Method for reliably filling a transport box having a plurality of accommodating compartments by using an output/input station that sequentially provides medicament packs from an automated storage system, and output/input station therefor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10772804-B2
Application number	US-201916399704-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 30, 2019
Priority date	Jun 26, 2013
Publication date	Sep 15, 2020
Grant date	Sep 15, 2020

Abstract

A method for filling a tray with individual medicine portions, which are removed from medicament packs that are provided from an automated storage system by means of an output/input station, is provided. A target filling of accommodating compartments of the tray is provided to a control device, which determines the medicament packs to be removed from storage and the sequence of the removal. For removal, a medicament pack is placed on a first transfer position of the output/input station by an operating device, transported to an output position by a first transport device as soon as the output position is free, and removed from the output position. Individual portions are removed from the medicament pack and introduced into respective accommodating compartments of the tray as indicated by an indicating device. The medicament pack is transported to a second transfer position by a second transport device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for adding medicaments to a transport tray, the method comprising:
determining, by a control device, a medicament pack to be removed from an automatic storage system based on a target allocation;
depositing, by an operator unit of the automated storage system, the medicament pack on a first receiving site of an output/input station;
transporting, by a first transport device of the output/input station, the medicament pack to an output site through a tunnel having an air lock, the air lock closing the tunnel via an airlock door on an inlet side and via an airlock door on an output side;
placing a medicament portion from the medicament pack into a compartment of the transport tray;
placing the medicament pack on a restocking site of the output/input station;
transporting, by a second transport device, the medicament pack from the restocking site to a second receiving site; and
depositing, by the operator unit, the medicament pack back into the automated storage system.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising repeating the steps using one or more additional medicament packs until the transport tray has been filled according to the target allocation.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising reading an identification affixed to the medicament pack to check the correctness of the removed medicament pack.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising reading an identification affixed to the medicament pack to check the correctness of the medicament pack to be restocked.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising generating a signal to cause transport of a subsequent medicament pack to the output site.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the signal is generated at one of during removal of a medicament pack from the output site, after filling of a transport tray compartment with a last medicament from the medicament pack, and after placing the medicament pack on the restocking site of the output/input station.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the signal is generated by activating an operator input device.

8. The method of claim 5 , wherein the signal is generated by triggering a sensor.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the placement of the medicament pack on the restocking site is detected by triggering a sensor.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the transport tray compartment to be filled is displayed on a display device controlled by the control device.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein correct filling of the medicament is monitored by the control device.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the determining of the medicament pack to be removed is based on one of a transport route, a storage location of the medicament pack and which type of medicament is to be stored in a particular compartment of the transport tray.

13. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining, by the control device, a complete sequence of medicament packs to be removed from storage based on the target allocation.

14. The method of claim 13 , preventing, by the control device, the medicament packs identified by the complete sequence from being removed from the storage system for another purpose.

15. An output/input station for medicament packs, comprising:
a first transport device having one of a first drive device and a first regulating device, the first transport device configured to receive a first medicament pack from an automated storage system at a first receiving site and to transport the first medicament pack to an output site;
a second transport device having one of a second drive device and a second regulating device, the second transport device configured to receive the first medicament pack at a restocking site, wherein the restocking site is situated in close proximity to the output site, and to transport the first medicament pack to a second receiving site in an access area of the automated storage system;
a detection device configured to detect removal of the first medicament pack from the output site;
a control device coupled to the detection device and to one or more of the first and second drive and regulating devices, the control device configured to cause a second medicament pack to be transported to the output site when the first medicament pack is already present in the first transport device; and
an air lock with an airlock door on an inlet side and an airlock door on an output side, wherein the first transport device is situated in a tunnel, and wherein the air lock is configured to close the tunnel via the airlock door on the inlet side and via the airlock door on the output side.

16. The output/input station of claim 15 , wherein the air lock is an access block situated between the first receiving site and the output site, the access block configured to prevent further transport of the first medicament pack to the output site until the control device enables the transport.

17. The output/input station of claim 15 , wherein the first transport device is a first belt conveyor having a first conveyor belt and a drive with the first receiving site and the output site on the first conveyor belt, and wherein the second transport device is a second belt conveyor having a second conveyor belt and a drive with the restocking site and the second receiving site on the second conveyor belt.

18. The output/input station of claim 17 , wherein the first conveyor belt and the second conveyor belt are situated in parallel next to one another and have approximately the same length.

19. The output/input station of claim 18 , wherein the first and the second conveyor belts are each situated in a tunnel, wherein in each case an air lock is configured to close the tunnel via an airlock door on an inlet side and via an airlock door on an output side.

Assignees

• Carefusion Germany 326 Gmbh

Inventors

• Hellenbrand Christoph

Classifications

• A61J2205/10

  Bar codes · CPC title

• B65B5/103

  for packaging pills or tablets · CPC title

• G07F11/62

  in which the articles are stored in compartments in fixed receptacles · CPC title

• A61J7/0069 Primary

  Trays for holding or distributing medicines (display trays A47F3/14; serving trays A47G23/06) · CPC title

• B65B5/10 Primary

  Filling containers or receptacles progressively or in stages by introducing successive articles, or layers of articles · CPC title