System for separating and identifying items

Abstract

The present invention relates to a system (1) for separating and identifying articles (2), the system (1) comprising: an operation unit (5) for moving articles (2) from a source location in the direction of a discharge conveying element (4), wherein the operation unit (5) is configured to pick up the articles from the source location based on a position and / or orientation detected by a sensor unit (6); and an identification unit (8) configured to identify articles (2) moved by the operation unit (5) in the direction of the discharge conveying element (4); wherein the discharge conveying element (4) includes a position conveyor (11) configured to convey the articles (2) to a second position (P2) if the articles cannot be identified by the identification unit (8); wherein the second position (P2) is located within the operation area of ​​the operation unit (5).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a system for separating and identifying articles, the system comprising: a source location for providing an article preferably in a container; a discharge conveying element for discharging the identified and separated articles; an operating unit for moving the articles from the source location in the direction of the discharge conveying element; a sensor unit for detecting the position and / or orientation of the articles at the source location, wherein the operating unit is configured to pick up the articles at the source location based on the position and / or orientation detected by the sensor unit; and an identification unit configured to identify the articles moved in the direction of the discharge conveying element by processing. Background Technology

[0002] As is well known, items are stored and transported separately in source containers and will be separated at a later time, for example, to restore a certain number of items in a target container for scheduling. To automate this process, an operating unit, i.e., a robot with grasping capabilities, is used to pick up individual items from the source container for separation. The method described below is known for uniquely identifying the picked-up items.

[0003] EP2477914B 1 discloses a system and method for separating and order picking items. Items supplied on a first conveyor are detected by a first sensor at that location and conveyed to a second conveyor via a processing device, wherein, during conveyance, the items are identified by a detection device. Unidentifiable items are placed in a storage area, picked up at a different location, and identified again by the detection device.

[0004] In this regard, it has been demonstrated that items that cannot be recognized by the detection device for various reasons can clog the system, which is disadvantageous. For example, despite being stored multiple times in the storage area, items may fail to reach the detection device repeatedly due to defective barcodes, and be picked up again in an infinite loop at changing locations. Therefore, if unrecognizable items are present, the operating unit will be constantly busy, effectively halting the delivery of more items within a certain timeframe. By extending the method, where unrecognizable items are moved to another failure area (not further described) after multiple failed attempts, the described disadvantages can be reduced only slightly.

[0005] Therefore, a significant drawback is the limited speed of the operating equipment, as unidentifiable items will occupy a relatively long period of time during operation. This can result in a throughput of only a few hundred items per hour, especially if items must be moved within the storage area.

[0006] A system is known from US10438034B2 in which products fall from a first supply conveyor system past a detection device for individual identification. The products are then collected by a main conveyor system and transported parallel to the supply conveyor system in the opposite direction toward the discharge point, where unidentified products are moved back to the detection device by discharge in the direction of the supply conveyor system. Soft Robotics has also employed a similar solution.

[0007] Furthermore, one proven drawback is that items that cannot be identified by the detection equipment for various reasons will clog the system. For example, due to barcode defects, items will endlessly circulate within the system without success. As unidentifiable products are repeatedly mixed into the product supply stream, the throughput of successfully identified products will decrease inversely proportional to the circulation of unidentifiable products. Product supply must be interrupted periodically, and circulated products must be removed from the system.

[0008] Furthermore, mixing unidentifiable products with newly supplied products is also problematic, as the new products have already been allocated to a different product type or batch and are being mixed with recycled products from the previous product type or batch. When used in order picking, order recipients must wait an indefinite period for recycled unidentifiable products, which is another disadvantage.

[0009] US2018 / 3345324 A1 describes a sorting system for identifying and separating items. In this system, there is a "master conveyor" from which packages are moved to one of several separation stations, achieved by controlling various roller conveyors. Furthermore, a method is disclosed for separately identifying and controlling operating units at the separation stations, wherein the identification is performed even before the package is picked up by the operating unit. Summary of the Invention

[0010] Therefore, the objective of this invention is to provide a system for separating and identifying articles that overcomes the aforementioned drawbacks.

[0011] This task is addressed by a system for separating and identifying items, comprising: a source location for providing an item preferably in a container; a discharge conveying element for discharging the identified and separated items; an operating unit for moving the item from the source location in a direction of the discharge conveying element; a sensor unit for detecting the position and / or orientation of the item at the source location, wherein the operating unit is configured to pick up the item at the source location based on the position and / or orientation detected by the sensor unit; and an identification unit configured to identify the item moved by the operating unit in the direction of the discharge conveying element, wherein the discharge conveying element includes a position conveyor configured to convey the item to a first location if the item has been identified by the identification unit, and to convey the item to a second location if the item has not been identified by the identification unit, wherein the item at the second location is separate from the item at the source location, wherein the second location is located within the operating area of ​​the operating unit, and wherein the operating unit is configured to pick up the item at the second location again and move it via the identification unit to the position conveyor.

[0012] The advantage of the system according to the invention is that it provides a separation and identification system that operates particularly quickly, while ensuring that unidentifiable items are not mixed with unidentified and unseparated items at the source location. Thus, regardless of the identification result, all items that have been moved at least once by the identification unit will remain separated and permanently traceable.

[0013] Regarding EP2477914B1, a particular advantage of this invention is that the method can be performed significantly faster because the item does not need to be placed on a side table by the operating unit after a failed attempt, picked up from another location, and moved through the identification unit again. Through a location conveyor located downstream of the identification unit, the invention allows the operating unit to remain freely movable during identification and is not responsible for the identification-related pre-sorting performed by the location conveyor.

[0014] Regarding US10438034B2, the system of this invention has the advantage that unidentifiable items will not be mixed with newly supplied items. That is, according to the invention, individual items will remain separate, on the one hand to avoid confusion of batch numbers, and on the other hand, if necessary, the number of failed attempts during the identification process can be counted so that these items can be removed from the cycle as early as possible.

[0015] The operating unit is particularly preferably designed to release an item picked up from a source location at a release position located upstream of the identification unit in the direction of item movement. After the item is released, if no item is present at the second position, the unit immediately moves in the direction of the source location to pick up a new item, or moves to the second position to pick up a previously unidentifiable item, then moves that item back to the identification unit. In this way, the method can be implemented as quickly as possible without requiring the operating unit to wait unnecessarily long periods, such as for identification results. Using this control of the operating unit, a throughput of approximately 1500 items per hour can be achieved, compared to only a few hundred items per hour in the prior art.

[0016] To scan the object as comprehensively as possible and thus identify it as accurately as possible, the identification unit has an entrance area and an exit area spaced apart therefrom, wherein the entrance area is preferably arranged above the exit area. The entrance area and the exit area spaced apart therefrom enable a spatially expanded detection area, thereby enabling the recording of three-dimensional images of the object and / or the recording of identification features of hard-to-access areas.

[0017] More preferably, the operating unit, identification unit, and position conveyor are arranged such that an item released by the operating unit will fall or slide past the identification unit and stop on the position conveyor downstream of the identification unit. This achieves a particularly fast identification process because the item can pass through the identification unit by gravity without requiring a separate conveying device for guiding the item through the identification unit. In a further embodiment, the item released by the operating unit can also be conveyed through the identification unit in different ways, particularly by being pushed through the identification unit, for example, by a so-called pusher.

[0018] Preferably, the identification unit has at least one separate sensor, and more preferably at least two separate sensors, such as cameras, scanners, particularly barcode scanners or RFID readers with different orientations. With several separate sensors, items can be identified from different directions and / or in different ways. For example, an optical camera can record items from at least two different directions, and / or different types of separate sensors can be used, such as a barcode scanner combined with an optical camera and / or an RFID reader. However, according to embodiments, providing only a single sensor is sufficient.

[0019] In a particularly preferred embodiment, the system according to the invention includes a control unit with a counter designed to record the number of identification attempts for each unidentifiable item. In this embodiment, specifically, the control unit, location transmitter, and / or operating unit are designed to move the unidentifiable item to a third location or assign it a predetermined identification if the number of identification attempts counted by the counter has reached a predetermined value. In this way, for example, if the barcode on the item is damaged, it can specifically prevent unidentifiable items from circulating indefinitely in the system, thus consuming unnecessary resources. The third location can be a so-called special handling location from which the item is discarded or manually identified by an operator. For example, the predetermined identification can be a mark with "unidentifiable" content. In other cases, the recording of identification attempts can be used alternatively or additionally for statistical purposes, such as to determine which items are difficult to identify, thereby, for example, adapting the identification unit to these items.

[0020] To increase the chances of subsequent identification attempts, the operating unit can be designed to release an item picked up from a second location to the identification unit in a different orientation than an item picked up from the source location.

[0021] The sensor unit can be configured in two preferred embodiments. In a first preferred embodiment, the sensor unit has a field of view in which the item to be picked up is located at the source position, and a second sensor unit is configured with a second field of view in which the second position is located. The advantage is that the sensor unit can have a focused field of view, thereby allowing for particularly precise determination of the item's position and / or orientation. In a second preferred embodiment, the sensor unit has a field of view in which the item to be picked up at both the source position and the second position is located on a position transmitter. The advantage is that only one sensor unit is required. Image segmentation can be implemented via software, for example, via a control unit.

[0022] The location transmitter can be configured in different variations. In a first variation, the location transmitter can be designed to transport an item from a zero position to a first position or a second position, where the item will be positioned downstream of the identification unit on the location transmitter. In this variation, the item does not pass through the second position on its way to the first position; that is, the first and second positions are in different directions starting from the zero position.

[0023] For example, in this variation, a single conveyor belt can be provided to move an item from a zero position to a first position and a second position, wherein the conveyor belt can move in opposite directions. For example, the first position and the second position are located on different sides of the zero position. In other embodiments, the position conveyor may include a disc conveyor, a turntable, a push conveyor, a propeller, a rocker arm, or a drop baffle.

[0024] In a second variation, the position conveyor can be designed to move an item from a zero position through a second position to a first position, where the item rests downstream of the identification unit on the position conveyor. In another variation, the position conveyor may include a single conveyor belt for moving the item from the zero position to the first and second positions, wherein the conveyor belt is designed to stop the item at both positions. In this position conveyor, it is sufficient for the conveyor belt to move in only one direction. In this variation, the item may pass through the second position en route to the first position. Attached Figure Description

[0025] The advantageous and non-limiting embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0026] Figure 1 A first embodiment of the system for separating and identifying items according to the present invention is illustrated schematically.

[0027] Figure 2 A second embodiment of the system for separating and identifying items according to the present invention is illustrated schematically.

[0028] Figure 3 A perspective view of a portion of the system according to the present invention is shown.

[0029] Figure 4 Another perspective view of a part of the system according to the invention is shown.

[0030] Figure 5 A flowchart illustrating the process of separating items using the system according to the present invention is shown.

[0031] Figure 6 A third embodiment of the system for separating and identifying articles according to the present invention is illustrated schematically, wherein the position transmitter moves in only one direction. Detailed Implementation

[0032] Figure 1 A system for separating and identifying article 2 is shown. In this system 1, article 2 is supplied to supply conveyor element 3, for example, in a container not shown further, and discharged on discharge conveyor element 4. Article 2 itself is not identified on conveyor element 3, but it can be assigned a batch number. For example, all articles 2 from the container can be assigned the same batch number. The aim is to move article 2 to discharge conveyor element 4 and to clearly identify it there, where preferably the batch number can also be assigned to article 2.

[0033] The supply conveyor element 3 and the discharge conveyor element 4 can each be, for example, an electromechanically driven conveyor belt. However, one or both of the conveyor elements 3 and 4 can also be designed differently, and can be, for example, non-driven, such as a roller conveyor for the container of article 2. In a more general embodiment, the supply conveyor element 3 can also be a source location where a trolley, particularly a shopping cart, or container D can be positioned. The embodiments shown below specifically describe the supply conveyor element 3, but it can also be implemented using a general source location where article 2 or the container is supplied manually.

[0034] To move item 2 from supply conveyor element 3 to discharge conveyor element 4, an operating unit 5 is used, such as a robot with one or more gripping arms.

[0035] To enable the operation unit 5 to know the location of the item 2 to be picked up on the supply conveyor element 3, a sensor unit 6 with a field of view in which the item 2 to be picked up is located on the supply conveyor element 3 is provided. The sensor unit 6 is, for example, a camera, and will detect the position and / or orientation of the item 2 on the supply conveyor element 3, and transmit this information, for example, to a control unit 7 for controlling the operation unit 5, or directly to the operation unit 5. Evaluation of the images or data recorded by the sensor unit 6 can also be performed by the control unit 7.

[0036] Once the operating unit 5 knows the position and / or orientation of the item 2 on the supply conveyor belt 3, it can pick up the detected item 2 and move it in the direction of the discharge conveyor element 4. According to this embodiment, the operating unit 5 does not immediately place the item 2 on the discharge conveyor element 4, but pre-releases the item 2 at the release position Pf, whereby the item 2 will fall or slide past the identification unit 8 described below. The identification unit 8 is typically arranged between the release position Pf of the operating unit 5 and the discharge conveyor element 4, but may also be arranged on the latter. The operating unit 5 typically releases the item 2 before it enters the detection area of ​​the identification unit 8.

[0037] The identification unit 8 is designed to uniquely identify item 2, which is understood to mean assigning a product name, such as a model number, or also to assign a global identifier, such as a serial number.

[0038] To identify item 2, identification unit 8 has one or more individual sensors 9, such as cameras for recording two-dimensional or three-dimensional images, barcode readers, or RFID readers. It is understood that different types of individual sensors 9 can be combined. Item 2 itself may (but is not required to) have identifying features, such as barcodes, QR codes, or model or serial numbers, to facilitate identification by identification unit 8. If the item does not have identifying features, or is unreadable due to being covered or damaged, item 2 can also be identified, for example, by an optical camera based on its shape, size, color, etc.

[0039] exist Figure 3 and Figure 4 In each embodiment, an identification unit 8 is shown, which has multiple individual sensors 9 for picking up the item 2 from multiple directions. Therefore, the placement of the identification features on one side of the item 2 or the orientation in which the item 2 is transferred to the identification unit 8 is irrelevant to identification. Alternatively or additionally, the multiple individual sensors 9 may also be used to record a three-dimensional image of the item 2 and thereby identify it.

[0040] To move item 2 past identification unit 8, operation unit 5 releases item 2 at release position Pf, i.e., releasing item 2 causes item 2 to fall, slide, or otherwise move past identification unit 8. In one embodiment, the release position Pf, identification unit 8, and position P0 of item 2 released by operation unit 5 can be arranged along a vertical line, wherein item 2 will rest on discharge conveyor element 4, i.e., item 2 will fall freely past identification unit 8.

[0041] In another embodiment, the identification unit 8 may include a slide rail 10, for example... Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown. In this case, the operating unit 8 releases the item 2 above the slide 10, causing the item 2 to slide across the identification unit 8 on the slide 10, where it is identified and stops at position P0 on the discharge conveyor element 4. If the slide 10 is used, it is preferably transparent, so that the individual sensors 9 of the identification unit 8 can also be arranged behind or below the slide 10, and therefore the item 2 can also be picked up from the position behind or below the slide 10.

[0042] Providing several separate sensors 9 typically results in the identification unit 8 having a spatially expanded detection area, which includes an inlet area and an outlet area. If the item 2 moves past the identification unit 8 by gravity, i.e., if the item 2 falls or slides past the identification unit 8, the inlet area will be positioned higher than the outlet area.

[0043] In the two embodiments described above, the item 2 moves past the identification unit 8 under the influence of gravity. In another embodiment, the operating unit 5 can place the item 2 directly onto the discharge conveyor belt 4, so that the item 2 will be conveyed by the discharge conveyor belt 4 past the identification unit 8, and thus the item 2 will stop at position P0 downstream of the identification unit 8.

[0044] Once item 2 has been moved by identification unit 8, it will stop at the aforementioned position P0 on position conveyor 11, either briefly or immediately. Depending on whether item 2 can be identified by identification unit 8, item 2 is then moved by position conveyor 11 to a first position P1 or a second position P2 spaced apart from the first position P1.

[0045] If item 2 has been identified by identification unit 8, item 2 is conveyed to first location P1. First location P1 can be considered as the exit area for item 2, which has now been separated and identified. For example, after item 2 is moved to location P1, the following steps can be performed: conveyed to a sorting system, particularly a bag sorter, discharged to a collection belt, particularly for order sorting, in a position-controlled manner, or picked up individually to a product warehouse or product picking system, as known, for example, from WO 2017 / 027897.

[0046] If item 2 is not identified, it is moved to a second position P2. Position P2 is located within the operating area of ​​operating unit 5 and can therefore be picked up again by operating unit 5 and moved again for another identification attempt by identification unit 8. Operating unit 5 is therefore designed to pick up item 2 not only from supply conveyor element 3 but also from the second position P2. Operating unit 5 can therefore move to at least three positions: the pick-up position Pa on supply conveyor element 4, the release position Pf where item 2 is released by operating unit 5 and moved by identification unit 8, and the second position P2 for picking up item 2 again if it is not identified. Operating unit 5 can move from each of the three positions to the others, and is not limited to a fixed order.

[0047] The second position P2 can therefore be considered as a re-pickup position for the operating unit 5. The second position P2 is located, for example, at or adjacent to the position conveyor 11 or the discharge conveyor 4, and specifically not at the supply conveyor element 3, so that it is clear at all times which items 2 have not been identified. Since unidentified items 2 do not return to the supply conveyor 3, the possibility of unidentified items 2 being mixed with previously unidentified items 2 is eliminated. To increase the chance of items 2 becoming unidentifiable again, the operating unit 5 can be designed to release items 2 picked up from position P2 at the release position Pf above the identification unit 8 in a different orientation than items 2 already picked up from the supply conveyor element 3. These different orientations can be randomly selected or predetermined for different identification attempt values ​​(e.g., first attempt, second attempt, etc.).

[0048] The aforementioned position transmitter 11 can be separate from, form part of, or be identical to the discharge transmitter unit 4. For example... Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the position conveyor 11 can be formed by a conveyor belt that can move in opposite directions. Figure 3 and Figure 4 In this embodiment, the position conveyor 11 is a conveyor belt that can move in one direction. The first position P1 and the second position P2 are two different stop positions along a linear path. However, the position conveyor 11 is not limited to these embodiments, but may also be designed as a disc conveyor, turntable, push conveyor, propeller, rocker arm, or drop baffle.

[0049] exist Figure 1 In one embodiment shown, sensor unit 6 has a field of view in which only the pickup position is located on the supply conveying element 3. In this case, another second sensor unit 6b can be provided. Figure 6 A second position P2 exists within its field of view. Figure 2 In the alternative embodiment shown, the sensor unit 6 has a field of view in which the pickup position Pa on the supply transmission element 3 and the second position P2 on the position transmitter 11 are both located, so only one sensor unit 6 is required.

[0050] The control unit 7 mentioned above can be connected to one or more of the following components: operation unit 5, sensor unit 6, additional sensor unit, and identification unit 8. The control unit 7 can be configured as a separate computing unit, or it can be integrated into one of the mentioned components. The control unit 7 controls the operation unit 5 in response to data received from sensor unit 6, the additional sensor unit, and identification unit 8.

[0051] Specifically, the control unit 7 may include a counter 14 to count the number of times the item 2 passes through the identification unit 8. This is possible because it is known at any time whether the operating unit 5 has picked up a new item from the pickup position Pa or a previously unidentifiable item from the second position P2. The counter 14 may assign a temporary identifier to the unidentifiable item 2 and increment the count of misidentifications whenever the item 2 is moved back to position P2 or picked up by the operating unit 5 at the second position P2.

[0052] Specifically, a list or database can be maintained in the control unit 7 to track each item 2 that is picked up, identified, or unidentified. Specifically, this can provide a sequence of identified items 2 discharged onto the discharge conveyor 4, so that subsequent processing devices can be informed that items 2 on the discharge conveyor 4 have been identified. The batch number associated with each item 2 can also be included in this list or database.

[0053] The following will refer to Figure 5 The operation of System 1 is described below. In the first action Act1, the container carrying item A moves to the pick-up position Pa on the supply conveyor belt 3. In action Act2, the sensor unit 6 detects the position and / or orientation of item A at pick-up position Pa. In action Act3, the operation unit 5 picks up the item. In action Act4, the operation unit 5 transfers item A to the release position Pf. In action Act5, the operation unit 5 releases item A, for example, by causing it to fall past the identification sensor 8.

[0054] From this point onward, two action plans proceed in parallel. On one hand, operation unit 5 can return from release position Pf to pick-up position Pa in action Act 4, so as to pick up item B, which was simultaneously supplied to the new container in action Act 1, in action Act 3. Simultaneously, item A falls past identification device 8 and is thus scanned in action Act 6 and identified in action Act 7. In action Act 8, item A lands at zero position P0. In the example shown, item A is not identified and is therefore moved to the second position P2 by position transmitter 11 in action Act 9.

[0055] When the position transmitter 11 moves item A to the second position P2, in action Act3, the operation unit 5 may have already picked up item B and moved it to the release position Pf in action Act4. Simultaneously, in action Act10, the sensor unit 6 or another second sensor unit has determined the position and / or orientation of item A at the second position P2.

[0056] After operation unit 5 has released item B at release position Pf, in action Act 4, it does not move to pick-up position Pa, but instead moves to the second position P2 so that it can pick up item A again in action Act 3. In action Act 4, operation unit 5 moves item A back to release position Pf and releases item A there. While operation unit 5 is performing these actions, item B has fallen past recognition unit 8, whereby it is scanned and recognized, and lands at zero position P0. In this example, item B has been recognized and moved from zero position P0 to first position P1 via position transmitter 11 in action Act 11, causing the method for item B to terminate.

[0057] When item B moves from zero position P0 to first position via position transmitter 11, item A falls through the identification unit 8 and is identified by the release of operation unit 5 (since there is no item 2 at second position P2, it immediately moves back to pick-up position Pa to pick up the new item C). Therefore, on the second attempt, item A moves from zero position P0 to first position P1 via position transmitter. Figure 5 As shown.

[0058] As can be seen, in this method, the two action processes are always processed in parallel, because when the operation unit 5 moves from the release position Pf to the pick-up position Pa or to the second position P2, the item 2 can be identified by the identification unit 8 at the same time, and is moved to the correct position by the position transmitter 11 accordingly.

[0059] In this method, each item 2 can be tracked individually, and specifically, during separation and identification, the batch number assigned to the container of item 2 on the supply conveying element 3 can also be tracked and obtained. For example, the batch number can be read from the container by sensor unit 6 and sent to control unit 7. However, control unit 7 can also receive the batch number in another way, for example, through a wide control input. Therefore, even if item 2 from the first container, i.e., with the first batch number, is initially unidentifiable and is moved to the second position P2, and another item 2 from the second container, i.e., with the second batch number, is tracked by operation unit 5, identified by identification unit 8, and thus moved to the first position, the batch number of item 2 can always be carried along. In this example, the second item with the second batch number will outnumber the item with the first batch number because the first item is unidentifiable and must pass through identification unit 8 at least once more.

[0060] In a further embodiment (not shown), multiple second positions P2 may be provided to hold several unidentified items 2 ready to be picked up and identified again. All of the second positions are located within the operating area of ​​the operating unit 5. This also allows the operating unit 5 to have one or more items 2 waiting at the second position P2 so that previously unidentified items can be picked up and identified by the supply conveyor element 3.

[0061] Furthermore, the location conveyor 11 can be designed to move item 2 to a third location if it has not been identified after a predetermined number of identification attempts. In this case, the location conveyor 11 receives a corresponding instruction from the counter 14 of the control unit 7. Several third locations can also be set up to hold several items 2. Items 2 located at the third locations can be sorted or manually identified.

[0062] Figure 6 A particularly practical embodiment is shown, in which the position conveyor 11 is a conveyor belt that moves in only one direction. Item 2 is placed at a zero position P0 on the conveyor belt. If item 2 is not detected by the identification unit 8, item 2 is moved by the conveyor belt to a second position P2, where item 2 pauses to be picked up again by the operation unit 5. If item 2 has been identified by the identification unit 8, item 2 is moved from the zero position P0 to a first position P1 via the second position P2, where the item typically does not pause. The first position P1 may be, for example, a transfer point from the position conveyor 11 to the discharge conveyor 6, or it may be a position on the discharge conveyor 6 or on the position conveyor 11 itself.

[0063] like Figure 6 As shown, an operating unit 5 mounted on the ceiling can also be used. However, this embodiment is not limited to this specific arrangement, but can also be used in combination with other variations.

Claims

1. A system (1) for separating and identifying articles (2), the system (1) comprising: Source location, used to provide items (2), Discharge conveyor element (4) for discharging the identified and separated items (2), Operating unit (5) for moving the article (2) from the source position in the direction of the discharge conveying element (4), A sensor unit (6) is configured to detect the position and / or orientation of the article (2) at the source location, wherein the operating unit (5) is configured to pick up the article from the source location based on the position and / or orientation detected by the sensor unit (6), and The identification unit (8) is designed to identify the article (2) that is moved by the operating unit (5) in the direction of the discharge conveying element (4). Its features The discharge conveying element (4) includes a position conveyor (11) designed to convey the item (2) to a first position (P1) if the item (2) has been identified by the identification unit (8), and to a second position (P2) if the item (2) has not been identified by the identification unit (8), wherein the item (2) at the second position (P2) is separate from the item (2) at the source position. The second position (P2) is located within the operating area of ​​the operating unit (5), and the operating unit (5) is designed to pick up the item (2) at the second position (P2) again and move it to the position transmitter (11) via the identification unit (8).

2. The system (1) according to claim 1, wherein the operating unit (5) is designed to release the item (2) picked up from the source position at a release position (Pf) located upstream of the identification unit (8) in the direction of movement of the item (2), and if there is no item (2) at the second position (P2), then immediately after releasing the item (2), it moves in the direction of the source position to pick up a new item (2), or moves to the second position (P2) to pick up a previously unidentified item (2), picks up the item (2), and moves it to the identification unit (8) again.

3. The system (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the identification unit (8) has a spatially extended detection area, the detection area having an entrance area and an exit area spaced apart therefrom.

4. The system (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the operation unit (5), the identification unit (8) and the position transmitter (11) are arranged relative to each other such that the article (2) released by the operation unit (5) will fall or slide past the identification unit (8) and stop at the zero position (P0) downstream of the identification unit (8) on the position transmitter (11).

5. The system (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the identification unit (8) has at least one separate sensor (9), which is one or more cameras, scanners or RFID readers with different orientations.

6. The system (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the system (1) includes a control unit (7) having a counter (14) designed to record the number of identification attempts of the unidentifiable item (2).

7. The system (1) according to claim 6, wherein the control unit (7), the location transmitter (11) and / or the operation unit (5) are designed to move the unidentifiable item (2) to a third location or assign a predetermined identification to it if the number of identification attempts counted by the counter has reached a predetermined value.

8. The system (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the operation unit (5) is designed to release an item (2) picked up from the second position (P2) to the identification unit (8) in an orientation different from that of an item (2) already picked up from the source position.

9. The system (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the sensor unit (6) has a field of view in which the item (2) to be picked up is located at the source position, wherein a second sensor unit (6b) having a second field of view is provided, and the second position (P2) is located in the second field of view.

10. The system (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the sensor unit (6) has a field of view in which the item to be picked up (2) at the source location and the second location (P2) at the location transmitter (11) are both within the field of view.

11. The system (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the location transmitter (11) is designed to transport the item (2) from a zero position (P0) to the first position (P1) or the second position (P2), wherein at the zero position, the item (2) will be parked downstream of the identification unit (8) on the location transmitter (11).

12. The system (1) of claim 11, wherein the position conveyor (11) includes a single conveyor belt for moving the article (2) from the zero position (P0) to the first position (P1) and the second position (P2), wherein the conveyor belt is movable in opposite directions.

13. The system (1) according to claim 11, wherein the position transmitter (11) includes a disc transmitter, a turntable, a pusher transmitter, a thruster, a rocker arm, or a drop baffle.

14. The system (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the position transmitter (11) is designed to move an item (2) from a zero position (P0) via a second position (P2) to a first position (P1), wherein at the zero position, the item (2) will be parked downstream of the identification unit (8) on the position transmitter (11).

15. The system (1) of claim 14, wherein the position transmitter (11) has a conveyor belt that moves in only one direction to move the item (2) from the zero position (P0) to the first position (P1) and the second position (P2), wherein the conveyor belt is designed to stop the item (2) at the second position (P2) if the item (2) is not identified by the identification unit (8), and to move the item (2) from the zero position (P0) to the first position (P1) via the second position (P2) if the item (2) has been identified by the identification unit (8).

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