Method for storing plurality of piece goods in sorting system

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for storing a plurality of piece goods into a sorting system. Known warehousing methods consume a long time because each piece of goods needs to be warehoused one by one. According to the invention, a) a unique identifier (EI) of the piece goods (6) to be stored is determined by means of a reading device (80), b) whether the size of the piece goods (6) is known is determined by means of the unique identifier, c) the piece goods with the known size are arranged in a placement region (21, 31) according to a predetermined placement rule, d) steps a)-c) are repeated, and c) the piece goods (6) are placed in the placement region (21, 31) according to the predetermined placement rule. E1) moving the placed piece goods (6) in the storage direction and e2) creating a removal protocol as a function of the size of the placed piece goods, the removal protocol comprising at least one removal instruction, f1) completing the removal instruction, f2) checking whether there are further removal instructions to be completed, and e3) if there are further removal instructions to be completed. And repeating the steps f1) and f2) until all fetch instructions of the fetch procedure are completed.

Description

Field of the Invention

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for storing a plurality of articles (in particular pharmaceutical packages) in a sorting device. Background Art

[0002] Automated sorting devices are often used in pharmacies to store pharmaceutical packages in a space-saving manner. The pharmaceutical packages can be stored chaotically in known sorting devices suitable for pharmacies, which means that the pharmaceutical packages are not stored in predetermined storage locations in the device, but rather in storage locations where there is just enough storage space available. This can avoid excessive empty volume and significantly increase the number of pharmaceutical packages stored per square meter of floor space. Chaotic storage is generally used for drugs or pharmaceutical packages with a low dispensing frequency (so-called slow-moving goods).

[0003] In known methods for storing pharmaceutical packages, in order to store them, they are identified (and measured if necessary) and pre-placed in a given placement area of the storage device of the sorting device. Subsequently, the pharmaceutical package is moved into the gripping area of a gripper of an operating device in the sorting device (known, for example, from EP3431421A1), where the gripper grips and moves the pharmaceutical package to a storage location specified by the control device. Therefore, only one pharmaceutical package is processed in each storage process.

[0004] It is also known to arrange a plurality of identical pharmaceutical packages in the same way in the placement area and then move them together into the sorting device, where they are subsequently jointly gripped by the gripper and conveyed together to one or more storage locations. This method is particularly used for so-called fast-moving goods (pharmaceutical packages with a high dispensing frequency), which are generally placed in a chute system that enables fast dispensing. The storage of a plurality of identical pharmaceutical packages is much faster than the storage of a plurality of different pharmaceutical packages because the same process is repeated for each type of pharmaceutical package. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The object of the present invention is to provide a method by which even a plurality of different articles can be stored in a time-saving manner.

[0006] This object is achieved by the method according to claim 1. In the method for storing a plurality of piece goods in a sorting device according to the present invention, the sorting device includes at least one shelf row having a plurality of storage positions, a control device, a storage device, and a fixture for piece goods. First, a unique identifier of the piece goods to be stored is determined by a reading device connected to the control device. The unique identifier includes at least one product code, which uniquely identifies the piece goods to be stored. If, for example, a drug package is being stored, the unique identifier as the product code may include a PZN. The PZN is an eight-digit, numerical, and "meaningless" number that uniquely identifies a drug based on its name, dosage form, active ingredient concentration, and package size. The reading device can be connected to the control device of the sorting device in a wired or wireless manner, or is connected to the control device of the sorting device as described above for the reading process.

[0007] In the next step b), it is determined in the database via the read unique identifier whether the dimensions (height, width, depth) of the piece goods are known, and subsequently in step c), the piece goods with known dimensions are arranged in the placement area of the storage device according to a predetermined placement rule.

[0008] The placement area is an area marked by at least one marker, which indicates to the user where the piece goods on the storage device should be placed. Markers such as markers on the storage device itself, gratings, markers on the side of the storage device itself, or illuminated areas can be considered; in addition, other markers can be considered. However, the arrangement cannot be carried out in an arbitrary manner, but according to a predetermined placement regulation, for example, the piece goods should be arranged in the placement area in a manner orthogonal to the storage device in the longitudinal direction from "left to right". In this way, it is ensured that the order and orientation of the arranged piece goods are known to the control device, which is crucial for the subsequent method steps.

[0009] According to step d), steps a)-c) are carried out multiple times until it is detected that the last piece of piece goods has been placed in the placement area. Exactly how it is detected that the last piece of piece goods is placed is not important for the present invention itself, and examples will be continued to be described below. How many times steps a)-c) are carried out depends on the dimensions of the piece goods to be placed, the width of the storage device, and the placement rule. According to the present invention, the object of the method of the present invention is to be able to place a plurality of different piece goods.

[0010] After detecting that the last finished product has been placed, in step e1), the placed finished product is moved in the warehousing direction by the warehousing device, and (step e2)) a retrieval procedure is created for the fixture according to the size of the placed finished product, where the retrieval procedure includes at least one retrieval instruction, and each retrieval instruction covers one or more finished products. The order of steps e1) and e2) is not important; they can even be executed or triggered simultaneously.

[0011] After creating the retrieval procedure and moving the finished product in the warehousing direction to a preset retrieval position (step f1)), the fixture is used to move and warehouse the corresponding number of finished products from the warehousing device for the current retrieval instruction, thus completing the retrieval instruction.

[0012] Subsequently, it is checked (step f2)) whether there are other retrieval instructions to be completed, and steps f1) and f2) are executed until all the retrieval instructions in the retrieval procedure are processed.

[0013] As already explained above, by determining the unique identifier of each finished product, the known size of each placed finished product, and the placement rules, the control device knows the exact arrangement of all the finished products. Depending on the size of the finished products, it can be assumed that there are a large number of "placement patterns" in the placement area, and these placement patterns require adjustments to the out-of-warehouse operations performed by the fixture. For example, if there are five finished products arranged from left to right in the placement area and the middlemost finished product is the widest relative to the warehousing direction, it is very likely that all the finished products cannot be retrieved in one clamping action using a common jaw fixture, but only three "right-side" finished products can be retrieved. The retrieval procedure to be created according to the present invention then includes two retrieval instructions, where three finished products are to be retrieved according to the first retrieval instruction and two finished products are to be retrieved according to the second retrieval instruction. Accordingly, at least one retrieval instruction has to be completed and at most as many retrieval instructions as the number of placed finished products have to be processed.

[0014] Although freely arranging the finished products (ignoring the placement rules) will delay the process of warehousing the finished products after detecting the last one, the warehousing time can be used to arrange other finished products, so that the delayed warehousing does not delay the entire process due to the possible existence of multiple retrieval instructions, but rather speeds up the entire process in general because multiple different finished products can be placed. The method according to the present invention is also more user-friendly because it is less monotonous and the user does not have to pay attention to arranging the finished products in a specific manner according to the size rules when placing them.

[0015] As is obvious from the foregoing description of the method according to the invention, according to the invention, only piece goods of known dimensions can be stored in the warehouse. The dimensions of the piece goods are obtained in the database via a unique identifier. If the corresponding dimensions are not retrieved in the database after obtaining the unique identifier, for example because the unique identifier has not been saved at all yet, the piece goods cannot be stored in the warehouse immediately. This situation can be shown to the user by a signal, for example, and then the user retains the piece goods for subsequent processing, for example. Alternatively, the unknown dimension can also be made more obvious by leaving the placement area unmarked. In a preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention, when the dimensions of the piece goods are unknown, the piece goods are measured and the dimensions are saved in the database with the determined unique identifier. The measurement can be carried out, for example, "externally", such as at a measuring device connected to the control device.

[0016] To speed up the warehousing process of piece goods of unknown dimensions and make it as simple as possible for the user (and thus as error-prone as possible), in a preferred embodiment, it is provided that when the dimensions are unknown, the piece goods are measured by warehousing the piece goods arranged in the placement area according to steps e1)-f2), arranging the piece goods of unknown dimensions in the placement area and automatically measuring them, and saving the dimensions in the database. The piece goods of unknown dimensions are then interpreted as marking the previous piece goods as "the last" piece goods and thus starting to warehouse the previously placed piece goods in the manner according to the invention. At this time, when warehousing, the piece goods that have not been measured yet can be measured, and other piece goods can be added and warehoused in the manner according to the invention.

[0017] As already explained above, for the invention itself, it does not matter how exactly it is detected that the last piece of piece goods has been arranged. In a preferred and technically very simple embodiment, it is provided that the placement of the last piece of piece goods is detected by the user communicating a corresponding input to the control device.

[0018] Alternatively, it can be provided that the placement of the last piece of piece goods is determined by means of a sensor assigned to the placement plane. This embodiment is more user-friendly but may be more technically complex.

[0019] According to the present invention, the key lies in arranging the piece goods in a manner that conforms to the placement rules (for example, from left to right and with the long side orthogonal to the warehousing direction). The placement rules can be adapted to the structure of the sorting device and the structure of the warehousing device, and additionally can also be adapted to the user's preferences (from left to right, from right to left). However, it may happen that the user arranges the piece goods in the wrong way, that is, in a way that does not conform to the placement rules. In order to be able to determine the type of possible incorrect arrangement without too much effort, in a preferred embodiment, it is stipulated that after detecting that the last piece of piece goods is placed in the placement area, the widths of the multiple placed piece goods are determined and compared with the maximum width of the placed piece goods, and a signal is issued when there is a deviation exceeding the limit value. For example, if all the placed piece goods are less than 5 cm wide and between 10 and 15 cm long, and according to the placement rules, these piece goods should be placed with their long sides orthogonal to the warehousing device, a width greater than 5 cm obtained only means that the user has implemented an incorrect arrangement. If such a situation is found, the user is, for example, required to make a correction or to rearrange all the piece goods.

[0020] The unique identifier includes at least one product code of the piece goods, and the size of the piece goods is associated with the product code. However, the unique identifier is not necessarily limited to the product code.

[0021] A large number of piece goods, for example, have an expiration date. In a preferred embodiment (where the unique identifier includes such an expiration date), it is stipulated that the expiration date of the piece goods to be warehoused is compared with the expiration date of the same piece goods, and when the piece goods to be warehoused have an earlier expiration date, the storage location of the piece goods to be warehoused is optimized and / or the outbound order is adjusted so that the piece goods with an earlier expiration date are preferentially out of the warehouse.

[0022] The piece goods can also include a unique serial number, and the serial number can be stored in a database. In a preferred embodiment of the method according to the present invention (where the unique identifier includes the unique serial number), it is stipulated that the unique serial number is verified with the help of the database and the method for warehousing is stopped in case of a verification error. In this way, for example, counterfeit piece goods can be detected. Description of the Drawings

[0023] The method according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings, where:

[0024] Figure 1 A perspective view of the sorting device is shown, and the method according to the present invention can be implemented using this sorting device.

[0025] Figure 2 A detailed view of the front area of the sorting device is shown.

[0026] Figure 3 The top view of the sorting device is shown;

[0027] Figures 4a - 6b Different placement and removal situations are shown,

[0028] Figure 7a and Figure 7b the placement and removal situations where the piece goods are wrongly arranged in a manner not conforming to the placement rules are shown, and

[0029] Figure 8 the flow of the method according to the present invention is shown. Detailed implementation mode

[0030] Figure 1 The perspective view of the sorting device 1 is shown, and the method according to the present invention can be implemented by using this sorting device. The sorting device 1 is only schematically described below and for better understanding of the following detailed description of the method according to the present invention. By using Figures 1 - 3 the sorting device shown in, the drug packages are stored as piece goods, and the term "drug package" (an example of the term "piece goods") is also used below.

[0031] The sorting device 1 includes a frame structure 2, and a plurality of covering elements 3 are placed at this frame structure. For the sake of overview, a large number of covering elements and several elements of the frame structure 2 are omitted. The sorting device 1 includes a first shelf row 10 having a plurality of shelves, each of these shelves having a plurality of shelf bottoms 12 arranged one above the other and extending in the horizontal plane, and the shelf bottoms are provided with a plurality of storage positions. Each shelf 11 of the first shelf row 10 is formed by a shelf wall 13 and a plurality of the aforementioned shelf bottoms 12. In the shown example, all the front edges (placement edges) of the shelf bottoms are arranged in a vertical plane, which simplifies the storage of piece goods or drug packages into the shelf bottoms and the removal of them from the shelf bottoms. The shown shelf bottoms are involved in the chaotic storage of drug packages.

[0032] In the shown sorting device, a second shelf row 10' is arranged opposite to the first shelf row 10, but only the second shelf row is marked for the sake of clarity; only the respective elements of the support frame for this shelf and the shelf bottom 12' with a storage chute (Lagerschacht) 14 for single-category storage are shown. The storage chute of the sorting device is arranged for storing fast-turnover goods and is not important for the present invention.

[0033] The exemplary sorting device includes two inbound devices 20, 30, which are arranged one above the other and integrated into the first shelf 10, such that shelf bottoms 12 are provided both above and below the two inbound devices 20, 30. The inbound devices 20, 30 extend from the sorting device in the front of the sorting device, and the extending parts respectively include placement areas 21, 31, where drug packages can be placed for inbound. In Figure 1 two drug packages 6 are arranged in the placement area 21 of the upper inbound device 20.

[0034] The placement areas 21, 31 are not components themselves, but dedicated areas of the inbound devices, and drug packages are arranged in these areas according to placement rules. The placement area can be formed, for example, by markings on the inbound device designed as a belt conveyor. Alternatively, the placement area can be marked by a grating. Finally, it can be considered that the placement area is defined by a movable fence.

[0035] An operating device 50 with a clamp 60 is provided between the shown first shelf row and the only marked second shelf row. The operating device can move horizontally and vertically on the guide, refer to Figure 3 for a detailed description of the clamp. The clamp 60 can move in the aisle between the two shelf rows along the only marked horizontal guide 55 and vertical guide 56.

[0036] An outbound device 40 is also arranged in the sorting device. The outbound device is designed as a belt conveyor here and is marked between the second shelf row and the right outer wall of the sorting device. Through the outbound device, the drug packages moved onto the outbound device are moved to the removal area 41 of the outbound device. For example, the drug packages are moved onto the outbound device by means of the operating device 50 (if necessary, with an unshown auxiliary outbound path in between), and the drug packages can thus reach the outbound device. For an inclined storage chute, the drug packages can simply be moved onto the outbound device by triggering a triggering device arranged at the end of the storage chute. In this case, the drug packages simply fall onto the outbound device by gravity.

[0037] In Figure 1 a control device 70 is arranged in the front area of the sorting device. The control device is connected to the operating device, sensors, and sensor systems, and is generally connected to the inbound device and the outbound device. A door 4 is provided in the center of the front area of the sorting device. Through this door, the device can be accessed for maintenance and in case of a malfunction.

[0038] In Figure 1Also symbolically marked is the reading device 80, which can be connected to the control device 70 via line 81 or via a wireless connection 82. With the reading device 80, the unique identifier EI of each drug package (marked as a circle on each drug package) is determined before being arranged in the placement area. Exactly how the unique identifier is determined and thus the reading device is obtained is secondary to the present invention. What is important is that each drug package to be warehoused by the method according to the present invention includes such a unique identifier and the unique identifier unambiguously marks the drug package. The exact composition or information meaning of the unique identifier has been briefly described above and described in detail with reference to the method according to the present invention.

[0039] Figure 2 A detail view of the front area of an exemplary sorting device is shown, in which the placement areas of the warehousing devices 20, 30 can be particularly observed. In Figure 2 this, two drug packages 6 are arranged in the placement area 31 of the lower warehousing device 30. Above the placement areas 21, 31, placement detection sensors 22, 32 are respectively marked in the example shown, and these placement detection sensors are used to monitor the detection areas 23, 33 of the placement areas 21, 31.

[0040] Once the piece goods are placed in the detection areas 23, 33 or at least partially extend into the detection areas, a corresponding signal representing the "last" piece goods is transmitted to the control device 70. The depth to which the drug package must extend into the detection area to trigger the aforementioned signal can be set at the control device or the placement detection sensor or the sensor system itself.

[0041] In Figure 2 also marked is the input / output device 5 located above the upper warehousing device 20, and information about the drug packages to be warehoused can be displayed and / or input using this input / output device.

[0042] Figure 3The top view of an exemplary sorting device is shown, where, for the sake of overview, most of the support frame 2 is omitted. The loading device 20 can be observed on the left side, which leads from the outer area all the way into the sorting device. Four drug packages 6 are arranged in the extraction area 25 marked by a dashed line of the loading device 20, and this arrangement exactly corresponds to the arrangement of the drug packages in the placement area. It can also be observed in this figure that the loading device is integrated in the first shelf row 10 because in the "upper" area, the shelf bottom surface 12 and the shelf wall 13 above the loading device 20 are marked. The unloading device 40 with the extraction area 41 can be observed on the right side, and only the marked second shelf row 10' is adjacent to the inside of the sorting device. An operating device 50 with a clamp 60 that can move horizontally and vertically is arranged between the first shelf row 10 and the second shelf row 10'. The horizontal guide 55 generally extends along the entire length of the sorting device, so that all the shelf bottom surfaces of the device can be reached by using the operating device. The clamp includes a placement table 61 with a front edge 62, and the drug package is moved onto the placement table 61 via the front edge by using the marked jaws 63.

[0043] Figures 4a - 6b Different placement situations of a plurality of drug packages 6(1)-6(4) are shown, where Figures 4a - 6a the placement area after all the drug packages are placed is drawn in, and Figures 4b - 6b the drug packages in the extraction area 25 are drawn in, where Figures 4b - 6b the jaws 63 of the (not shown) clamp 60 are additionally marked.

[0044] In Figures 4a - 6a different placement situations are drawn, more precisely according to the placement rule of "from left to right, with the long side next to the upper marking line of the placement area". The placement area 21 of the loading device 20 is schematically shown in each drawing. The loading device 20 includes a conveyor belt 22, and the placement area 21 is defined by two marks 26, 27 on the conveyor belt. In the case where the placement area has such marks, the conveyor belt includes a large number of marks, and these marks are respectively moved in the loading direction / longitudinal direction of the loading device by the placed drug portions. This is not required in the case of marking by, for example, a grating. In the example shown, the loading device includes a side wall 29, and the first drug package 6(1) leans against or can lean against this side wall. The subsequent drug packages lean against the drug package on the left until the placement area is filled as much as possible. The conveyor belt 21 is "open" at its right edge 23a.

[0045] In Figure 4a the drug packages gradually become "narrower" from left to right (relative to the loading direction or relative to the longitudinal direction of the loading device 20). In Figure 5aIn it, the drug packaging gradually becomes "wider" towards the right, and at Figure 6a the second drug packaging 6(2) from the left is the widest.

[0046] At Figures 4b - 6b the same drug packaging within the removal area 25 is marked, and the warehousing device 20 is also open at the left edge 23b. Figures 4b - 6b Basically shows Figure 3 the situation of , but the jaws 63 of the (not shown) fixture are additionally marked.

[0047] Due to the dimensions of the placed drug packaging 6(1)-6(4), the configuration (jaws) of the fixture, and the removal direction (the fixture picks up the drug packaging from the "right"), only the drug packaging as shown in Figure 4a can be stably moved by the fixture to the (not shown) placement table of the fixture in one picking action. The widest drug packaging 6(1) is stably clamped by the jaws and the drug packaging 6(2)-6(4) is stably pushed onto the placement table.

[0048] For the control device, all the aforementioned boundary conditions, the dimensions of all the placed drug packaging, and their positions are known. Based on this, a removal procedure is created, and this removal procedure can be very simple at Figure 4b and may possibly only include one removal instruction, that is, to move all the drug packaging to the placement table. Depending on the available storage positions, it may also be meaningful or necessary to remove the drug packaging that can be removed in one removal process in two steps / removal instructions in this case.

[0049] At Figure 5a in the shown situation, the drug packaging continuously becomes wider towards the right. It cannot be ensured that no drug packaging will be left behind when attempting to move all the drug packaging to the placement table using the jaws. In this case, the removal procedure includes four removal instructions, that is, each instruction removes one drug packaging.

[0050] At Figure 6a another situation is shown, where the drug packaging is arranged "disorderly". The exact arrangement (and the remaining boundary conditions) indicate that the drug packaging can be stably removed through a removal procedure including two removal instructions. First, the drug packaging 6(2)-6(4) is removed, and then the drug packaging 6(1) is removed.

[0051] At Figure 7a2 shows a placement situation in which the drug package is arranged in a manner that does not comply with the placement rule, i.e. the drug package 6 (2) is not resting with its long side against the marking 26. As a result, the control device (which assumes that the placement rule is always followed) may no longer be able to store the drug package 6 (2) because the storage position preset for this drug package is determined based on the orientation of the drug package that complies with the placement rule. In addition, an attempt to remove the drug package 6 (2) may damage the clamping jaws, thereby causing the clamping jaws to pivot to a greater extent than is necessary (and possible).

[0052] In the example shown, the sorting device therefore comprises a measuring device 90 which is arranged at the left edge of the storage device 20 and with which the maximum “width” of the pharmaceutical packaging can be determined “from the left”. Figure 7a In the case of the medicine package 6 (2), it can be found that the arrangement of the medicine package may not completely comply with the placement rule, that is, the maximum width (the medicine package 6 (2)) is larger than its actual width (the medicine package 6 (2) marked with a dotted line). However, in this way, it is impossible to find the wrong arrangement of the medicine package (4). In an alternative example, the measuring device can be arranged on the left and right, and even in this case, it may happen that not all wrong arrangements can be found.

[0053] Refer to the following Figure 8 A preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention is described in more detail. The method itself can be used as follows Figures 1 - 3 The sorting device described as an example is implemented. First, according to step 100, a unique identifier of the piece goods 6 to be stored is determined using a reading device 80 connected to the control device 70. The unique identifier includes at least one unique product code, which uniquely identifies the piece goods to be stored. If, for example, a drug package is stored (this will be the premise below), the unique identifier may include a PZN as a product code. PZN is an eight-digit, digital and "meaningless" number that uniquely identifies the drug according to the name, dosage form, active ingredient concentration and packaging size. The unique identifier can be constructed according to the "German Market Mandatory Inspection Drug Coding Rules". A detailed description of the rules is disclosed, for example, in "https: / / www.securpharm.de / wp-content / uploads / 2018 / 08 / securPharm_Codierung_Regeln_DE_V2_03.pdf". However, the method of constructing a unique identifier is not important for the present invention. The key is simply that the unique identifier is unique to the piece of goods so that information specific to the piece of goods can be stored and retrieved via the identifier.

[0054] In step 110, it is determined in the database whether the dimensions of the piece goods are known based on the unique identifier. The database can be stored on the control device itself, but it is conceivable that the database is a cloud-based database that can be accessed by a large number of sorting devices. With the method according to the invention, only piece goods (drug packages) with known dimensions can be stored in the warehouse, because these dimensions are required to sequentially remove the piece goods from the storage device in the subsequent method steps. If the dimensions are unknown, these dimensions must be obtained and stored in step 120. The measurement can be carried out, for example, by the user using a separate measuring station. Alternatively, the measurement can be carried out automatically by means of the sorting device, as described below.

[0055] For the (common) case where the dimensions are known, in step 130, the piece goods with known dimensions are arranged in the placement areas 21, 31 of the storage devices 20, 30 according to a predetermined placement rule. According to the invention, the user is therefore not allowed to place the piece goods arbitrarily, because only in this way can it be ensured that the control device "knows" where in the placement area the piece goods are arranged, how the piece goods are arranged in the placement area, and which piece goods are arranged in the placement area. For example, the placement rule can stipulate that the piece goods are arranged in the placement area in the "from left to right" manner, more precisely with the long side orthogonal to the subsequent storage direction, i.e., the longitudinal direction of the storage device (for this see Figures 1 - 3 ; the storage direction corresponds to the longitudinal orientation of the storage devices 20, 30). If the placement rule is not observed when arranging (piece goods with different dimensions), the control device will have no way of obtaining information on how these piece goods are arranged, i.e., it will not be able to stably remove the piece goods using the fixture. Although it is conceivable to install a sensor system that, after placing a plurality of piece goods, identifies the piece goods by size, for example, by means of an image taken from above. However, if two different piece goods with the same dimensions are placed, it becomes difficult and error-prone to identify them by means of the image.

[0056] The above-mentioned steps 100 - 130 are repeated continuously until it is detected that the last piece good has been placed in the placement areas 21, 31. The user can indicate by a signal that the last piece good has been placed, or a sensor system can be set up that covers a specific section of the placement area and, once a piece good is arranged therein, declares it as the "last piece good".

[0057] It is also conceivable to interpret the detection of a piece good with unknown dimensions as meaning that the previously placed piece goods with known dimensions are marked as the "last" piece goods, with the result that all the previously placed piece goods are processed according to the steps described below. Once the placement area becomes free, the piece good with unknown dimensions can be arranged in the placement area and automatically measured.

[0058] The measurement can be carried out in a variety of ways known to those skilled in the art. For example, by using an array of lasers arranged above and laterally or by using other techniques known in the field of logistics.

[0059] In order to carry out the measurement at the lowest possible cost, an ultrasonic sensor can be used, for example, to determine the height. The unit load is moved below it for measurement. For this purpose, measurement values are continuously acquired while the unit load is moving below the ultrasonic sensor, and the "highest" measurement value is set as the height of the unit load.

[0060] In order to determine the width of the unit load (the width refers to the extension dimension in the warehousing direction), a grating can be installed, for example, at the warehousing device, which acts orthogonally to the warehousing device. If the unit load moves from the placement area in the warehousing direction (continuing to move into the sorting device), a first signal change (rising edge) first appears at the grating. The position of the warehousing device (for example, the position of the warehousing belt) is saved when this signal change occurs. If the unit load leaves the grating, another signal change (falling edge) occurs. The position is also saved at this time. The difference between the two positions is the width of the unit load.

[0061] In order to determine the depth (here referring to the longest side of the unit load), one or two ultrasonic sensors can be used. As in the case of measuring the height, the unit load is moved along the warehousing direction past the ultrasonic sensors arranged laterally with respect to the warehousing direction and values are continuously acquired. One or more extreme values determine the depth of the unit load. If the unit load is abutted against a stop beside the warehousing device, one ultrasonic sensor is sufficient; if two ultrasonic sensors are used, the unit load can be arranged arbitrarily (in a predetermined orientation) in the placement area.

[0062] Once it is detected that the last unit load is arranged in the placement area, in step 200a, the placed unit loads 6 are moved along the warehousing direction by the warehousing devices 20, 30. At the same time and in parallel, in step 200b, a picking procedure is created for the gripper 60 according to the dimensions of the placed unit loads, where the picking procedure includes at least one picking instruction, and each picking instruction covers one or more unit loads.

[0063] As already referred to Figures 4a - 6b As described above, the method according to the invention enables a user to arrange a large number of different unit loads in the placement area and automatically warehouse them. Although the user needs to pay attention to the placement rules when arranging the unit loads in the placement area, with the method according to the invention, due to the determination and use of the picking procedure, it is not necessary to place the unit loads in a specific order with reference to their dimensions. This significantly speeds up the warehousing process because the user can pick up unit loads arbitrarily from a large number of unit loads and arrange them in the placement area.

[0064] In Figure 4a Figure 4a , the take-out instructions included in the take-out procedure indicate that the fixture can take out all the placed finished goods together, that is, it can move them to the placing table by using the jaws. In Figure 4b Figure 4b , the take-out procedure may include four take-out instructions, each instruction covering one finished good; the finished goods are taken out "from right to left" by using the fixture because it is difficult to ensure that when taking out more than one finished good, the "leftmost" finished good may not be carried along when being moved to the placing table. In Figure 6a Figure 6a , the take-out procedure shall include two take-out instructions; the first take-out instruction covers three finished goods on the right, while the second take-out instruction covers the finished good on the left.

[0065] After moving the finished goods to the placing table of the fixture, the finished goods are arranged at the storage positions determined by the control device according to the working steps known to those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. A method for storing multiple unit loads in a sorting device (1), the sorting device comprising: at least one rack row (10) having a plurality of storage locations; a control device (70); a loading device (20, 30) and a clamp (60) for the unit loads, and in this method: a) determining the unique identifier (EI) of the unit load (6) to be stored by means of a reading device (80) connected to the control device (70), b) determining in a database whether the dimensions of the unit load (6) are known by means of the unique identifier, c) arranging the unit loads with known dimensions in the placement areas (21, 31) of the loading device (20, 30) according to a predetermined placement rule, d) repeating steps a)-c) until it is detected that the last unit load has been placed in the placement areas (21, 31), e1) moving the placed unit load (6) in the loading direction by means of the loading device (20, 30), and e2) creating a picking procedure for the clamp (60) according to the dimensions of the placed unit load, wherein the picking procedure comprises at least one picking instruction, and each picking instruction covers one or more unit loads, f1) using the clamp (60) to move and store the quantity of unit loads corresponding to the current picking instruction from the loading device (20, 30), thereby completing the picking instruction, f2) checking whether there are other picking instructions to be completed, and repeating steps f1) and f2) until all the picking instructions of the picking procedure are completed.

2. The method for storing multiple unit loads in a sorting device (1) according to claim 1, It is characterized in that measuring the unit load when the dimensions of the unit load are unknown and storing the dimensions in the database.

3. The method for storing multiple unit loads in a sorting device (1) according to claim 2, It is characterized in that measuring the unit load in the following manner: storing the unit loads arranged in the placement area according to steps e1) to f2), arranging the unit load with unknown dimensions in the placement area, measuring the unit load with unknown dimensions and storing the dimensions in the database.

4. The method for storing multiple unit loads in a sorting device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, It is characterized in that detecting that the last unit load has been placed by the user communicating a corresponding input to the control device.

5. The method for storing multiple unit loads in a sorting device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, It is characterized in that determining that the last unit load has been placed by means of a sensor assigned to the placement surface.

6. The method for storing multiple unit loads in a sorting device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, It is characterized in that After detecting that the last finished piece of goods is placed in the placement area, determine the width of the multiple placed finished pieces of goods and compare the width with the maximum width of the placed finished pieces of goods, and send a signal when there is a deviation exceeding the limit value.

7. The method for storing multiple finished pieces of goods in the sorting device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the unique identifier of the finished piece of goods includes an expiration date. It is characterized in that, Compare the expiration date of the finished piece of goods to be stored with the expiration date of the same finished piece of goods. When the finished piece of goods to be stored has an earlier expiration date, optimize the storage location of the finished piece of goods to be stored and / or adjust the order of outbound shipment so that the finished piece of goods with an earlier expiration date is preferentially shipped out.

8. The method for storing multiple finished pieces of goods in the sorting device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the unique identifier includes a unique serial number. It is characterized in that Verify the unique serial number with the help of a database and stop the method for storage in case of verification error.

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