Device and method for handling moving piece goods as well as conveying, processing and / or packaging system for piece goods

Abstract

Device (20) for handling moving piece goods (26), comprising - at least one manipulator (30) for piece goods (26), - at least one transport device (22) via which the moved piece goods (26) can be transported in a transport direction (TR) to a detection area (31) of the at least one manipulator (30), - wherein at least one detection device (35) for obtaining position data of at least one piece goods (26) moved in the transport direction (TR) is arranged in an inlet area (34) of the detection area (31) of the at least one manipulator (30) and / or immediately in front of it, - wherein the at least one detection device (35) is prepared and equipped for weight measurement within the inlet area (34) or wherein the piece goods (26) are equipped with an electrically conductive material and the at least one detection device (35) is an induction sensor, and - wherein at least the manipulator (30) and / or further conveying components of the device (20) can be calibrated and / or controlled on the basis of the position data.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a device and a method for handling moving piece goods as well as to a conveying, processing and / or packaging system for piece goods according to the features of independent claims 1, 10 and 15, respectively.

[0002] In known processes for packaging and / or palletizing piece goods such as packages, bundles, or the like, these are first conveyed on in-line conveyors and then appropriately shifted, aligned, and / or assembled to create the desired layer patterns, which can then be stacked multiple times on top of one another, for example, on specially prepared pallets. These processing steps can be particularly useful in systems for processing beverage containers. The piece goods in question can be, for example, packages, crates, cartons, bundles, or other clusters. To ensure that the aforementioned pallets are safe for transport, the assembled layer patterns, also referred to as assembled cycles, must meet certain requirements.Traditionally, preparatory measures are necessary to create such cycles, which may involve grouping or collecting the piece goods, which are initially transported regularly or step by step on a so-called allocation belt, on an intermediate conveyor belt in order to transfer them from there, collected and / or grouped, to a layer formation belt or a layer formation table.

[0003] It is known from the prior art to transfer piece goods individually from a distribution belt to a conveyor belt. This means that individual piece goods are transferred from the distribution belt to the conveyor belt. This transfer can take place by transferring each individual piece of goods to the conveyor belt using a speed difference between the distribution belt and the conveyor belt. This control can be provided using optical sensors such as light barriers. It is also conceivable to transfer the piece goods individually from the conveyor belt by conveying them step by step along the layer forming belt. In order to transfer individual piece goods from the conveyor belt to the layer forming belt in this way, the layer forming belt can be moved in synchronized steps with the conveyor belt by exactly one length of one piece of goods in the direction of transport. These cycles or groupings orParts of the grouped piece goods can also be rotated depending on the desired layer formation and then transferred to the layer formation belt.

[0004] The state of the art provides various design variants for the design of grouping tables used to bring together piece goods such as cartons, shrink packs, trays or plastic crates. For example, piece goods can be brought together by arranging them in a two-dimensional formation (block formation, e.g. pallet layer). For this purpose, a roller conveyor can be supplied linearly from one aisle or from several aisles. The piece goods can be rotated in front of or on the roller conveyor as required and mechanically arranged on the roller conveyor using stop points in the required position. The piece goods positioned in this way can then be pushed off the roller conveyor orthogonal to the direction of transport. The infeed, arrangement and pushing off of the piece goods can be viewed as a single cycle.At least one such cycle is required to assemble a layer; however, several such cycles are usually necessary to form a layer. The partially discontinuous conveying process, with its relatively abrupt changes in speed and direction, results in correspondingly high mechanical stresses on the piece goods, which can be detrimental to gentle product processing.

[0005] Document EP 1 465 101 A2 discloses a device for forming rows of packaged goods for bundle palletizers. The bundle palletizer comprises at least one layer-forming station and at least one palletizing station. The row-forming device comprises at least one positioning station, on which the packaged goods are arranged in at least one row with desired spacing during transport. The positioning station is connected to a supply conveyor assigned to the layer-forming station. At least one accumulating conveyor is arranged upstream of the positioning station, wherein the positioning station has several conveyor sections arranged one behind the other in the transport direction and equipped with controllable and adjustable drives. With the controllable and adjustable drives, it is possible to achieve the desired spacing of the packaged goods.The row-forming device has at least one monitoring device for determining and monitoring the spacing of the packaged goods. The design of this known row-forming device is relatively complex and complicated, especially since it requires a large number of belts for spacing and / or rotating the packaged goods.

[0006] US Pat. No. 5,123,231 A discloses a device for assembling articles into groups and subsequently packaging them. On a feed belt, the articles are fed to a collecting belt at a predefined distance, where the groups are assembled from a constant number of articles. The groups are then fed to a packaging device by a subsequent belt. Further prior art is known from DE 10 2010 033 697 A1 and US 2009 / 0 026 119 A1.

[0007] A primary objective of the invention is to enable precise and positionally accurate processing and handling of piece goods that are conveyed or transported in at least one row. The motion control of a manipulator for detecting the piece goods should be precisely synchronized with the position of the delivered piece goods, without requiring extensive computing and / or control effort.

[0008] Furthermore, the process should be able to run at high speed without compromising positioning precision and / or reliability in handling the piece goods. The corresponding device should be able to operate quickly and with minimal computational and / or control effort for controlling the motion of a manipulator, while maintaining high reliability and consistently high positioning precision.

[0009] These objects of the invention are achieved with the subject matter of the independent claims, i.e. with a device for handling moving piece goods, with a method for handling moving piece goods and with a conveying, processing and / or packaging system comprising a device for handling moving piece goods, which comprise the features of independent claims 1, 10 and 15. Features of advantageous developments of the invention emerge from the respective dependent claims.

[0010] The invention relates to a device or handling device and to a method for handling moved piece goods as well as to a conveying, processing and / or packaging system for piece goods comprising a device for handling moved piece goods. Therefore, if in some places in the context of the present description only a method, a method variant, the method according to the invention or the like is mentioned, this generally means the said method for handling moved piece goods. Preferably, this relates to a method for handling piece goods moved in at least one row one behind the other, preferably with piece goods moved in several parallel rows one behind the other. Furthermore, if in some places in the context of the present description only a device, a handling device, a device variant, the device according to the invention or the like is mentioned.is mentioned, this generally refers to the device mentioned for handling moving piece goods, in particular for handling piece goods moved in at least one row one behind the other. If the following description, the descriptive passages relating to the exemplary embodiments, the claims and / or in connection with the entire description and / or drawing disclosure refer to handling of piece goods, this includes handling, detection, positioning, movement in space, rotation, alignment, etc., in particular in connection with a manipulator and / or moving parts of the manipulator which are arranged in a detection space or detection area and can move there within definable limits.However, the term handling equally includes positioning, conveying and / or all types of handling steps that can take place in connection with conveying devices, horizontal conveying devices, conveyor belts, etc. that are part of the device according to the invention and / or are operatively connected thereto and / or in a transport connection, whether these are downstream, upstream or integrated parts of the device according to the invention in the transport and / or conveying direction.

[0011] When reference is made to an unchanged or new orientation of the piece goods after their grasping and / or handling, this refers, in connection with the device and method described here, in particular to the angular orientation, in particular around a vertical axis of rotation, of the piece goods previously grasped and moved and / or shifted and / or rotated by the manipulator. In this context, grasping usually means the physical, positive and / or force-locking and / or clamping gripping of a piece goods item or several piece goods simultaneously, as well as their handling until a target position and / or target orientation is reached.

[0012] According to a preferred embodiment, the moved piece goods can be articles, packages, container assemblies, bundles, cartons, or similar items moved one behind the other in at least one row. For example, it can be provided that a plurality of identical or different articles are combined into a bundle or mixed bundle by means of cardboard packaging, one or more strappings, film packaging, adhesive dots, banderoles, or the like. Furthermore, a plurality of beverage containers, which are held together, for example, by shrink packaging, one or more strapping bands, can each form a piece of goods within the meaning of the present definition. The piece goods moved one behind the other in at least one row can be of the same or different designs depending on the requirements of downstream handling devices.

[0013] The piece goods can be transported in different ways within the at least one row. According to one embodiment of the invention, the piece goods within the row are transported via at least one transport device, spaced apart from one another and separated by gaps, to a detection zone of at least one manipulator of the device according to the invention. Alternatively and / or additionally, groups of piece goods can also be fed to the detection zone of the at least one manipulator, wherein these groups can each comprise several, in particular at least two, at least largely seamlessly adjacent piece goods within the row. The groups can also be of different sizes; moreover, a group of two, three, or four seamlessly adjacent piece goods can be followed by a single piece goods, etc.A further embodiment provides that the piece goods are fed within the row without spacing or with minimal spacing as a continuous or closed formation.

[0014] In this context, a closed formation is understood in particular to mean a row of piece goods transported one behind the other in an endless formation, which has no interruption or only minimal interruptions between the piece goods and can comprise any number of piece goods. In the closed formation, the piece goods can be transported in particular end-to-end. This is caused, for example, by a single dynamic pressure applied from behind. The dynamic pressure is preferably generated in front of or shortly before the detection zone of the at least one manipulator of the handling device. Alternatively, it can be provided that at least a slight dynamic pressure acts permanently on the piece goods from behind.A closed formation is to be distinguished from an interrupted formation, in which groups of a defined number of piece goods are fed one after the other. The groups may contain the same or a different number of piece goods and are separated from each other by gaps. A group may also contain only one piece of piece goods.

[0015] The device for handling moving piece goods comprises at least one transport device for feeding the piece goods in the manner described above to a detection zone of at least one manipulator of the device. The transport device is, for example, a horizontal conveyor, in particular a horizontal conveyor belt or a horizontal conveyor chain, in particular of a revolving design. When belts are mentioned below, this term also includes chains or the like. From the transport device, the piece goods pass onto another, in particular aligned, horizontal conveyor device, on which they are detected and in particular also released by the manipulator of the handling device within the detection zone. The horizontal conveyor device and the manipulator with its detection zone form in particular the grouping module of the handling device.

[0016] According to one embodiment, the at least one transport device and the horizontal conveyor device can be formed by aligned conveyor belts. Alternatively, the terms "transport device" and "horizontal conveyor device" can also be used for successive transport sections of a continuous conveyor belt.

[0017] The detection zone within the meaning of the present invention defines, in particular, a movement space of the at least one manipulator of the device according to the invention. The at least one manipulator is typically and / or preferably designed for clamping and / or positively locking and / or force-locking detection and / or acceptance of at least one piece of goods from the row of consecutively transported piece goods entering the detection zone of the manipulator by means of the at least one transport device. Furthermore, the manipulator is designed for separating and selectively transferring the at least one detected piece of goods into a target position and / or target orientation.

[0018] According to one embodiment, at least two clamping and / or gripping means arranged opposite one another, in particular in pairs, can be assigned to the at least one manipulator. These clamping and / or gripping means cooperate with one another, in particular in pairs, for clamping and / or force-fitting and / or form-fitting gripping, as well as for separating and selectively transferring the respective piece goods to the target positions and / or target orientations. The clamping and / or gripping means of the manipulator are preferably aligned parallel to the transport direction of the incoming piece goods during gripping of the piece goods.

[0019] From the moved piece goods, in particular from the piece goods fed individually, in groups or as a closed formation, at least one transported piece of goods is gripped by the manipulator in a clamping and / or force-fitting and / or form-fitting manner within the gripping range of the at least one manipulator, spatially separated from the following piece goods and brought into a defined relative target position and / or target orientation with respect to the following piece goods. Generally speaking, at least one piece of goods is moved relative to a following piece of goods. This takes place in particular in a continuous process in which the supply of subsequent piece goods is not interrupted but continues continuously. After being brought into their respective defined target position, the piece goods are released by means of the at least two opposing clamping and / or gripping means.The clamping and / or gripping elements, which can be adjusted relative to one another, allow for rapid gripping, moving, positioning, and release of the piece goods at the desired speed and with the desired positioning precision. Other manipulators can also be advantageously used, for example, those designed as multi-axis robots, as parts of such multi-axis robots, as parallel kinematic robots, as delta kinematic robots or so-called tripods, or as manipulators forming part of a delta kinematic robot or parallel kinematic robot.

[0020] It should also be noted that not every piece of goods needs to be detected and moved by the manipulator, as some piece goods already have their final position transverse to the horizontal conveyor and alignment before reaching the detection area.

[0021] In this case, at least position data of at least one piece of goods moved in the transport direction of the piece goods transported to the detection area are recorded by sensors before being recorded by the manipulator and made available to a control and / or evaluation unit as a position value.

[0022] Position data can also be understood as a simple "true" or "false" signal indicating "unit load has reached the sensor position" and "no unit load detectable." Since the position of the sensor is known, such a signal can also be used to determine the position of the unit load at the moment "unit load has reached the sensor" or later in conjunction with the known speed of the horizontal conveyor.

[0023] The necessary sensor technology is provided by at least one weight measurement device located within an inlet area of ​​the detection range of the device's manipulator and / or immediately in front of it. Alternatively, the sensor technology can also be provided by at least one induction sensor, and the transported and manipulated items within the device are equipped with an electrically conductive material.

[0024] The detection device can thus be located in the area of ​​the end of the transport device and / or the horizontal conveyor device.

[0025] The position data can, in particular, include at least the position in the transport direction of the piece goods. It is also possible for the position data to include the position of the piece goods transverse to the transport direction.

[0026] At least the manipulator and / or other conveying components of the device, for example, the transport device via which the piece goods are fed to the detection zone or the horizontal conveyor device assigned to the detection zone, etc., are calibrated and / or controlled based on the determined position data. As soon as deviations in the container dimensions and / or conveying speed, etc., occur, these can be continuously corrected—i.e., for all subsequent cycles or manipulation steps.

[0027] During the seamless feeding of piece goods within a closed formation, small gaps can arise between the piece goods on the transport device due to process reasons. If such gaps accumulate, there is a particular risk that the incoming piece goods will shift in relation to the defined pick-up position of the manipulator, so that the manipulator can no longer correctly grip the at least one piece of goods or the group of piece goods to be picked up, possibly leading to a malfunction of the handling device. Even when feeding individual piece goods and / or groups of piece goods at a defined distance from one another, errors can occur during the preceding process step of gap formation, which result in not all gaps being the correct size.In order to prevent the manipulator from incorrectly detecting at least one piece of goods, the sensor-determined data is used, for example, to repeatedly recalibrate and align the manipulator during the ongoing process.

[0028] According to a preferred embodiment, the at least one detection device for weight measurement is arranged in alignment with the at least one transport device that supplies piece goods. This can be a single sensor, in particular a weight sensor, or an arrangement of several sensors. The weight sensors can be formed, for example, by force sensors and / or by suitable strain gauges, such as strain gauges, and / or by load cells and / or by inductive and / or capacitive sensors.

[0029] If the device comprises at least two feeding, in particular parallel, transport devices and at least two weight sensors arranged in alignment with the transport device, then the horizontal conveyor device, which in particular forms the layer-forming belt of the device, can be divided into several individual conveyor belts in the transport direction of the piece goods in order to be able to better record the weight of the piece goods arriving in at least two parallel rows.

[0030] In particular, each of the individual conveyor belts of the horizontal conveyor system is arranged in alignment with a supply conveyor system. Alternatively, a supply conveyor system and a further conveyor belt of the horizontal conveyor system can be formed by different transport sections of a continuous conveyor belt.

[0031] According to an alternative embodiment, a horizontal conveyor device of a handling device with at least two incoming transport devices can be divided into several individual conveyor belts transversely to the transport direction of the piece goods in order to be able to better record the weight of the incoming piece goods.

[0032] In particular, it can be provided that the weight sensors are assigned to different ones of the transverse conveyor belts.

[0033] The at least one weight sensor can be arranged below the horizontal conveyor device in such a way that the measurement is taken by sliding underneath it, for example, in the case of a conveyor belt, by sliding along its upper run. Alternatively or additionally, the weight sensor can be arranged between a roller on which the upper run of the horizontal conveyor device runs and a frame of the device.

[0034] Alternatively, the at least one weight sensor can be attached, for example suspended, to a frame of the horizontal conveyor or to a frame of a conveyor arranged between an incoming transport device and the horizontal conveyor, and can determine the weight data of the piece goods arriving via the horizontal conveyor or the conveyor. When the container is placed on the frame, the resulting force is transferred to the weight sensor. Based on the increase in weight of a piece of goods moved over the weight sensor or the decrease in weight after a maximum value is exceeded, the exact position of the piece of goods on the horizontal conveyor can be determined and used to calibrate the at least one manipulator.

[0035] If the detection device is an induction sensor, the piece goods, in particular at least one article arranged within the outer packaging and / or the outer packaging, are equipped with an inductive material. For example, the piece goods, the at least one article, and / or the outer packaging are directly printed with a metallic ink. Alternatively, a metallic adhesive strip or a suitable RFID tag could be attached to the piece goods, articles, and / or the outer packaging. One advantage of using an induction sensor is that it can be arranged away from the horizontal conveyor, for example, above the horizontal conveyor or to the side of it.

[0036] According to one embodiment, weight sensors and induction sensors can be used in a multi-lane feed of piece goods. In particular, a weight sensor can be arranged below the horizontal conveyor in alignment with the first transport device to detect the piece goods of this transport device, while an induction sensor is used to detect the piece goods of a second transport device. In this case, it can be provided that only the piece goods fed via the second transport device are equipped with an inductive material.

[0037] According to one embodiment, the device comprises at least three transport devices for feeding piece goods, in particular parallel ones, wherein at least one inner transport device is assigned at least one detection device for weight measurement or an induction sensor. With such an arrangement, the piece goods of the outer transport rows can each advantageously be detected with a movable optical detection device that is spatially and / or functionally assigned to the detection area and / or a movement space of the at least one manipulator. In particular, at least spatial coordinates and / or position and / or outline data of a moving piece goods or even just its current leading edge position or outline position can be detected.At least the manipulator and / or other conveying components of the device, for example the transport device via which the piece goods are fed to the detection area or the horizontal conveyor device assigned to the detection area, etc., are calibrated and / or controlled on the basis of the determined spatial coordinates and / or position and / or outline data.

[0038] With optical sensors positioned alongside the horizontal conveyor, it is often only possible to detect the outermost row of containers. Using a weight or induction sensor, it is possible to process three rows with a middle row.

[0039] A weight sensor can also be used to determine the weight of a piece of goods, thus providing information about the type or quality of the goods. For example, if a container with x items as the target value only contains x minus 1 items, measures can be initiated to correct this problem (e.g., ejecting the container by the manipulator).

[0040] Furthermore, the acquired data can also be used to provide feedback on the position of the movable optical detection device. For example, detecting a spatial coordinate or corresponding position and / or contour data can trigger activation or deactivation of the optical detection device, trigger the optical detection device to be carried along with the transport device and / or horizontal conveyor, or similar. As soon as deviations in the container dimensions and / or conveyor speed or similar occur, these can be continuously corrected—i.e., for all subsequent cycles or manipulation steps—as described in more detail below.

[0041] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the optical detection device can be moved at least temporarily parallel to the horizontal conveyor associated with the detection area. In particular, the optical detection device is designed to be movable approximately parallel to the transport direction of the piece goods on the incoming transport device or the horizontal conveyor.

[0042] The sensor-determined values ​​are used, in particular, to calculate a movement sequence of the manipulator by means of the control and evaluation unit and / or to adapt and / or correct the movement sequence if necessary. The calculated values ​​are preferably used for the selective control, activation, and / or movement of the clamping or gripping means of the manipulator by the control and / or evaluation unit of the handling device.

[0043] By combining different sensors, the position of at least three or more items (rows) can be determined relative to each other, allowing the position of the items, especially the leading items in each row, to be detected on the layer-forming belt or horizontal conveyor. This allows the manipulator's gripper to be controlled in such a way that the items can be picked up with optimal positioning accuracy.

[0044] According to a further embodiment, it can be provided to combine the detection by means of a laterally arranged, movable optical detection device and the detection by means of a weight sensor within a transport track and / or to use the optical detection in addition to the calibration of the at least one weight sensor. Calibration can take place, for example, at the beginning of a production process and, if necessary, be repeated at regular intervals. This can be carried out automatically at defined time intervals or started manually by a system operator. This makes it possible, in particular, to determine further information about the piece goods, for example their size, the type of piece goods, and, if applicable, the size of bundles or containers combined in a bundle.This data can be used to determine, for example, which items are currently being processed and even the type of beverage in the beverage container.

[0045] The device according to the invention and / or the method according to the invention makes it possible, when manipulating piece goods fed in particular in a closed formation, to determine the exact position of the piece goods arranged at the front in a row before they are grasped and manipulated by a manipulator.

[0046] The present invention essentially serves for the continuous and / or cyclical or irregular calibration of a manipulator of a device or handling device according to the invention, as described above. The manipulator can, for example, simultaneously detect two, three, or more incoming piece goods. These piece goods can, for example, comprise 2x3 beverage containers or similar items combined by an outer packaging.

[0047] The position data determined by the at least one detection device can, for example, also be used to continuously recalibrate other machine components of the conveying, processing and / or packaging system, for example conveyor devices upstream or downstream of the device, the palletizing station downstream of the device, etc., in order to ensure trouble-free operation of the system.

[0048] A particular advantage of the device according to the invention, the method according to the invention and the conveying, processing and / or packaging system according to the invention is that the detection device provides good, reliable values ​​to which the movement of the manipulator and / or other conveying and / or system components can be quickly adapted, so that errors can be directly corrected by summing up small, unwanted gaps or incorrectly formed gaps between the incoming piece goods or groups of piece goods.

[0049] The method may alternatively or additionally comprise one or more features and / or properties of the previously described device. Likewise, the device may alternatively or additionally comprise one or more features and / or properties of the described method.

[0050] In the following, exemplary embodiments will explain the invention and its advantages in more detail with reference to the accompanying figures. The relative sizes of the individual elements in the figures do not always correspond to the actual sizes, as some shapes are simplified and others are enlarged relative to other elements for better illustration. Fig. 1 shows a schematic representation of a first embodiment of a packaging system according to the invention. Fig. 2 shows a section of the packaging plant according to Fig. 1. Fig. Figure 3 shows a measurement curve for the weight of a moving container measured by weight sensors over time. Fig. 4 shows a second embodiment of a handling device. Fig. 5 shows a third embodiment of a handling device. Fig. 6 to 9 show different views of an embodiment of a manipulator of a handling device. Fig. 10 shows a first arrangement of weight sensors within a grouping module of a handling device. Fig. 11 shows a second arrangement of a weight sensor within a grouping module of a handling device. Fig. 12 shows a fourth embodiment of a handling device.

[0051] Identical reference numerals are used for identical or equivalently functioning elements of the invention. Furthermore, for the sake of clarity, only those reference numerals are shown in the individual figures that are necessary for the description of the respective figure. The illustrated embodiments merely represent examples of how the device or method according to the invention can be configured and do not represent a definitive limitation.

[0052] The Fig. 1 shows a schematic representation of a first embodiment of a packaging system 1. Preforms 2 are preheated to a suitable temperature by a heating oven 3 and formed into the desired shape, in particular in the form of a beverage container 5, for example a bottle 6 or similar, by a stretch blow molding machine 4. The beverage containers 5 are transported via a suitable conveyor 7 to a filling machine 8. The conveyor 7 can, for example, use suitable grippers to guide the beverage containers 5 further in the transport direction TR by neck handling. The conveyor 7 can be assigned suitable means for cooling the stretch-blown beverage containers 5, in particular means for base cooling.A rinser 9 can also be arranged upstream of the filling machine 8, in which the beverage containers 5 can be rinsed and / or sterilized before filling, for example by rinsing with hydrogen peroxide or another suitable cleaning agent. After filling, the filled beverage container 10 is sealed in a capper 11 with a suitable closure element 12, in particular a screw cap 13, and provided with a label in a labeler.

[0053] The filled, sealed, and labeled beverage containers 15 are fed via further conveying means 16, in particular conveyor belts 17, to a pack forming unit 18, in which a plurality of beverage containers 15 are assembled, wrapped in shrink film, and combined into a pack in a shrink tunnel 19. The packs are fed to a handling device 20 according to the invention. The handling device 20 comprises, in particular, suitable conveying means 21, for example at least one conveyor belt 22, via which the packs are fed in single or multiple rows to a grouping module 40 to form pallet layers or partial layers. The packs can be fed to the grouping module 40 in a closed formation, i.e., in a continuous row.Or, defined distances are created between the bundles, for example by means of a separating belt and a suitable controller 24, and the bundles spaced apart in this way are fed via the at least one conveyor belt 22 to the grouping module 40, where they are prepared for layer formation or intermediate layer formation by at least one manipulator (not shown). The bundles are arranged in defined positions relative to one another, while the bundles continue to be continuously transported by the handling device 20. The bundles pre-grouped or grouped in this way can then be arranged on a pallet or the like by a palletizer 23. In particular, several bundle layers are arranged one above the other on a corresponding pallet.

[0054] The schematic top view of the Fig. 2 shows a portion of a packaging system 1 comprising a shrink tunnel 19. To increase throughput, multiple shrink tunnels 19 operating in parallel can be used if necessary. The containers 26 emerging from the shrink tunnel 19 in four rows, each of which comprises six beverage containers 15 held together by an outer wrapper made of shrink film, are distributed in a distribution module 25 onto four parallel conveyor belts 22 and arranged either at a defined spacing or as a closed, gapless formation. The containers 26 are fed via the four conveyor belts 22 of the handling device 20 to at least one manipulator 30 arranged within the so-called grouping module 40 of the handling device 20.According to the embodiment shown here, the handling device 20 shown comprises four conveyor belts 22 feeding the containers 26, a grouping module 40 with exactly one manipulator 30 and a detection area 31 of the manipulator 30, as well as a horizontal conveyor device 32 with an inlet area 34, which is continuously moved at a constant speed v32 in the transport direction TR.

[0055] On the horizontal conveyor 32, the containers 26 arriving from the conveyor belts 22 at a transport speed v22 are continuously conveyed at a speed v32. The speed v32 preferably corresponds to the transport speed v22. Within the grouping module 40, one container 26 or a group of at least two containers 26 arriving without a gap from the conveyor belts 22 is gripped and moved, rotated, or the like by the manipulator 30, which comprises, for example, a gripper, in order to form a palletizable layer or a pre-grouping for a palletizable layer (not shown), which are then assembled on pallets into large packaging units by the downstream palletizer 23.Regardless of whether the containers 26 are delivered via the conveyor belts 22 in a closed formation or spaced apart from one another or as spaced-apart groups of two or more containers 26 arranged in a row, it is helpful for safe handling by the manipulator 30 to know the exact position of the containers 26 within the grouping module 40 before they are gripped by the manipulator 30 and brought into a new target position relative to the containers 26 that continue to flow continuously into the grouping module 40.

[0056] For this purpose, at least one detection device 33 is assigned to the detection area 31 of the manipulator 30, by means of which position data of at least one container 26 moving in the transport direction TR can be determined. In the illustrated embodiment, four detection devices 33 are arranged in the inlet area 34 of the grouping module 40. In particular, one detection device 33 is arranged in each case in the transport direction TR in alignment with a respective feeding conveyor belt 22. A weight sensor 35, for example, is used as the detection device 33. This weight sensor 35 is arranged in the inlet area 34 below the horizontal conveyor device 32 in such a way that the weight sensor 35 can determine the exact position of the incoming container 26* within the detection area 31 of the manipulator 30 based on the detected weight change in the detection area 36 of the respective weight sensor 35. The position values ​​are transmitted to the controller 24.By comparing the determined target position with a theoretical actual position, errors in the inflow of the containers 26 to the grouping module 40 of the handling device 20 can be determined and the manipulator 30 can be calibrated accordingly by means of the controller 24 or the movement of the manipulator 30 can be corrected accordingly in order to enable a reliable picking up of at least one container 26*.

[0057] The sensor-determined values ​​are used, in particular, to calculate a movement sequence of the manipulator 30 by means of the controller 24 and / or to adapt and / or correct the movement sequence if necessary. The calculated values ​​preferably serve for the selective control, activation, and / or movement of the clamping or gripping means of the manipulator 30 (see Fig. 6 to 9) by the control 24 of the handling device 20.

[0058] The Fig. Figure 3 shows a measurement curve for the weight w (measured in kilograms [kg]) of a moving container 26 measured by a weight sensor 35 over time t (measured in seconds [s]). If the container 26 enters the grouping module 40 (see Fig. 2) and is in a first working position AP1 only partially within the detection range 36 of the weight sensor 35, then the latter only determines partial weight w1. Based on the increase in weight over time, the exact position of the container 26 relative to the weight sensor 35 can be determined. If the container 26 is in a second working position AP2 completely above the weight sensor 35, then the latter determines the target weight w26 of the container 26. Since the target weight w26 of the container 26 is also subject to production fluctuations, the exact position of the container 26 results in particular from the transport speed v32 of the horizontal conveyor device (cf. Fig. 2) and the time t after exceeding the curve maximum, ie, after exceeding a value wMAX.

[0059] The schematic top view of the Fig. 4 shows a second embodiment of a handling device 20. The same reference numerals as in Fig. 2 is used, so that essentially the description can be Fig. 2. Each detection device 33 is formed by a weight sensor arrangement 37, each comprising six weight sensors 38, whereby the position can be detected even more accurately by evaluating the signals of all six weight sensors 38, for example by calculating an average value.

[0060] The schematic top view of the Fig. 5 shows a third embodiment of a handling device 20. The same reference numerals as in Fig. 2 is used, so that essentially the description can be Fig. 2. In this exemplary embodiment, a detection device 33 in the form of a weight sensor 35 is each assigned to the inner feeding conveyor belts 22i within the grouping module 40. In contrast, for the packages 26 fed on the outer conveyor belts 22a, an optical detection device 41 is spatially and / or functionally assigned to the detection area 31 and / or movement space of the at least one manipulator 30, which is designed to be linearly movable, in particular parallel to the transport direction TR. For this purpose, the optical detection device 41 can be arranged, for example, on a carriage on a carriage guide 42 or the like arranged parallel to the transport direction. The optical detection device 41 serves, in particular, to detect spatial coordinates and / or position and / or outline data of a moving package 26 or even just its current front edge position or outline position.

[0061] At least the manipulator 30 and / or further conveying components of the handling device 20, for example the conveyor belts 22 assigned to the optical detection device 41, via which the containers 26 are fed to the detection area 31, or the horizontal conveyor device 32 assigned to the detection area 31, etc., are calibrated and / or controlled on the basis of the determined spatial coordinates and / or position and / or outline data. Furthermore, the determined data can also be used to provide feedback on the position of the movable optical detection device 41. For example, the detection of a spatial coordinate or of corresponding position and / or outline data can trigger activation or deactivation of the optical detection device 41, trigger carrying of the optical detection device 41 with a conveyor belt 22 and / or the horizontal conveyor device 32, or similar.As soon as deviations occur in the container dimensions and / or the conveying speed or similar, these can be continuously corrected - ie for all subsequent cycles or manipulation steps.

[0062] The movement of the optical detection device 41 is preferably not mechanically coupled to the movement of the manipulator 30. In particular, the optical detection device 41 has a separate, independent drive. According to one embodiment, the optical detection device 41 is linearly movable, while the manipulator 30 is movable at least within one plane of movement, preferably within a three-dimensional space. An electronic coupling between the manipulator 30 and the optical detection device 41 is established via the controller 24 in order to calibrate the manipulator 30 based on the determined data and / or to correct its movement profile.

[0063] When a movable optical detection device 41 is mentioned in connection with position detection, this can be, for example, a movable and / or movably arranged light barrier, a movable and / or movably arranged laser edge scanner or another suitable movable and / or movably arranged detection means which is suitable for detecting certain parameters of a container 26 and / or certain parameters of a group of containers 26, in particular spatial coordinates and / or position and / or outline data. When a movable light barrier is used, this preferably has a beam path aligned transversely to the transport direction TR of the containers 26 and approximately horizontally and / or parallel to the support and / or transport plane of the horizontal conveyor device 32. An interruption of the beam path indicates, for example, that a container 26 ora group of containers 26 enters the detection area 31 of the manipulator 30 or into the grouping module 40.

[0064] The light barrier arrangement is preferably designed as a reflective light barrier for detecting light-dark contrasts within a definable distance range from a transmitter / receiver. This is particularly advantageous for multi-lane processing of moving packages 26, in which an optical detection device 41 is provided on either side of the detection area 31 of the at least one manipulator 30. Each of the optical detection devices 41 is set such that it only detects packages 26 from the respectively assigned row. The at least one manipulator 30 picks up packages 26 from one of the two outer rows or one of the inner rows according to a defined pattern in order to arrange and / or align them according to a layer pattern to be formed.

[0065] If, instead of a light barrier, a so-called edge scanner is used, which supplies the controller 24 with spatial coordinates and / or position and / or outline data, even more detailed position data can be recorded, such as a slant and / or other incorrect positioning of one of the containers 26, which can be corrected if necessary during detection by the manipulator 30. For example, such an edge scanner is used to obtain spatial coordinates and / or position and / or outline data for the container 26 located at the front and / or a contour edge pointing forward or backward in the transport direction TR.

[0066] According to a further embodiment, at least one camera with downstream image evaluation is used as the optical detection device 41, from whose data the control and / or evaluation unit obtains spatial coordinates and / or position and / or outline values ​​for a moving container 26, in particular spatial coordinates and / or position and / or outline values ​​for the container 26 located in front in each case and / or its forward- or rearward-facing outline edge.

[0067] The aforementioned optical detection devices 41 or sensor devices are to be understood as examples. In principle, however, other sensor variants can also be used, such as ultrasonic sensors, weight sensors, or inductive sensors, etc. Other suitable sensors can also be advantageously used by a person skilled in the art.

[0068] The Fig. 6 to 9 show different views of an embodiment of a manipulator 30 of a handling device 20 according to Fig. 1, Fig. 2, Fig. 4 or Fig. 5 for carrying out one or more variants of the method according to the invention. In particular, Fig. 6 a side view and Fig. 7 a schematic perspective view; Fig. Figure 8 shows a schematic detailed view of a lower part of the device of Fig. 7, and Fig. 9 shows a schematic cross-sectional view through the device from the embodiment according to Fig. 7 and Fig. 8.

[0069] By way of introduction, it should be noted that the Fig. 7 to 9, the embodiments of the device for carrying out at least some variants of the method according to the invention relate to a delta robot, a so-called tripod or a delta kinematic robot with three similar pivoting arms, which can form part of a handling device or a manipulator 30 for handling, rotating, moving or picking up articles, piece goods or containers or can contain this handling device or this manipulator 30. With regard to a possible embodiment of the delta robot or tripod, its structure, its mode of operation and its movement space, reference is made in particular to the disclosure content of DE 10 2013 106 004 A1, the entire content of which is hereby expressly incorporated by reference. A detailed description of the movement modes, the drives for the three pivoting arms, etc. will therefore be omitted here. In principle, the device 30 according to Fig. 7 to Fig. 9 also have four similar actuating arms.

[0070] In the following, the robot forming the device 71 or containing this device 71, which simultaneously contains, comprises, or can form a part of the handling device or the manipulator, is generally designated by the reference number 72. It should be noted that the robot designated by the reference number 72 can also be referred to as a delta robot 72, a delta kinematic robot 72, a parallel kinematic robot 72, or even a tripod 72 (cf. Fig. 7) may be designated.

[0071] The Fig. Figure 7 shows a schematic perspective view of an embodiment of a device 71 or the delta kinematic robot 72 for carrying out the method according to the invention. The device 71 or the delta kinematic robot 72 is designed, for example, to grip, rotate, and move beverage containers combined into bundles, which are Fig. 7 are not shown. However, the device 71 or the delta kinematic robot 72 can also be used to grip, rotate, and move any article or piece goods.

[0072] As in Fig. 7, the device 71 or the delta kinematic robot 72 has an upper suspension 43. Three actuating arms 45 are rotatably attached to the upper suspension 43 via a respective associated drive 48. The rotating movement of the actuating arms 45 occurs such that their axes of rotation run parallel to one another. Furthermore, the three actuating arms 45 consist of at least two arm sections 47 and 60 that can be pivoted relative to one another, wherein the lower arm sections 47 or lower arms 47 are each formed from two rods oriented parallel to one another. The respective upper arm section 49 or upper arm 49 is connected to its respective associated drive 48 or is flange-mounted to its respective associated drive 48. Furthermore, the three actuating arms 45 can be moved independently of one another. For this purpose, all drives 48 are connected to a control unit which specifies the movement of the actuating arms 45 and controls the drives 48.

[0073] At the lower end of the three actuating arms 45, a manipulator 30 is connected to the three actuating arms 45 in such a way that the manipulator 30 can be moved by a movement of the three actuating arms 45 for handling articles. Fig. A control unit (not shown in Figure 7) therefore specifies the movement of the actuating arms 45 depending on a position intended for the manipulator 30 for gripping and handling articles. All three actuating arms 45 are mechanically coupled to a base 60 of the manipulator 30 via a support ring 57. The mechanical connection or coupling between the support ring 57 and the base 60 of the manipulator 30 is such that it allows a relative rotation of the manipulator 30 with respect to the support ring 57. The support ring 57 can also be referred to as the tool center point of the device 71.

[0074] Approximately in the middle, the manipulator 30 is flanged to a linear guide 56 in a rotationally fixed manner, wherein the linear guide 56 is designed as a first shaft 54 ​​and thus the manipulator 30 can be rotated via the first shaft 54.

[0075] Furthermore, an actuating device 52 designed as a second shaft 58 is provided, by means of which clamping jaws 62 and 64 can be controlled for closing and opening. The axes of rotation of the first shaft 54 ​​and of the actuating device 52 designed as a second shaft 58 are identical. The first shaft 54 ​​and the second shaft 58 are oriented and arranged coaxially to one another. Since the manipulator 30 or the opposing clamping jaws 62 and 64 of the manipulator 30 can be controlled via the actuating device 52 designed as a second shaft 58, no pneumatic, hydraulic, or electrical line connections are necessary that are connected to the manipulator 30 for controlling the manipulator 30 or the clamping jaws 62 and 64.

[0076] Advantageously, this allows the manipulator 30, together with its clamping jaws 62 and 64, to be rotated by an angle of more than 360° via the first shaft 54, since no cable connections impede a complete rotation. This significantly improves the throughput when handling articles compared to prior art devices, since the manipulator 30 does not need to be rotated back to return it to its original orientation.

[0077] As just mentioned, the Fig. In the embodiment shown in Figure 7, the two clamping jaws 62 and 64 are adjusted relative to one another or moved towards one another and away from one another by rotating the actuating device 52 designed as a second shaft 58. The respective movement of the clamping jaws 62 and 64 when controlled via the actuating device 52 designed as a second shaft 58 is illustrated here by means of an arrow. Both clamping jaws 62 and 64 are suspended from the base 60 of the manipulator 30 and are attached in a linearly movable manner. The clamping jaws 62 and 64 are controlled via gear ratios connected to the second shaft 58, which are Fig. 7 cannot be seen and transmit a torque of the second shaft 58 to an adjusting movement of the clamping jaws 62 and 64.

[0078] The linear guide 56 or the first shaft 54 ​​comprises two housing parts 44 and 46, which are telescopically connected to one another and each provide a cavity for receiving the actuating device 52, designed as a second shaft 58. The actuating device 52, designed as a second shaft 58, is coupled to the manipulator 30 and to an actuator 70 via a cardanic joint.

[0079] The actuator 70 is mounted on the upper suspension 43 in a rotationally fixed manner. The actuator 70 can rotate the actuating member 52, designed as a second shaft 58, thereby moving the clamping jaws 62 and 64 of the manipulator 30 to grip or release articles.

[0080] According to the method according to the invention, the second shaft 58, which serves to close and open the clamping jaws 62 and 64 of the manipulator 30 or the gripper, must perform a compensating movement when the gripper or manipulator 30 rotates by actuating the first shaft 54. This compensating movement occurs as a relative movement to the first shaft 54 ​​in the same direction, in the opposite direction, or synchronously. The direction of the compensating movement must depend on the desired function. For example, if the clamping jaws 62 and 64 are closed by a counterclockwise rotation of the second shaft 58 and the manipulator 30 or the gripper is simultaneously rotated counterclockwise by rotating the first shaft 54, the second shaft 58 must also perform a counterclockwise rotation when the manipulator 30 rotates in order to prevent the clamping jaws 62 and 64 from opening. A clockwise rotation can be implemented analogously.The required directions of rotation of the shafts 54 and 58 depend on the technical design of the conversion of the rotary movement of the second shaft 58 into a linear movement of the clamping jaws 62 and 64.

[0081] The schematic detailed view of the Fig. Figure 8 illustrates a lower part of the device 71 or the delta kinematic robot 72 from Fig. 7 and shows in particular again in detail an embodiment of the manipulator 30 as it can be provided and used for the method according to the invention and in particular for carrying out the method according to the invention.

[0082] The clamping jaws 62 and 64 have a plurality of flexible contact elements 59 for gripping articles on their side facing the respective opposite clamping jaw 62 or 64. The flexible contact elements 59 are brought into contact with the respective articles under the influence of force during an advancing movement of the clamping jaws 62 and 64 and fix the respective articles essentially immovably to the manipulator 30.

[0083] The Fig. 8 shows again in detail the lower arm sections 47 of the actuating arms 45 (cf. Fig. 7), each of which is designed as a rod-like structure and is connected at its lower end to the support ring 57 (or the so-called tool center point) in an articulated manner. As previously mentioned, the manipulator 30 can be rotated relative to the support ring 57 via the first or outer shaft 54.

[0084] The schematic cross-sectional representation of the Fig. 9 shows further details of the device 71 or the delta kinematic robot 72 from the embodiment according to Fig. 7 and Fig. 8 recognize. In Fig. 9, the actuating member 52, designed as a second shaft 58, and the linear guide 56, designed as a first shaft 54, can be seen again. The second shaft 58 and the first shaft 54 ​​have a concentric orientation and an identical axis of rotation, ie, they are arranged coaxially to one another. Rotation of the manipulator 30 can be effected by the linear guide 56, designed as a first shaft 54, wherein the axis of rotation in Fig. 9 is oriented vertically or in the direction of the image plane.

[0085] As already mentioned, for rotary movements of the manipulator 30 induced by rotations of the outer first shaft 54, equal or opposite compensating movements of the inner second shaft 58 are required in order to avoid undesired actuation of the clamping jaws 62 and 64, i.e. their opening or further closing. The extent of this compensating movement depends on the one hand on the kinematic connection of the actuators actuated by the second shaft 58, for example on the gear ratio of these actuators. Depending on the gear ratio, different angles of rotation of the compensating movement may be necessary. In addition, the compensating movement depends on the direction of rotation of the first shaft 54, which requires equal or opposite compensating movement of the second shaft 58 as required if the clamping jaws 62 and 64 are to remain closed or open as usual when the manipulator 30 rotates.

[0086] It should also be mentioned that the operative connections of the respective shafts 54 and 58 with the manipulator 30 or for the compensating and / or adjusting movements for the clamping jaws 62 and 64 can also be interchanged, provided that the corresponding mechanical requirements for this are met in the coupling areas within the support ring 57. Thus, the outer first shaft 54 ​​can optionally also actuate the clamping jaws 62 and 64, i.e. open and close them, while the inner further shaft 58 can also be responsible for or be used for the rotary movements of the manipulator 30 or the rotatable section of the device 71 or the delta kinematics robot 72.

[0087] The schematic side view of the Fig. 10 shows a first arrangement of weight sensors 35 within a grouping module 40 in the detection area 31 of the manipulator 30. Here, the weight sensors 35 are arranged in the inlet area 34 of the horizontal conveyor 32 below the same or its upper run, so that the latter is guided in a sliding manner over the weight sensors 35. For this purpose, it can be advantageous if the horizontal conveyor 32 is stabilized by supports 27 and / or sliding guides 28 and does not rest directly on the weight sensors 35. A frame (not shown) supports the sensors 35 with an arm extending laterally (into the image plane) between the upper and lower runs of the horizontal conveyor. The transport direction is to the left.

[0088] Not shown is an alternative arrangement in which rollers are arranged between the weight sensors 35 and the horizontal conveyor 32, on which an upper run of the horizontal conveyor 32 runs. In this case, the weight sensors 35 measure or record the weights of the rollers, a portion (depending on the support) of the horizontal conveyor 32, and the piece goods.

[0089] The schematic side view of the Fig. 11 shows a second arrangement in which the weight sensor 35 is suspended from a support frame 75. The support frame 75 is arranged on the horizontal conveyor 32 or on a conveyor arranged between the incoming conveyor belt 22 and the horizontal conveyor 32 within the inlet area 34 of the grouping module 40 in the detection area 31 of the manipulator 30. In particular, the weight sensor 35 can determine the weight of a container (not shown) located on the conveyor 76 and transmit it to the controller (not shown). Alternatively, the support frame 75 is designed in two parts, with the lower part of the support frame (the box below the sensor 35, not provided with a reference number) standing on the floor.In this case, the sensor 35 can be, for example, a digital scale or a load cell that measures the weight of the support frame, the conveyor in the inlet area 34 and the piece goods and transmits the measured information to a control system.

[0090] An advantage is that the sensors can be housed in or on an existing base frame structure of the horizontal conveyor 32, effectively protecting them against mechanical damage or destruction. Furthermore, no complex brackets are required to mount the sensors. The sensors used are also resistant to contamination. Furthermore, the force transducers used are maintenance- and wear-free, generally independent of external influences and independent of product-specific characteristics.

[0091] The schematic top view of the Fig. 12 shows a fourth embodiment of a handling device 20, which essentially corresponds to the first embodiment according to Fig. 2, to the description of which reference is hereby made. Here, the horizontal conveyor device 32, which in particular functions as a layer-forming belt, is divided into several individual conveyor belts 32a, 32b, 32c, 32d in the transport direction TR, whereby the weight w26 of the bundles 26 flowing in parallel rows via the conveyor belts 22 can be more easily determined and assigned.

[0092] According to a further alternative, not shown, the layer forming belt forming the horizontal conveyor device 32 can be divided into several individual belts transversely to the transport direction TR in order to enable more precise weight measurement and allocation to the containers.

[0093] The embodiments, examples, and variants of the preceding paragraphs, the claims or the following description and figures, including their various views or respective individual features, may be used independently of one another or in any combination. Features described in connection with one embodiment are applicable to all embodiments, unless the features are incompatible.

[0094] The invention has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment. However, it is conceivable for a person skilled in the art that modifications or variations of the invention can be made without departing from the scope of the following claims. It is possible to use some of the components or features of one of the examples in combination with features or components of another example. List of reference symbols 1 packaging plant 2 preform 3 heaters 4 stretch blow molding machine 5 beverage containers 6 bottles 7 funding 8 filling machine 9 rinsers 10 filled beverage containers 11 cappers 12 locking element 13 twist lock 14 labelers 15 filled, sealed and labeled beverage containers 16 funding 17 Conveyor belt 18 Container forming unit 19 shrink tunnels 20 Handling device 21 funding 22 Conveyor belt 22a outer conveyor belt 22i inner conveyor belt 23 palletizers 24 Control 25 distribution module 26 containers 27 Support 28 sliding guide 30 Manipulator / Device 31 Detection range 32 Horizontal conveyor system 32a, 32b, 32c, 32d conveyor belt 33 Recording device 34 Inlet area 35 Weight sensor 36 Detection range 37 Weight sensor arrangement 38 Weight sensor 40 Grouping module 41 optical detection device 42 Slide guide 43 Suspension 44 Housing part 45 Actuating arm 46 Housing part 47 Arm section, forearm 48 Drive 49 Arm section, upper arm 52 Actuating device 54 first wave 56 Linear guide 57 Support ring 58 second wave 59 Contact element 60 Base 62 clamping jaw 64 clamping jaw 70 Actuator 71 Device 72 robots, delta robots 75 supporting frames 76 Carrier AP1, AP2, AP3 working position kg kilograms s second t time TR transport direction v22 transport speed v32 speed w1, w2 partial weight w26 Target weight of a container wMAX curve maximum

Claims

[1] Device (20) for handling moving piece goods (26), comprising - at least one manipulator (30) for piece goods (26), - at least one transport device (22) via which the moved piece goods (26) can be transported in a transport direction (TR) to a detection area (31) of the at least one manipulator (30), - wherein at least one detection device (35) for obtaining position data of at least one piece goods (26) moved in the transport direction (TR) is arranged in an inlet area (34) of the detection area (31) of the at least one manipulator (30) and / or immediately in front of it, - wherein the at least one detection device (35) is prepared and equipped for weight measurement within the inlet area (34) or wherein the piece goods (26) are equipped with an electrically conductive material and the at least one detection device (35) is an induction sensor, and - wherein at least the manipulator (30) and / or further conveying components of the device (20) can be calibrated and / or controlled on the basis of the position data. [2] Device (20) according to claim 1, wherein the at least one detection device (35) for weight measurement is arranged in alignment with the at least one transport device (22). [3] Device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the at least one detection device (35) for weight measurement comprises a suitable sensor or an arrangement of several suitable sensors. [4] Device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one detection device (35) for weight measurement comprises at least one force sensor and / or a strain gauge and / or a load cell. [5] Device according to claim 1, wherein a piece good (26) comprises a plurality of articles (15) wrapped in an outer packaging, wherein the outer packaging and / or the articles (15) are provided with an inductive material, in particular with a direct print with a metallic ink and / or a metallic adhesive strip and / or an RFID tag. [6] Device according to one of the preceding claims, which comprises at least three transport devices (22) feeding piece goods (26), wherein at least one inner transport device (22i) is assigned at least one detection device (35) for weight measurement or an induction sensor. [7] Device according to claim 6, in which at least one outer transport device (22a) is assigned at least one movable optical detection device (41) assigned to the detection area (31) and / or a movement space of the at least one manipulator (30), which is prepared and equipped to obtain spatial coordinates and / or position and / or outline data of at least one piece goods (26) of the outer transport device (22a) moved in the transport direction (TR), wherein at least the manipulator (30) and / or further conveyor components of the device (20) can be calibrated and / or controlled on the basis of the spatial coordinates and / or position and / or outline data. [8] Device according to claim 7, wherein the optical detection device (41) is designed to be movable at least temporarily parallel to the horizontal conveyor device (32) assigned to the detection area (31) of the at least one manipulator (30). [9] Device according to one of the preceding claims, in which the horizontal conveyor device (32) is divided into a plurality of parallel conveyor belts (32a, 32b, 32c, 32d) in the transport direction (TR), in particular wherein a number of the conveyor belts (32a, 32b, 32c, 32d) corresponds to a number of feeding transport devices (22) and / or wherein the horizontal conveyor device (32) is divided into a plurality of parallel conveyor belts transversely to the transport direction (TR). [10] Method for handling moving piece goods (26), wherein the piece goods (26) are transported to a detection area (31) of at least one manipulator (30); - wherein in the detection area (31) at least one transported piece goods (26) is detected by the at least one manipulator (30), is spatially separated from subsequent piece goods (26) or is moved relative to them and is brought into a defined relative target position and / or target orientation with respect to the respective subsequent piece goods (26), - wherein at least position data of one of the piece goods (26) moved in the transport direction (TR) to the detection area (31) is detected by sensors via at least one detection device (35) for weight measurement assigned to an inlet area (34) of the detection area (31) or an induction sensor and is made available to a control and / or evaluation unit (24) as a position value, and - wherein at least the manipulator (30) and / or further associated conveyor components are calibrated and / or controlled on the basis of the position data. [11] Method according to claim 10, wherein the piece goods (26) are fed to the detection area (31) of the manipulator (30) in at least three parallel rows. [12] Method according to claim 11, wherein at least one position value of a piece of goods (26) in an inner feeding row is detected by a detection device (35) according to claim 1 or one of claims 2 to 9. [13] Method according to claim 11 or 12, in which at least one position value of a piece of goods (26) in an outer feeding row is detected by sensors via at least one optical detection device (41) which is spatially and / or functionally assigned to the detection area (31) and is designed to be movable. [14] Method according to claim 13, wherein the optical detection device (41) is moved at least temporarily parallel to a horizontal conveyor device (32) assigned to the detection area (31), in particular wherein the optical detection device (41) is moved at least temporarily approximately synchronously with a support and / or transport plane of a horizontal conveyor device (32) assigned to the detection area (31). [15] Conveying, processing and / or packaging system for piece goods (26) with a device (20) for handling moving piece goods (26) according to one of claims 1 to 9, - wherein conveyor lines and / or manipulation stations for arranging the piece goods (26) in configurations that can be processed by the device (20) are arranged upstream of the device (20) and at least one palletizing station (23) is arranged downstream of the device (20) for arranging the piece goods (26) grouped and / or arranged in layered arrangements

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