Method for retrieving medication packages

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9296569-B2
Application number	US-201314375778-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 24, 2013
Priority date	Jan 30, 2012
Publication date	Mar 29, 2016
Grant date	Mar 29, 2016

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for retrieving medication packages from a pharmacy order-picking device. In the method according to the invention, an operating device is displaced in a displacement position to a predetermined shelf position, at least one medication package on a shelf belonging to the shelf position is moved with a gripping device in the direction of a support and it is then checked whether the at least one medication package has moved fully onto the support. If the check has a negative outcome, an edge of the shelf on which the at least one medication package is stored is detected with a sensor of the operating device and said operating device is displaced to a corresponding shelf position, the gripping device having been brought into the displacement position before displacement.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for retrieving medication packages from a pharmacy order-picking device, the method comprising:
providing a pharmacy order-picking device comprising:
at least one row of shelves, each row comprising a plurality of shelf bases extending in a horizontal direction and a plurality of shelf walls extending in a vertical direction,
at least one operating device movable horizontally and vertically in front of the row of shelves, wherein the operating device comprises:
a gripping device for placement and/or retrieval of medication packages on or from the shelf bases, respectively,
a sensor, and
a support having a support surface,

moving the operating device in a movement setting, to a predefined shelf position,
moving the at least one medication package on the shelf base associated with the shelf position in the direction of the support using the gripping device,
checking whether the at least one medication package has been moved completely onto the support, and
if the check has a negative result, ascertaining, using the sensor, an edge of the shelf base, on which the at least one medication package is stored, and moving the operating device to a corresponding shelf position, wherein the gripping device is in the movement setting.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the edge of the shelf space comprises a top edge of the shelf base, and wherein moving the operating device to a corresponding shelf position comprises:
moving the operating device horizontally until the sensor detects a region adjacent to the at least one medication package to be retrieved,
moving the operating device downward until a signal characterizing the top edge of the shelf base is ascertained using the sensor, and
moving the operating device to the corresponding shelf position, at which the medication package is retrieved.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the edge of the shelf space comprises a bottom edge of the shelf base and wherein moving the operating device to the corresponding shelf position comprises:
vertically moving the operating device until a signal characterizing the bottom edge of the shelf base is ascertained using the sensor, and
moving the operating device to the corresponding shelf position, at which the medication package is retrieved.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein ascertaining the edge of the shelf base comprises:
ascertaining, using the sensor, an actual value of the edge of the shelf base,
comparing the actual value to a target value to determine an ascertained deviation, and
wherein moving the operating device to a corresponding shelf position comprises vertically moving the operating device by a value corresponding to the ascertained deviation.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the operating device is moved such that the support surface is horizontally aligned with or is arranged lower by an amount Z than a shelf base surface of the shelf base, on which the at least one medication package to be retrieved is stored.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein checking whether the at least one medication package has been moved completely onto the support comprises ascertaining the length of the at least one medication package moved onto the support using a second sensor and comparing it to a target value, wherein a deviation from a target value indicates that the at least one medication package was not moved completely onto the support.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein checking whether the at least one medication package was moved completely onto the support comprises checking, using a second sensor, whether the at least one medication package was guided past the second sensor.

8. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
responsive to ascertaining the signal characterizing the top edge of the shelf base, moving the operating device further downward,
ascertaining a signal characterizing the bottom edge, and
carrying out a plausibility check based on the ascertained signals, and if the plausibility check is positive, moving the operating device to a shelf position corresponding to the top edge of the shelf base.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
moving the at least one medication package away from the support using the gripping device, wherein the at least one medication package has no contact with the end face of the support, when the check as to whether the at least one medication package has been moved completely onto the support has a negative result.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
ascertaining that the check as to whether the at least one medication package has been moved completely onto the support has a negative result,
moving the at least one medication package away from the support using the gripping device such that the top edge of the shelf base is released, before the gripping device is moved into the movement setting,
moving the operating device downward until a signal characterizing the top edge of the shelf base is ascertained using the sensor, moving the operating device to the corresponding shelf position, and retrieving the at least one medication package.

11. A method for retrieving medication packages from a pharmacy order-picking device, the method comprising:
providing a pharmacy order-picking device comprising:
at least one row of shelves, each row comprising a plurality of shelf bases extending in a horizontal direction and a plurality of shelf walls extending in a vertical direction,
at least one operating device movable horizontally and vertically in front of the row of shelves, wherein the operating device comprises:
a gripping device for storage or retrieval of medication packages on or from the shelf bases, respectively,
a support having a support surface, and
a sensor arranged under the support,

moving the operating device in a movement setting, to a predefined shelf position, at which the at least one medication package is to be retrieved from a corresponding shelf base having a bottom side,
ascertaining the distance A I to the bottom side of the shelf base using the sensor,
comparing the distance A I to a target value for a distance between the sensor and the bottom side of the shelf base, and,
if a deviation between the ascertained distance A I and the target value A S exceeds a limiting value, moving the operating device vertically by a corresponding amount to a corrected shelf position and moving the at least one medication package on the shelf base associated with the shelf position in the direction of the support using the gripping device.

12. The method for retrieving medication packages as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the sensor is arranged above the support.

13. The method for retrieving medication packages as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the sensor is arranged below the support.

14. The method for retrieving medication packages as claimed in claim 6 , wherein ascertaining the length of the at least one medication package is based on a known movement velocity of the gripping device.

15. The method for retrieving medication packages as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the second sensor is located on the support surface and is in contact with the at least one medication package when the at least one medication package is above it, and
wherein checking whether the at least one medication package was moved completely onto the support comprises determining whether the second sensor is not in contact with the at least one medication package after having been in contact with the at least one medication package.

16. A method for retrieving medication packages

Assignees

• Carefusion Germany 326 Gmbh

Inventors

• Hellenbrand Christoph
• Klapperich Andreas
• Reif Dennis

Classifications

• B65G1/0421 Primary

  with control for stacker crane operations · CPC title

• B65G47/905 Primary

  Control arrangements · CPC title

• B65G1/04

  mechanical · CPC title

• B65G1/0435

  with pulling or pushing means on either stacking crane or stacking area · CPC title