CA3162609A1 - Device and method for separating piece goods - Google Patents
Device and method for separating piece goods Download PDFInfo
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- CA3162609A1 CA3162609A1 CA3162609A CA3162609A CA3162609A1 CA 3162609 A1 CA3162609 A1 CA 3162609A1 CA 3162609 A CA3162609 A CA 3162609A CA 3162609 A CA3162609 A CA 3162609A CA 3162609 A1 CA3162609 A1 CA 3162609A1
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- cked
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- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 title claims abstract description 41
- KRTSDMXIXPKRQR-AATRIKPKSA-N monocrotophos Chemical compound CNC(=O)\C=C(/C)OP(=O)(OC)OC KRTSDMXIXPKRQR-AATRIKPKSA-N 0.000 claims description 169
- 241000282326 Felis catus Species 0.000 claims description 11
- 241000894007 species Species 0.000 claims description 9
- 150000001768 cations Chemical class 0.000 claims 1
- 238000001514 detection method Methods 0.000 abstract 2
- 239000000825 pharmaceutical preparation Substances 0.000 description 10
- 229940127557 pharmaceutical product Drugs 0.000 description 10
- 240000006028 Sambucus nigra Species 0.000 description 4
- 244000046052 Phaseolus vulgaris Species 0.000 description 3
- 235000010627 Phaseolus vulgaris Nutrition 0.000 description 3
- PXMNMQRDXWABCY-UHFFFAOYSA-N 1-(4-chlorophenyl)-4,4-dimethyl-3-(1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-ylmethyl)pentan-3-ol Chemical compound C1=NC=NN1CC(O)(C(C)(C)C)CCC1=CC=C(Cl)C=C1 PXMNMQRDXWABCY-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 2
- FGUUSXIOTUKUDN-IBGZPJMESA-N C1(=CC=CC=C1)N1C2=C(NC([C@H](C1)NC=1OC(=NN=1)C1=CC=CC=C1)=O)C=CC=C2 Chemical compound C1(=CC=CC=C1)N1C2=C(NC([C@H](C1)NC=1OC(=NN=1)C1=CC=CC=C1)=O)C=CC=C2 FGUUSXIOTUKUDN-IBGZPJMESA-N 0.000 description 1
- 238000006165 Knowles reaction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 241001237728 Precis Species 0.000 description 1
- XDXHAEQXIBQUEZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N Ropinirole hydrochloride Chemical compound Cl.CCCN(CCC)CCC1=CC=CC2=C1CC(=O)N2 XDXHAEQXIBQUEZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 238000013459 approach Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000003491 array Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000000739 chaotic effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000009977 dual effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000000694 effects Effects 0.000 description 1
- 229920003987 resole Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 238000011144 upstream manufacturing Methods 0.000 description 1
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
- B65G47/00—Article or material-handling devices associated with conveyors; Methods employing such devices
- B65G47/22—Devices influencing the relative position or the attitude of articles during transit by conveyors
- B65G47/26—Devices influencing the relative position or the attitude of articles during transit by conveyors arranging the articles, e.g. varying spacing between individual articles
- B65G47/30—Devices influencing the relative position or the attitude of articles during transit by conveyors arranging the articles, e.g. varying spacing between individual articles during transit by a series of conveyors
- B65G47/32—Applications of transfer devices
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
- B65G47/00—Article or material-handling devices associated with conveyors; Methods employing such devices
- B65G47/74—Feeding, transfer, or discharging devices of particular kinds or types
- B65G47/90—Devices for picking-up and depositing articles or materials
- B65G47/91—Devices for picking-up and depositing articles or materials incorporating pneumatic, e.g. suction, grippers
- B65G47/914—Devices for picking-up and depositing articles or materials incorporating pneumatic, e.g. suction, grippers provided with drive systems incorporating rotary and rectilinear movements
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
- B65G47/00—Article or material-handling devices associated with conveyors; Methods employing such devices
- B65G47/74—Feeding, transfer, or discharging devices of particular kinds or types
- B65G47/90—Devices for picking-up and depositing articles or materials
- B65G47/91—Devices for picking-up and depositing articles or materials incorporating pneumatic, e.g. suction, grippers
- B65G47/917—Devices for picking-up and depositing articles or materials incorporating pneumatic, e.g. suction, grippers control arrangements
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
- B65G59/00—De-stacking of articles
- B65G59/02—De-stacking from the top of the stack
- B65G59/04—De-stacking from the top of the stack by suction or magnetic devices
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01B—MEASURING LENGTH, THICKNESS OR SIMILAR LINEAR DIMENSIONS; MEASURING ANGLES; MEASURING AREAS; MEASURING IRREGULARITIES OF SURFACES OR CONTOURS
- G01B11/00—Measuring arrangements characterised by the use of optical techniques
- G01B11/24—Measuring arrangements characterised by the use of optical techniques for measuring contours or curvatures
- G01B11/245—Measuring arrangements characterised by the use of optical techniques for measuring contours or curvatures using a plurality of fixed, simultaneously operating transducers
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
- B65G1/00—Storing articles, individually or in orderly arrangement, in warehouses or magazines
- B65G1/02—Storage devices
- B65G1/04—Storage devices mechanical
- B65G1/137—Storage devices mechanical with arrangements or automatic control means for selecting which articles are to be removed
- B65G1/1371—Storage devices mechanical with arrangements or automatic control means for selecting which articles are to be removed with data records
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
- B65G2201/00—Indexing codes relating to handling devices, e.g. conveyors, characterised by the type of product or load being conveyed or handled
- B65G2201/02—Articles
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
- B65G2203/00—Indexing code relating to control or detection of the articles or the load carriers during conveying
- B65G2203/02—Control or detection
- B65G2203/0208—Control or detection relating to the transported articles
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
- B65G2203/00—Indexing code relating to control or detection of the articles or the load carriers during conveying
- B65G2203/04—Detection means
- B65G2203/041—Camera
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
- B65G47/00—Article or material-handling devices associated with conveyors; Methods employing such devices
- B65G47/74—Feeding, transfer, or discharging devices of particular kinds or types
- B65G47/90—Devices for picking-up and depositing articles or materials
- B65G47/91—Devices for picking-up and depositing articles or materials incorporating pneumatic, e.g. suction, grippers
- B65G47/918—Devices for picking-up and depositing articles or materials incorporating pneumatic, e.g. suction, grippers with at least two picking-up heads
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Warehouses Or Storage Devices (AREA)
- Specific Conveyance Elements (AREA)
- Sorting Of Articles (AREA)
- Discharge Of Articles From Conveyors (AREA)
Abstract
A device and a method for separating piece goods, in particular pharmaceutical packages, to be stored in a picking device. The apparatus according to the invention comprises a feed device for piece goods, a detection device for detecting 3D images of piece goods, a control device for evaluating 3D images and for determining a piece good to be picked up, a conveyor device for picking up a piece good, a deposit surface and a lateral detection device. The control device is configured to determine the orientation of the piece goods to be picked up and to determine the preferred storage surface, and to control the conveying device in such a way that a piece goods pi eked up is arranged on a preferred storage surface on the storage surface.
Description
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 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
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 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
2 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
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
3 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
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
4 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
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
5 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,
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,
6 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
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
7 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
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
8 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
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
9 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 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 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 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, 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 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 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.
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 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 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 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, 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 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 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.
Claims (11)
1. A devi ce (1) f or separati ng pi ece goods (2) to be stored i n a pi cki ng devi ce, compri si ng:
a f eed devi ce (10) f or provi di ng a pl ur al i ty of non-separat ed pi ece goods i n a recei vi ng area (11) extendi ng i n an X- and Y- di r ect i on of t he devi ce, an upper 30 recordi ng devi ce (20) si tuated i n the Z-di recti on, orthogonal to t he X- and Y- di recti ons, above the f eed devi ce (10) f or capturi ng 3D i mages of pi ece goods (2, 3) si t uat ed on t he f eed devi ce ( 10) i n t he r ecei vi ng ar ea ( 11), a control devi ce ( 30) coupl ed to the upper 3D recordi ng devi ce (20) f or eval uati ng 3D i mages produced wi th the upper 3D
recordi ng devi ce (20) and f or determi ni ng a pi ece good ( 3) to be pi cked f rom the pl ural i ty of pi ece goods, a conveyor (40) coupl ed to the control devi ce ( 30) havi ng a gri ppi ng means (41a, 41b) rotat abl e about the Z- axi s f or pi cki ng a pi ece good (2) determi ned by the control devi ce ( 30)f rom the pl ur al i ty of pi ece goods, a deposi t surf ace (50) si tuated downst ream f rom the recei vi ng area (11) i n the X- di recti on f or deposi ti ng pi ece goods pi cked by the conveyor (40), a l ateral recordi ng devi ce (60) f or produci ng at l east one i mage of a pi ece good ( 3) pi cked by the conveyor (40), wherei n the control devi ce i s conf i gured so that the at l east one i mage produced wi th the l at eral recor di ng devi ce (60) i s processed f or ascertai ni ng the di mensi ons of the pi cked pi ece good, wherei n, i f not al l di mensi ons of the pi cked pi ece good are abl e to be det ermi ned, t he pi cked pi ece good i s r ot at ed by a pr edet ermi ned angl e about the Z- axi s and anot her i mage i s produced, and based on the resul ts of the i mage processi ng, the ori entati on of the pi cked pi ece good i s ascertai ned and the pref erred 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 devi ce, and t hat t he conveyor ( 40) i s act i vat ed as a f unct i on of t he ori entati on and of the pref erred storage surf ace i n such a way that a pi cked pi ece good i s si tuated on a pref erred storage surf ace on the deposi t surf ace (50).
a f eed devi ce (10) f or provi di ng a pl ur al i ty of non-separat ed pi ece goods i n a recei vi ng area (11) extendi ng i n an X- and Y- di r ect i on of t he devi ce, an upper 30 recordi ng devi ce (20) si tuated i n the Z-di recti on, orthogonal to t he X- and Y- di recti ons, above the f eed devi ce (10) f or capturi ng 3D i mages of pi ece goods (2, 3) si t uat ed on t he f eed devi ce ( 10) i n t he r ecei vi ng ar ea ( 11), a control devi ce ( 30) coupl ed to the upper 3D recordi ng devi ce (20) f or eval uati ng 3D i mages produced wi th the upper 3D
recordi ng devi ce (20) and f or determi ni ng a pi ece good ( 3) to be pi cked f rom the pl ural i ty of pi ece goods, a conveyor (40) coupl ed to the control devi ce ( 30) havi ng a gri ppi ng means (41a, 41b) rotat abl e about the Z- axi s f or pi cki ng a pi ece good (2) determi ned by the control devi ce ( 30)f rom the pl ur al i ty of pi ece goods, a deposi t surf ace (50) si tuated downst ream f rom the recei vi ng area (11) i n the X- di recti on f or deposi ti ng pi ece goods pi cked by the conveyor (40), a l ateral recordi ng devi ce (60) f or produci ng at l east one i mage of a pi ece good ( 3) pi cked by the conveyor (40), wherei n the control devi ce i s conf i gured so that the at l east one i mage produced wi th the l at eral recor di ng devi ce (60) i s processed f or ascertai ni ng the di mensi ons of the pi cked pi ece good, wherei n, i f not al l di mensi ons of the pi cked pi ece good are abl e to be det ermi ned, t he pi cked pi ece good i s r ot at ed by a pr edet ermi ned angl e about the Z- axi s and anot her i mage i s produced, and based on the resul ts of the i mage processi ng, the ori entati on of the pi cked pi ece good i s ascertai ned and the pref erred 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 devi ce, and t hat t he conveyor ( 40) i s act i vat ed as a f unct i on of t he ori entati on and of the pref erred storage surf ace i n such a way that a pi cked pi ece good i s si tuated on a pref erred storage surf ace on the deposi t surf ace (50).
2. The devi ce (1) f or separati ng pi ece goods (2) to be stored i n a pi cki ng devi ce accordi ng to cl ai m 1, characteri zed i n that the I ateral recordi ng devi ce (60) i s desi gned as a 3D
recordi ng devi ce.
recordi ng devi ce.
3. The devi ce (1) f or separati ng pi ece goods (2) to be stored i n a pi cki ng devi ce accordi ng to cl ai m 1 or 2, characteri zed i n that the conveyi ng devi ce (40) i s 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 (41a) rot at abl e about the Z- axi s.
4. The devi ce (1) f or separati ng pi ece goods (2) to be stored i n a pi cki ng devi ce accordi ng to cl ai m 3, characteri zed i n that the suct i on gri pper has two di ff erent I y di mensi oned sucti on heads (41a, 41b).
5. The devi ce (1) f or separati ng pi ece goods (2) to be stored i n a pi cki ng devi ce accordi ng to cl ai m 4, characteri zed i n that the sucti on gri pper (40) has a rotary body (42) on whi ch the sucti on heads (41a, 41b) are si tuated, wherei n the rotary body ( 42) i s r ot at abl e about a hor i zont al I y ext endi ng r ot at i on axi s.
6. The devi ce (1) f or separati ng pi ece goods (2) to be stored i n a pi cki ng devi ce accordi ng to any of cl ai ms 1 through 5, char acter i zed i n that the deposi t surf ace (50) i s rot at abl e.
7. A method f or separati ng pi ece goods (2) to be stored i n a pi cki ng devi ce, wherei n a) a pl ural i ty of non- separated pi ece goods (2) are si tuated wi th a f eed devi ce (10) i n a recei vi ng area (11) extendi ng i n an X- and Y- di recti on, b) at I east one 3D i mage of the pl ural i ty of non- separated pi ece goods (2) i s produced usi ng an upper 3D recordi ng devi ce ( 20) si tuated i n t he Z- di r ecti on, ort hogonal t o the X- and Y-di r ect i on, above the f eedi ng devi ce (10), c) the at l east one 3D i mage f or ascertai ni ng the posi ti on of the non-separated pi ece good (2) i s processed usi ng a 3D
recordi ng devi ce (20) coupl ed t o the control devi ce (30), and i t i s determi ned whi ch pi ece good of the pl ural i ty of pi ece goods i s pi cked next, d) the pi ece good ( 3) ascertai ned i n step c) i s pi cked usi ng a gri ppi ng means (41a, 41b) of a conveyor (40), whi ch i s rot at abl e about t he Z- axi s, e) at l east one i mage of the pi cked pi ece good (3) i s produced usi ng a l ateral recordi ng devi ce (60) coupl ed to the control devi ce (30), f ) the at l east one i mage produced usi ng the l at eral recordi ng devi ce (60) i s processed to ascertai n the di mensi ons of the pi cked pi ece good, g) wherei n, i f not al l 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 angl e about the Z- axi s and steps e) and f ) are repeated unti l al l di mensi ons of the pi cked pi ece good are ascertai ned, h) based on the resul ts of the i mage processi ng, the ori entati on of the pi cked pi ece good i s ascertai ned and the pref erred 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 devi ce, i ) the pi cked pi ece good (3) i s moved to a deposi t surf ace (50) si tuated downstream f rom the recei vi ng area (11) i n the X-di r ect i on, and j ) the pi cked pi ece good i s si tuated on a pref erred storage surf ace on the deposi t surf ace (50).
recordi ng devi ce (20) coupl ed t o the control devi ce (30), and i t i s determi ned whi ch pi ece good of the pl ural i ty of pi ece goods i s pi cked next, d) the pi ece good ( 3) ascertai ned i n step c) i s pi cked usi ng a gri ppi ng means (41a, 41b) of a conveyor (40), whi ch i s rot at abl e about t he Z- axi s, e) at l east one i mage of the pi cked pi ece good (3) i s produced usi ng a l ateral recordi ng devi ce (60) coupl ed to the control devi ce (30), f ) the at l east one i mage produced usi ng the l at eral recordi ng devi ce (60) i s processed to ascertai n the di mensi ons of the pi cked pi ece good, g) wherei n, i f not al l 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 angl e about the Z- axi s and steps e) and f ) are repeated unti l al l di mensi ons of the pi cked pi ece good are ascertai ned, h) based on the resul ts of the i mage processi ng, the ori entati on of the pi cked pi ece good i s ascertai ned and the pref erred 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 devi ce, i ) the pi cked pi ece good (3) i s moved to a deposi t surf ace (50) si tuated downstream f rom the recei vi ng area (11) i n the X-di r ect i on, and j ) the pi cked pi ece good i s si tuated on a pref erred storage surf ace on the deposi t surf ace (50).
8. The method f or separati ng pi ece goods (2) to be stored i n a pi cki ng devi ce accordi ng to cl ai m 7, characteri zed i n that the pi cked pi ece good (3) i s si tuated on a storage surf ace by f i rst bei ng si tuated on another surf ace of the pi cked pi ece good on the deposi t surf ace (50) and then bei ng ti pped onto the storage surf ace.
9. The met hod f or separ at i ng pi ece goods (2) to be st ored i n a pi cki ng devi ce accor di ng t o cl ai m 7 or 8, char act eri zed i n t hat a 3D i mage of t he pi cked pi ece good i s produced usi ng t he l at er al r ecor di ng devi ce ( 60) .
10. The met hod f or separ at i ng pi ece goods (2) t o be stored i n a pi cki ng devi ce accordi ng t o any of cl ai ms 7 through 9, char act eri zed i n t hat t he pi cked pi ece good (3) i s rotated about the Z-axi s accordi ng to speci f i cati ons of the control devi ce bef ore bei ng si t uated on t he deposi t surf ace.
11. The met hod f or separ at i ng pi ece goods (2) t o be stored i n a pi cki ng devi ce accordi ng t o any of cl ai ms 7 through 10, char act eri zed i n t hat t he pi cked pi ece good i s rotated about t he Z- axi s and scanned i n t he process by t he l at er al recordi ng devi ce f or det ermi ni ng an i dent i f i er.
Applications Claiming Priority (3)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| EP20153602.6A EP3854731B1 (en) | 2020-01-24 | 2020-01-24 | Device and method for separated piece goods |
| EP20153602.6 | 2020-01-24 | ||
| PCT/EP2020/086178 WO2021148201A1 (en) | 2020-01-24 | 2020-12-15 | Device and method for individualizing piece goods |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA3162609A1 true CA3162609A1 (en) | 2021-07-29 |
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| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA3162609A Pending CA3162609A1 (en) | 2020-01-24 | 2020-12-15 | Device and method for separating piece goods |
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| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| EP (1) | EP3854731B1 (en) |
| JP (1) | JP2023511584A (en) |
| KR (1) | KR20220127864A (en) |
| CN (1) | CN115003613A (en) |
| AU (1) | AU2020425487A1 (en) |
| BR (1) | BR112022012552A2 (en) |
| CA (1) | CA3162609A1 (en) |
| WO (1) | WO2021148201A1 (en) |
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| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
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| CN114011730B (en) * | 2022-01-06 | 2022-06-07 | 江苏华宇印涂设备集团有限公司 | Intelligent control-based three-material receiving system and operation method |
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| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DE4318341B4 (en) * | 1993-04-10 | 2009-02-19 | Christoph Schausten | Method for storing pharmacy articles and device for carrying out such a method |
| DE10225332B4 (en) * | 2002-06-06 | 2006-11-16 | Wagner, Rudolf M., Dipl.-Ing. | Storage buffer and method for storing piece goods for an automated general cargo warehouse |
| FI126245B (en) * | 2005-03-09 | 2016-08-31 | Konecranes Finland Oy | Procedure for placing a palletless goods package on a warehouse shelf and handing it over therefrom and administering the package logistics and equipment for carrying out the procedure |
| EP1748004B1 (en) * | 2005-07-28 | 2007-09-19 | ROWA AUTOMATISIERUNGSSYSTEME GMBH & CO. KG | Method and device for measuring and positioning a cuboidal piece of goods |
| DE102007007411A1 (en) * | 2007-02-12 | 2008-08-14 | Michael Marquardt | Storage method for packets of drugs/medicines delivered unsorted in collecting boxes stores packets in a computer-controlled pharmacy store |
| ITTO20110377A1 (en) * | 2011-04-29 | 2012-10-30 | Syco S A S Di Haberl & C | AUTOMATED WAREHOUSE SYSTEM FOR PARALLELEPIPED FORM, IN SPECIAL PACKAGING OF MEDICINAL PRODUCTS OR SIMILAR, OPERATING IN A NON-STRUCTURED ENVIRONMENT |
| BR112013031093A8 (en) | 2011-06-07 | 2017-10-31 | Becton Dickinson Rowa Germany Gmbh | retail goods sorting device to be stored in an automated storage facility |
-
2020
- 2020-01-24 EP EP20153602.6A patent/EP3854731B1/en active Active
- 2020-12-15 CN CN202080094239.3A patent/CN115003613A/en active Pending
- 2020-12-15 CA CA3162609A patent/CA3162609A1/en active Pending
- 2020-12-15 KR KR1020227027655A patent/KR20220127864A/en unknown
- 2020-12-15 JP JP2022544836A patent/JP2023511584A/en active Pending
- 2020-12-15 AU AU2020425487A patent/AU2020425487A1/en active Pending
- 2020-12-15 BR BR112022012552A patent/BR112022012552A2/en unknown
- 2020-12-15 WO PCT/EP2020/086178 patent/WO2021148201A1/en active Application Filing
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| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| CN115003613A (en) | 2022-09-02 |
| AU2020425487A1 (en) | 2022-07-21 |
| EP3854731B1 (en) | 2024-03-20 |
| EP3854731A1 (en) | 2021-07-28 |
| JP2023511584A (en) | 2023-03-20 |
| WO2021148201A1 (en) | 2021-07-29 |
| EP3854731C0 (en) | 2024-03-20 |
| KR20220127864A (en) | 2022-09-20 |
| BR112022012552A2 (en) | 2022-09-06 |
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