti on head 41b, i . e. , the sucti on
head 41a i s provi ded for pi cki ng I arger pi ece goods or for
pl aci ng it on I arger surf aces of pi ece goods.
Fi gures 6a and 6b show a further advanced process si tuati on
in whi ch the sucti on gri pper on the Y- gui de 44 has risen hi gher,
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wherei n the pi ece good 3 is lifted from the recei vi ng area 11
due to the sucti on effect by the sucti on gri pper act i ng on the
upper si de surface. As can be seen from Fi gures 5a and 6a, as
well as from the precedi ng figures, the pi ece good 3 is freely
situated i n the recei vi ng area 11, so that no other pi ece good
prevents the pi ece good 3 from bei ng pi cked.
Fi gures 7a, 7b and 7c show front vi ews of further process
si t uati ons accor di ng to a preferred embodi ment of the met hod
accordi ng to the i nventi on. I n Fi gure 7a, the pi ece good 3 i s
set down on a deposit surf ace 50, namely, i n the "I eft" port i on
of the deposit surface. As can be seen from Fi gure 7a and from
the precedi ng f i gures, the I argest bean i ng surf ace i n the case
of the pi ece good 3is al at eral surf ace of the pi ece good
or i ent ed i n t he X- di r ect i on, and i n t he pr ef erred embodi ment
descri bed here, t hi s I argest I at eral surf ace i s est abl i shed as
the storage surface. I n order to then set the pi ece good 3 down
on t hi s storage surface, the conveyor 40 i s moved i n such a way
that the sucti on head 41a i s situated to the I eft of the pi ece
good 3 i n such a way that the sucti on head i s I ocat ed bel ow the
upper edge of the pi ece good 3. I n order to move the pi ece good
onto the storage surface, the sucti on gri pper on the Y- gui de 44
is moved to the right so that the pi ece good 3 is ti pped over
usi ng the sucti on head 41a. The result is that the pi ece good,
as shown i n Fi gure 7c, rests on the I argest si de surf ace
i nt ended as the storage surface. I n t hi s on ent at i on, it may
then be moved by an operat i ng device ( not shown) to, for
example, a storage belt of the pi cki ng device Cal so not shown),
from where it is then moved to the f i nal storage space.
Fi gures 8a and 8b show obl i que vi ews as a vi sual
ill ust r at i on of the process si t uati ons shown i n Fi gures 7a and
7c.
A preferred embodi ment of the met hod according to the
i nventi on for separat i ng pi ece goods to be stored i n a pi cki ng
device is described below with reference to the flow chart of
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Figure 9. In a step 100, a plurality of non-separated pi ece
goods are i ni ti ally provi ded i n a recei vi ng area 11 of a feed
devi ce 10, as descri bed i n greater detail int he precedi ng
f i gures. The pi ece goods may be, i n part i cul ar, pharmaceuti cal
product packages whi ch are to be stored i n a pharmacy pi cki ng
devi ce after bei ng separated usi ng the devi ce accordi ng to the
i nventi on. Once the pi ece goods are provi ded, a 3D i mage of the
pl ural i ty of pi ece goods i s recorded i n a step 110 usi ng a 3D
recordi ng devi ce (for exampl e, a si mpl e 3D camera) situated
above the feed devi ce. Thi s 3D i mage i s processed i n a step 120
usi ng a control devi ce 30, whi ch is coupl ed to the 3D recordi ng
devi ce, and the posi ti ons of the i ndi vi dual pi ece goods are
ascertai ned. From t hi s, the next pi ece good to be pi cked i s
determi ned, whi ch i s rout i nel y a pi ece good that i s not overl ai d
by other pi ece goods. I n the precedi ng f i gures, thi s i s, for
exampl e, the subsequently pi cked pi ece good 3. The previ ousl y
determi ned pi ece good is then pi cked in a step 130 usi ng a
sucti on head 41a of the sucti on gri pper, namely, on the si de
surf ace of the pi ece good, whi ch i s most easily reached by the
sucti on gri pper. Once the pi ece good has been pi cked, a 3D image
of the pi cked pi ece good i s recorded i n a step 140 usi ng a
I at eral I y situated 3D recordi ng devi ce, whi ch may al so be a 3D
camera. I n a step 150, t hi s 3D i mage i s processed, namely, with
the aim of ascertai ni ng the di mensi ons of the pi cked pi ece good.
I n the event that it is not possi bl e to ascertai n al I three
di mensi ons based on the 3D i mage, the pi cked pi ece good i s
rotated by a predetermi ned val ue about the Z-axi s and another 3D
i mage i s produced, whi ch i s subj ected to a correspondi ng
processi ng accordi ng to step 150. Thi s i s repeated until al I
di mensi ons have been ascertai ned. The on ent at i on of the pi ece
good i s determi ned i n a step 160 on the basi s of its di mensi ons.
Thus, it may be establ i shed where, for exampl e, the I argest
bean i ng surf ace of the pi ece goods i s situated, Thus, it is
concei vabl e, for exampl e, that the pi ece good i s pi cked vi a a
CA 03162609 2022- 6- 21
I ar gest recei vi ng surface, whi ch i s situated I at eral I y or at an
end face (WI th respect to the X- di rect i on) . Once the alignment
i s ascertai ned, the preferred storage surf ace i s est abl i shed i n
a step 170 based on sped i f i cat i ons by the control devi ce. The
control devi ce of the devi ce accordi ng to the i nvent i on i s
rout i nel y coupl ed to a control devi ce of the pi cki ng devi ce i n
whi ch the pi ece goods are to be stored and, cont i ngent upon the
avail abl e storage spaces, the control devi ce of the pi cki ng
devi ce may sped i f y, for exampl e, that al I pi ece goods are to be
stored i n such a way that t hei r I ongest si de surf ace is to be
or i ent ed, for example, in the Y- di r ect i on. If there are no
rest ri ct i ons with regard to the storage space, however, it will
regul ar I y be the case that the I argest bear i ng surf ace of a
pi ece good i s al so the preferred storage surface, si nce t hi s may
ensure that the pi ece good may be stored saf el y and without ri sk
of ti ppi ng i n the pi cki ng devi ce. After or as the preferred
storage surf ace i s est abl i shed, the pi cked pi ece good i s moved
in a step 180 in the X- di r ecti on to the deposit surf ace 50 on
whi ch the pi cked pi ece good i s situated on the preferred storage
surf ace i n a step 190, wherei n when the preferred storage
surf ace i s situated I at eral I y, for exampl e, the pi ece good i s
situated by usi ng the suct i on gri pper to ti p the pi ece good
after i ni ti ally bei ng set down.
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