The invention provides a method of operating a dispensing
system (110), where the dispensing
system (110) comprises:-a plurality of carriers (112) configured for carrying one or more objects (114),-a transport plane (122) configured for supporting the carriers (112), where the transport plane (122) comprises a plurality of transport modules (124) configured for supporting the carriers (112), wherein a grid (126) of logical positions (128) is defined on the transport plane (122),-a drive
system (130) configured for moving the carrier (112) between the logical positions (128) on the transport plane (122),-a
control system (136) configured for controlling the drive system (130), where the
control system (136) comprises a
route planning system (138) configured for planning a
route of the carrier (112) between the logical positions (128) on the transport plane (122). The
route planning system is configured for calculating a route for the carrier (112) wherein the method comprises the steps of: a) defining a global pattern of safety points (148) by using the
route planning system (138) and applying the global pattern on the transport plane (122), wherein the safety point (148) is a logical position (128) selected taking into account the
range of movement of the carrier (112) occupying the logical position (128), such that the carrier (112) can be placed and removed again at the safety point (148), and wherein the global pattern is applied to the transport plane (122) without being affected by module boundaries; b) calculating partial routes for the carrier (112) by using the
route planning system (138) such that the end position of each partial route is one of the safety points (148) or has a free path to one of the safety points (148) that is reachable in the next partial route. Furthermore, the invention discloses a
distribution system (110) for carrying out the method according to the invention, as well as a
computer program and a computer-readable storage medium.