Manipulator and storage facility with the same

Abstract

A manipulator (1) is disclosed for a storage facility (100) having at least one storage surface (150) on which objects (200) can be arranged in rows. The manipulator (1) is operable on the operating side (150a) of the storage surface (150) and has at least one movable support slide (3) having a support surface (5) for receiving objects (200). A clamping device (7) having two elongated grippers (9) is arranged on the support slide (3), wherein the grippers (9) are arranged on the support surface (5) and are movable toward or away from each other in a first horizontal direction (A) to grip the objects (200). The actuator is adapted to the distance of the storage surface (150) and can move toward or away from the storage surface (150) in the second horizontal direction (B), such that at least one object (200) can be removed from the storage surface (150) by means of the gripper (9) and can be transported to the support surface (5), or can be transported from the support surface (5) to the storage surface (11) and placed on the latter, and the actuator has a drive device (10) having two drive transmissions (11), wherein, in each case, one of the drive transmissions (11) acts on one of the grippers (9) and drives the particular gripper (9) individually for movement in the second horizontal direction (B).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a manipulator for a storage facility having storage surfaces on which objects can be arranged in rows, and to a storage facility having at least one manipulator and storage surfaces on which objects can be arranged in rows. Background Technology

[0002] Manipulators are known to be used to fill storage surfaces, such as channel storage systems with storage channels. Here, the manipulator moves to the input end of the storage surface and transfers objects to their storage location. This type of storage facility is commonly used for goods. Sloping shelf cases are particularly suitable for rapidly moving goods, where individual goods are housed in channels separated by lateral boundaries on a sloping surface. When the lower objects are removed, the remaining objects slide down. Typically, the individual channels contain similar items. Typically, the items have cuboid packages, where packages of the same format are introduced into channels whose width matches the package size. However, this type of storage surface can also store goods of different shapes (e.g., cylinders) and formats within the same channel.

[0003] Furthermore, storage facilities with horizontal storage surfaces are known, also referred to as shelf storage devices. Manipulators for such storage facilities include gripping devices that extend to place or retrieve objects from the storage surface.

[0004] To store the object in the storage facility, the manipulator receives the object at a transfer station, where it is moved automatically or manually by the user onto the manipulator's surface. In most cases, this is achieved via a feed surface from which the object slides onto the manipulator's support surface, or by means of a clamping device.

[0005] Known storage facilities include, for example, storage automata, as they are used in pharmacies to store medicine packets.

[0006] Such storage automata are known from EP 2 165 950 A1. The manipulator includes a gripper with two clamping jaws. The jaws are fastened to a frame, and to retrieve an object, the jaws and frame move toward the object until the object is positioned between the jaws. The jaws then move toward each other until they contact the object. Clamping movement is achieved by pivoting the jaws in a horizontal plane, and the object is clamped between the jaws. Actuators for individual movement are arranged on the frame such that the actuators move together with the frame, thus requiring the movement of a relatively large weight. Therefore, at least some of the actuators must have a relatively robust design. Furthermore, due to the large weight to be moved, the accuracy of frame movement, and consequently the accuracy of jaw movement, is relatively low, or greater structural effort is required to achieve high accuracy. The frame must be designed to be relatively robust to support the actuators, further increasing the frame's own weight. Summary of the Invention

[0007] Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a manipulator for a storage facility having a storage surface for storing objects, and a storage facility including such a manipulator, wherein the clamping device in the manipulator has a structure that improves in terms of weight.

[0008] An actuator according to the invention for a storage facility having at least one storage surface on which objects can be arranged in rows includes at least one displaceable support slide having a support surface for receiving objects, wherein the operating side of the storage surface is operable via the actuator. A clamping device having two elongated jaws is arranged at the support slide, the jaws being disposed on the support surface and movable toward or away from each other in a first horizontal direction to adjust the distance between the jaws and the objects. Furthermore, the jaws are movable toward or away from the storage surface in a second horizontal direction, such that at least one object can be retrieved from the storage surface and transported to the support surface, or transported from the support surface to the storage surface and placed thereon, via the jaws. The actuator according to the invention is characterized by a drive mechanism having two drive transmissions, one of which engages one of the jaws and independently drives the corresponding jaw in the second horizontal direction to perform movement.

[0009] Therefore, according to the invention, only the grippers move toward or away from the storage surface in the second horizontal direction, allowing the drive unit and drive transmission to remain stationary in response to this movement. This keeps the weight to be moved very low. Since the two drive transmissions directly engage the grippers, the drive movement is directly transmitted to the grippers, keeping the forces associated with the device low. Because the grippers are driven individually in the second horizontal direction and thus only a small weight needs to be moved, the corresponding actuator for this movement can be designed with relatively low power.

[0010] With the aid of the manipulator according to the invention, objects on the storage surface of the storage facility can be arranged side by side on the storage surface in a horizontal direction, or arranged one after another, from the manipulator's perspective. Multiple objects, such as objects of the same size, can also be gripped or transported simultaneously using grippers.

[0011] To operate the storage surface, the support slider of the manipulator according to the invention is moved to the operating side of the storage surface. For this purpose, the support slider of the manipulator can move in at least two spatial directions and preferably also pivot about a vertical axis. To remove an object from the storage surface, the grippers are driven in a second horizontal direction until they are above the storage surface on either side of the object. The grippers then move toward each other in a first horizontal direction to grip the object. Subsequently, the grippers move away from the storage surface in the second horizontal direction, such that they pull the object onto the support surface of the support slider. In its initial position, the second horizontal direction corresponds to the longitudinal direction of the grippers.

[0012] Preferably, the drive units can move toward or away from each other, thereby driving the transmission to move the grippers in the first horizontal direction. In other words, the movement of the grippers in the first horizontal direction is also caused by the drive transmission, so that they perform corresponding movements together with the grippers.

[0013] Within the framework of this invention, in particular, the first horizontal direction extends orthogonally to the second horizontal direction.

[0014] Because the drive transmission causes movement in the first horizontal direction, it is also possible to achieve a situation where no drive motor must move with this movement, so that the drive motor can, for example, remain stationary and drive only the drive transmission.

[0015] In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, each drive transmission device includes a holder on which a corresponding gripper is supported for translation. The holder is pivotable in the horizontal plane, and the angle between the grippers can be changed by pivoting. In addition to movement in the first and second horizontal directions, the grippers can also pivot toward each other, thereby causing clamping movement. For example, with this pivoting movement, the distal ends of the grippers can move toward each other such that, when engaging an object, only small surfaces at the ends of the grippers contact the object, and a favorable compressive force is applied to the object. Thus, objects can be transported in a stable manner using the grippers.

[0016] Due to the translational support of the grippers on the retainer, the grippers can advantageously move in the second horizontal direction. The support of the grippers on the retainer moves as the retainer pivots in the longitudinal plane, ensuring that the grippers remain movable in their longitudinal direction even when in the pivoted position. Because of the structure of the retainer with supported grippers according to the invention, the pivoting movement of the grippers can be achieved in a structurally simple manner when the retainer pivots, with each drive transmission individually driving its corresponding retainer and thus individually driving the grippers. Therefore, the pivoting movement requires moving only a small amount of weight (i.e., the weight of the retainer and grippers), allowing the drive required for the pivoting movement to be provided with low power.

[0017] Within the framework of this invention, each gripper is driven individually in a different direction. However, this does not mean, for example, that the movement of the grippers occurs continuously, but rather that the movement of the grippers occurs synchronously due to corresponding control.

[0018] Preferably, the drive unit has a first drive motor that drives the drive transmissions toward or away from each other. In other words, the first drive motor drives the grippers in a first horizontal direction by means of the drive transmissions.

[0019] Each drive transmission is arranged on or at the threaded spindle. The first drive motor rotates the threaded spindle, thereby causing the corresponding drive transmission to move along the corresponding threaded spindle. By means of the threaded spindle, the drive transmissions can advantageously move toward or away from each other, thus the synchronous movement of the drive transmissions can be achieved in a simple manner through the corresponding design of the threaded spindle.

[0020] Preferably, the threaded spindles can be driven in opposite directions, wherein a first drive motor drives one threaded spindle to rotate, and this threaded spindle transmits the driven movement to the other threaded spindle. In this way, a reverse rotation drive can be implemented in a structurally simple manner, wherein, for example, the driven movement is transmitted from one threaded spindle to another by means of two gears. Furthermore, it is possible to achieve, for example, by using gears of the same diameter to transmit the driven movement, that the threaded spindles move at the same rotational speed (but in opposite directions).

[0021] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the drive device includes a second drive motor that drives the gripper in a second horizontal direction via a drive transmission. Thus, the gripper includes a common drive motor for driving in the second horizontal direction, which causes the gripper to move. By providing a common second drive motor, synchronous movement of the gripper in the second horizontal direction can be provided in a particularly simple manner. The drive transmission can, for example, transmit the driving movement to the gripper via corresponding gears.

[0022] Preferably, each gripper includes a rack, and each drive transmission device includes a pinion, wherein the pinion of the transmission device engages with the rack of the corresponding gripper, and the drive movement of the second drive motor can be transmitted to the corresponding gripper via the pinion. This allows for translational displacement of the grippers in a particularly simple manner. The rack can, for example, be arranged on the upper or lower side of the gripper.

[0023] Preferably, the drive unit has a drive shaft on which drive transmissions are mounted for translational movement along the longitudinal direction of the drive shaft. The drive shaft is driven to rotate by a second drive motor, and the drive shaft transmits the driving movement of the second drive motor to a pinion. According to the invention, the drive shaft of the drive unit thus performs a dual function: on the one hand, it mounts the drive transmissions so that they are movably mounted in the longitudinal direction of the drive shaft; on the other hand, it transmits the driving movement from the second drive motor to the pinion. The translational mounting of the drive transmissions on the drive shaft advantageously allows for movement of the drive transmissions toward or away from each other, for example, caused by a threaded spindle. Simultaneously, since most of the weight of the drive transmissions is supported by the drive shaft, the load on the threaded spindle can be reduced. Of course, the drive transmissions can also be mounted on a support carriage by means of separate bearing devices, thereby being independent of the drive shaft.

[0024] Preferably, each drive transmission has a toothed belt drive that transmits the rotational drive movement of the drive shaft to the corresponding pinion. Using a toothed belt drive, the rotational drive movement of the drive shaft can be transmitted to the pinion in a simple manner. Furthermore, the toothed belt drive provides a degree of elasticity, allowing the pinion to rotate within a small angular range about its axis of rotation, even when the drive shaft is stationary, thus providing a certain amount of play. This play is advantageous when a gripper pivots by means of a retainer, as it creates a slight tilt between the pinion and the rack that engages with it. The play provided by the toothed belt operation allows the pinion to perform small rotational movements about its axis, which facilitates tilting. Additionally, the pinion and rack teeth can be matched to each other, providing play for tilting.

[0025] For example, the rack can be made of plastic. The pinion can also be made of plastic or metal (such as brass). By selecting appropriate materials, wear on the rack and / or pinion (especially due to tilting during the pivoting movement of the pawl) can be kept to a minimum.

[0026] Within the framework of this invention, the transmission of driving movement (e.g., from a drive motor to a gripper) does not necessarily mean a direct transmission of movement, but can also occur indirectly by means of an intermediate link.

[0027] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, each drive transmission device includes a locking device that holds the corresponding retainer in an initial position (home position). Each drive transmission device also includes a spring device that applies a biasing force to the corresponding jaw in the initial position of the retainer. This biasing force has a force component pointing towards the corresponding other jaw. The locking device can be released via a release device, allowing the spring device to pivot the retainer by means of the biasing force. In other words, the retainer is driven from the initial position to the pivoted position by means of the preload of the corresponding spring device. The locking device is provided to hold the retainer in the initial position, thereby also preventing the preload of the spring device from unintentionally pivoting the corresponding retainer and thus the jaw.

[0028] The release device is an electromagnet. With the aid of an electromagnet, the locking device can be released advantageously and very quickly. Furthermore, the electromagnet can be used to release the locking device with low energy input, for example, by briefly energizing the electromagnet to move the retainer of the release device by means of magnetic force. When the locking device is released, the retainer moves by means of a spring mechanism, allowing the electromagnet to close shortly after release. To move the retainer to its initial position, the release device may include, for example, a spring.

[0029] In the manipulator according to the invention, by moving the drive transmission toward each other, the jaws can press against the object or against each other in a pivoted state of the retainer, thereby pretensioning the spring device and moving the retainer to the initial position. By pressing the jaws against the object or against each other, the jaws can thus move to their initial position against the pretension force of the spring device. Here, upon reaching the initial position, the locking device engages to hold the retainer in the initial position. In designing the manipulator according to the invention, the pretension force of the spring should be selected such that, with the jaws pivoting, the object to be transported can be advantageously held between the jaws, while during transport, the jaws do not pivot against the spring force of the spring device in the direction of the initial position until they are locked. The jaws fully return to the initial position only by applying an additional force by means of the drive transmission. For example, when removing the item, the size of the item can be known such that the distance between the jaws is adapted to the size of the item by means of the drive transmission. Then, the jaws are moved along a second horizontal direction until the object is between the jaws. Releasing the locking device causes the grippers to move, clamping the object between them. The clamping force is provided by a spring mechanism. The object can be supported on the storage surface with a relatively small distance between them. This can be achieved by extending the grippers at a relatively small distance from the object to be retrieved, requiring only a small amount of space for the clamping movement. With the manipulator according to the invention, the storage surface can thus be equipped with high space utilization.

[0030] By incorporating a retainer and a drive transmission mechanism including a spring device and a locking device through which the grippers pivot, a separate drive motor for the pivoting movement of the grippers can be further omitted, since the necessary drive energy can be provided by means of a first drive motor and can be temporarily stored in the spring device. The first drive motor moves the drive transmission mechanisms toward each other, and by pressing the grippers against an object or against each other, the drive force is transmitted to the spring device and temporarily stored as a pretensioning force by locking after reaching the initial position.

[0031] Preferably, a slider is provided between the grippers, which is displaceable in a second horizontal direction. With the aid of the slider, an object arranged on a support surface supporting the slider can be displaced in the second horizontal direction. To place one or more items on the storage surface, the grippers are displaced in the second horizontal direction at a distance from each other suitable to the size of the one or more items to be placed, until the distal end is above the corresponding storage surface. Subsequently, the object is moved in the second horizontal direction and pushed onto the storage surface by means of the slider, wherein the grippers act as lateral guides for the object.

[0032] Preferably, sensors are arranged next to each gripper, for example on the retainer, with one sensor determining the retracted end position of one gripper and the other determining the extended end position of the other gripper. It is understood that two sensors could also be arranged near each gripper, each determining both the retracted and extended end positions. However, in the case of synchronously driven grippers, one sensor is sufficient in each case, because the retracted state can be determined at one gripper, from which it can be inferred that the other gripper is also at its end position due to synchronous movement, and the extended state can be sensed at the other gripper. The sensor can be, for example, an optical sensor that detects recesses in the corresponding gripper.

[0033] The actuator according to the invention specifically achieves a very flat support slider design because the support slider must, for example, accommodate and support a small number of drive motors, and the drive motors must provide only relatively low power.

[0034] The present invention also relates to a storage facility having a plurality of horizontally arranged storage surfaces, each storage surface having at least one operating side, and the storage facility having at least one manipulator according to the invention. Attached Figure Description

[0035] The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0036] In the attached image:

[0037] Figure 1 This is a schematic perspective view of a storage facility having a storage surface and a manipulator according to the present invention;

[0038] Figure 2 This is a schematic perspective view of a support slider of a manipulator according to the present invention;

[0039] Figure 3 It has no shell. Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the supporting sliding component;

[0040] Figure 4 This is a schematic detailed view of the main shaft of the drive transmission device used to drive the manipulator according to the present invention;

[0041] Figure 5 This is a detailed schematic diagram of the drive shaft used to transmit drive movement to the pinion gear in order to drive the gripper.

[0042] Figure 6a and Figure 6b A schematic diagram of the retainer and the pivotal movement of the grippers therefrom; and

[0043] Figure 7 This is a detailed schematic diagram of a drive transmission device with a spring mechanism and a locking mechanism. Detailed Implementation

[0044] exist Figure 1 The image shows a portion of the storage facility 100 according to the present invention in a perspective view.

[0045] Storage facility 100 (e.g., pharmacy storage facility) includes a manipulator 1 and multiple horizontally arranged storage surfaces 150. For example, medicine packages 200 can be stored in rows on the storage surfaces 150.

[0046] The manipulator 1 includes a support carriage 3 arranged on a movable frame 2. The support carriage 3 can move in at least two spatial directions and pivot about a vertical axis by means of the movable frame 2. The frame 2 can move parallel to the operating side 150a of the storage surface 150. Figure 1 In this context, the direction is designated as the x-direction. Furthermore, the height of the supporting slider 3 can be adjusted to reach different storage surfaces 150. Figure 1 In this context, the direction is the z-direction. The supporting slider 3 can, for example, rotate about an axis extending along the z-direction (i.e., vertically) to be used for another storage surface or to reach the discharge point of the object 200.

[0047] Each storage surface 150 can be operated on the operating side 150a by means of the supporting slide 3 of the manipulator 1. The supporting slide 3 has a supporting surface 5 on which one or more objects 200 can be placed for transport. By means of the carrier carriage 3, the objects 200 placed on the supporting surface 5 can be transported to and placed on the storage surface 150, or the objects 200 can be removed from the storage surface and placed on the supporting surface 5. The supporting slide 3 has a clamping device 7 for retrieving, placing or transporting the objects 200.

[0048] exist Figure 2 and Figure 3 The diagram schematically illustrates, in perspective, the support slider 3 of the manipulator 1 according to the invention, with and without a housing. Directional indicators used below refer to... Figure 1 The position of the manipulator shown is such that it is aligned with the operating side 150a of the storage surface 150.

[0049] The clamping device 7 has two elongated grippers 9 and a drive mechanism 10 for driving the grippers 9. Each gripper 9 is mounted to translate on a drive transmission mechanism 11. By means of the drive transmission mechanism 11, the grippers 9 can move in various horizontal directions. The drive transmission mechanism 11 can move toward and away from each other in a first horizontal direction A, thereby allowing the grippers 9 to also move toward and away from each other. The first horizontal direction A corresponds to... Figure 1 The x-direction. By moving the grippers in the first horizontal direction A, the distance between the grippers can be adapted to the object 200 so that it can be gripped in a favorable manner.

[0050] Furthermore, with the aid of the drive transmission device 11, the gripper 9 can move in the second horizontal direction B. The second horizontal direction B is the longitudinal direction of the gripper 9 at its initial position, which is in... Figure 2 As shown, this allows the gripper 9 to move toward and away from the storage surface 150. The second horizontal direction B corresponds to... Figure 1 y direction.

[0051] In each case, the drive transmission 11 engages a gripper 9 such that they are driven individually by the corresponding drive transmission 11 in the first horizontal direction A and the second horizontal direction B. In particular, this arrangement has the advantage that when the gripper 9 moves in the second horizontal direction B, only the gripper moves, unlike in the prior art where the gripper holder and the actuator move together in a complex manner to move the gripper.

[0052] A camera 13 is arranged above the support surface 5. The camera takes pictures of a portion of the area in front of the support surface 5, the gripper 9 and the support slider 3 so as to capture the transport of the object 200.

[0053] Furthermore, a slider 15 is arranged in the area of ​​the support surface 5, which is movable along the second horizontal direction B and, for example, can displace an object arranged on the support surface 5 so as to advantageously place it between the grippers 9, or the slider can also support the placement operation by pushing the object 200.

[0054] As from Figure 3 As can be seen, the slider 15 is driven by a slider driver 17 in the form of a drive motor.

[0055] The supporting sliding member 3 also includes a first drive motor 19 that drives the drive transmission device 11 in the first horizontal direction. The rotational drive movement of the first drive motor 19 is transmitted via a belt driver 21 to a drive mechanism for driving the transmission device 11, which in... Figure 4 (relative to) Figure 3 As shown in the diagram (rotated 180°).

[0056] Driven movement is transmitted to a first threaded spindle 23, which is connected to one of the drive transmissions 11. Rotational movement of the first threaded spindle 23 causes the corresponding drive transmission 11 to move along a first horizontal direction A. At the end 23b of the first threaded spindle 23, away from the drive side 23a that engages with the drive driver 21, the first threaded spindle 23 has a first gear 23c that cooperates with the gear 25a of the second threaded spindle 25. Rotational movement of the first threaded spindle 23 is thus transmitted to the second threaded spindle 25, resulting in reverse rotational movement. Another drive transmission 11 is arranged on the second threaded spindle 25. This other drive transmission 11 moves along the first horizontal direction A via the rotational movement of the second threaded spindle 25.

[0057] Due to the design of the drive unit 10 according to the invention (where only the drive transmission 11 is driven and the gripper 9 is driven via these drive transmissions), the first drive motor 19 can remain stationary in the carrier carriage 3 during the movement of the gripper 9. Since only the drive transmission 11 and the gripper 9 must move via the first drive motor 19, relatively low power is required for this movement, allowing the drive motor 19 to be designed to be correspondingly small.

[0058] The drive unit 10 also includes a second drive motor 27, which rotatably drives the drive shaft 29. Figure 5 As best seen in the image, motion is transmitted from drive motor 27 to drive shaft 29 via belt driver (not shown). On drive shaft 29, drive transmission 11 is mounted for translational movement. This releases the first gear spindle 23 and the second gear spindle 25, and most of the weight of drive transmission 11 and gripper 9 is supported by drive shaft 29. Drive transmission 11 is translated longitudinally supported on drive shaft 29, thus providing support for movement of drive transmission 11 in the first horizontal direction A.

[0059] Drive shaft 29 transmits the rotational drive motion of the second drive motor 27 to toothed belt driver 31, which in turn transmits the drive motion to pinion 33. Pinion 33 engages with a rack (not shown) arranged on the corresponding gripper 9. The rotational movement of pinion 33 is thus converted into longitudinal movement of gripper 9, allowing gripper 9 to move in the second horizontal direction B.

[0060] By employing the construction of the drive device 10 according to the invention (where the driving movement of the second drive motor 27 is transmitted to the pinion 33 via the drive shaft 29 of the toothed belt driver 31), it is possible to achieve that, for the movement of the gripper 9 in the second horizontal direction B, only the gripper 9 moves, such that during this movement, the second drive motor 27 can remain stationary in the support slider 3. Therefore, only relatively low power is required for the movement of the gripper 9, allowing the second drive motor 27 to have a correspondingly small design.

[0061] As from Figure 6a and Figure 6b As can be seen, the grippers 9 can pivot relative to each other in the horizontal plane. For this purpose, the drive transmission 11 pivots in the horizontal plane, allowing the grippers 9 to move from an initial position in which the grippers 9 are parallel to each other by means of the drive transmission 11. Figure 6a (As shown) Pivot to pivot position ( Figure 6b (As shown).

[0062] By pivoting the claw in the horizontal plane and causing a change in angle, the distal end of the claw 9 can perform a tweezer-like gripping movement, thereby allowing the object 200 to be advantageously gripped by the claw 9.

[0063] Pivoting mechanism Figure 7 As shown in the image. Figure 7 A top view of the drive transmission 11 is shown, on which grippers 9 are arranged. Figure 7 In the top view, the left gripper 9 is shown in a pivoted position, while... Figure 7 The right gripper 9, as seen in the top view, is shown in its initial position.

[0064] Each of the grippers 9 is arranged on the retainer 35. The translational support of the grippers 9 along their longitudinal direction also occurs on the retainer 35. (As shown from...) Figure 7 As can be seen, each of the retainers 35 can pivot in the horizontal plane.

[0065] To induce pivoting movement of the retainer 35 and consequently of the gripper 9, each drive transmission 11 has a spring device 37 that, by means of its preload, presses the corresponding retainer 35 from its initial position to its pivoting position. A locking device 39 is configured to hold the retainer 35 in its initial position. The locking device 39 can be released via a release device 41, allowing the spring device 37 to press the retainer 35 in the direction of the pivoting position, thereby pressing the gripper 9. The release device 41 can be an electromagnet. This release device magnetically attracts the retainer 43, releasing the locking device 39 and allowing the retainer 35 to pivot freely. The advantage of using an electromagnet is that it only needs to be energized for a short period until the locking device 39 is released. The return of the retainer 43 to relock the locking device 39 can be achieved by means of the spring 45.

[0066] The spring mechanism 37 is designed such that when the drive transmission 11 moves toward each other to clamp the object 200 with the grippers 9, sufficient clamping force is generated for the grippers 9 without causing any or excessive deflection of the spring mechanism 37, and thus without causing the locking device 39 to lock. In other words, when the grippers 9 clamp the object 200 to be transported, the grippers 9 remain in the pivoted position as much as possible and are not fully pushed in the direction of the initial position. To move the grippers 9 from the pivoted position back to the initial position, the grippers 9 can press against each other, causing the grippers to pivot back in the direction of the initial position against the biasing force of the spring mechanism 37. When the initial position is reached, the locking device 39 engages and holds the grippers 9 in the initial position. The drive energy required to pivot the grippers to the initial position and preload the spring mechanism 37 is provided by means of the first drive motor 19, so that the drive energy can be temporarily stored in the spring mechanism.

[0067] Furthermore, a sensor (not shown) can be arranged on the retainer 35 to register the retraction termination position of the gripper 9 (e.g., Figure 2 (as shown) or protruding position (e.g., as shown) Figure 6a , Figure 6b (As shown). For this purpose, a sensor can be positioned next to one gripper 9 to determine the retraction termination position, and a sensor can be positioned on the other gripper 9 to determine the extension termination position. Since the drive shaft 29 drives both grippers 9 synchronously, it is sufficient to position only one sensor next to each gripper 9, ensuring that synchronous movement guarantees that when one gripper 9 reaches its termination position, the other gripper 9 has also reached its corresponding termination position. The sensor can be, for example, an optical sensor that senses a recess in the corresponding gripper 9.

Claims

1. A manipulator (1) for a storage facility (100) having at least one storage surface (150) on which objects (200) can be arranged in rows, wherein, The operating side (150a) of the storage surface (150) can be operated via the manipulator (1). The manipulator includes at least one movable support slide (3) having a support surface (5) for receiving the object (200), wherein a clamping device (7) having two elongated jaws (9) is arranged on the support slide (3), wherein the jaws (9) are movable toward or away from each other in a first horizontal direction (A) to adapt the distance of the jaws (9) to the object (200), and are movable toward or away from the storage surface (150) in a second horizontal direction (B), such that, by means of the jaws (9), at least one of the objects (200) can be removed from the storage surface (150) and transported to the support surface (5), or can be transported from the support surface (5) to the storage surface (150) and placed thereon. A drive unit (10) having two drive transmissions (11), wherein, in each case, one of the drive transmissions (11) engages one of the grippers (9) and drives the respective gripper (9) individually to perform the movement in the second horizontal direction (B). Its features are, The grippers (9) are arranged on the support surface (5), and each of the drive transmission devices (11) includes a retainer (35), one of the grippers (9) being mounted on the retainer for translational displacement, wherein the retainer (35) is pivotable in the horizontal plane, and wherein the angle between the grippers (9) is changeable by the pivotal movement.

2. The manipulator according to claim 1, characterized in that, The drive transmission (11) can move toward or away from each other, thereby causing the gripper (9) to move in the first horizontal direction.

3. The manipulator according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The drive unit (10) includes a first drive motor (19) that drives the drive transmission unit (11) toward or away from each other.

4. The manipulator according to claim 3, characterized in that, The drive transmission devices (11) are each arranged on or at the threaded spindles (23, 25), wherein the first drive motor (19) drives the threaded spindles (23, 25) rotatably, thereby the corresponding drive transmission device (11) can move along the corresponding threaded spindles (23, 25).

5. The manipulator according to claim 4, characterized in that, The threaded spindles (23, 25) are adapted to be driven in opposite directions, wherein the first drive motor (19) rotatably drives one of the threaded spindles (23, 25), and the threaded spindles (23, 25) transmit the driving movement to the other of the threaded spindles (23, 25).

6. The manipulator according to any one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that, The drive device (10) includes a second drive motor (27) that drives the gripper (9) along the second horizontal direction (B) by means of the drive transmission device (11).

7. The manipulator according to claim 6, characterized in that, Each of the grippers (9) has a rack, and each of the drive transmission devices (11) has a pinion (33), the pinion (33) of the drive transmission device (11) engaging in the rack of the corresponding gripper (9), and the drive movement of the second drive motor (27) can be transmitted to the corresponding gripper (9) via the pinion (33).

8. The manipulator according to claim 7, characterized in that, The drive device (10) includes a drive shaft (29), wherein the drive transmission device (11) is mounted on the drive shaft (29) so as to be able to translate longitudinally along the drive shaft (29), wherein the drive shaft (29) is driven to rotate by the second drive motor (27), and the drive shaft (29) transmits the driving movement of the second drive motor (27) to the pinion (33).

9. The manipulator according to claim 8, characterized in that, Each of the drive transmission devices (11) includes a toothed belt driver (31), which transmits the rotational drive movement of the drive shaft (29) to the corresponding pinion (33).

10. The manipulator according to claim 1, characterized in that, Each of the drive transmission devices (11) has a locking device (39) for holding the corresponding retainer (35) in a basic position. Each of the drive transmission devices (11) has a spring device (37) that applies a prestress with a force component pointing toward the corresponding other jaw (9) to the retainer (35) in the initial position. The locking device (39) can be released via a release device (41) so that the spring device (37) pivots the retainer (35) by means of the prestress.

11. The manipulator according to claim 10, characterized in that, The release device (41) is an electromagnet.

12. The manipulator according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that, By moving toward each other via the drive transmission (11), the grippers (9) can press against the object or against each other in the pivoted state of the retainer (35), thereby allowing the spring device (37) to be pre-tensioned and the retainer (35) to move to the initial position.

13. The manipulator according to any one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that, A slider (15) is arranged between the grippers (9), and the slider is displaceable along the second horizontal direction (B).

14. The manipulator according to any one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that, A sensor is arranged next to at least one of the grippers (9) for determining the termination position of the gripper (9) during movement along the second horizontal direction (B).

15. The manipulator according to claim 14, characterized in that, A sensor is arranged next to each of the grippers (9), one of the sensors determining the retraction termination position of one of the grippers (9) and another sensor determining the extension termination position of the other gripper (9).

16. The manipulator according to claim 7, characterized in that, The rack is made of plastic material.

17. A storage facility (100) having a plurality of horizontally arranged storage surfaces (150), each storage surface having at least one operating side (150a), and the storage facility having at least one manipulator (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 16.

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