Device and method for handling piece goods moved in at least two parallel rows

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a device for handling piece goods moved in at least two parallel rows, having the features of independent claim 1. Furthermore, the invention relates to a method for handling piece goods moved in at least two parallel rows, having the features of independent method claim 8.

[0002] In known processes for packaging and / or palletizing piece goods such as packages, containers, etc., these are first transported on linear 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, e.g., on specially prepared pallets. These treatment steps can be particularly useful in systems for treating beverage containers. The piece goods in question can be, for example, packages, crates, cartons, containers, or other clusters or combinations of piece goods or articles. In order for the aforementioned pallets to be 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 layering belt or a layering table.

[0003] It is known from the prior art to transfer piece goods individually from a distribution belt to a conveyor belt, which means that individual piece goods are transferred to the conveyor belt on the distribution belt. This transfer can take place by transferring each individual piece of goods individually to the conveyor belt due to a speed difference between the distribution belt and the conveyor belt, whereby a control system 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 means of step-by-step conveying of 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 combine piece goods such as cartons, shrink packs, trays or plastic crates. For example, piece goods can be combined by forming a two-dimensional block (e.g. pallet layer). For this purpose, a roller conveyor can be supplied linearly from one or more 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, 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] EP 1 456 101 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 having controllable and adjustable drives. With the controllable and adjustable drives, it is possible to achieve a 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 construction of this known row-forming device is relatively complex and complicated, especially since it requires a large number of belts that are needed to create spacing and / or rotate the packaged goods.

[0006] Suitable manipulators or robots assigned to the layer formation belts can, for example, be designed as multi-axis robots, as are known, for example, from DE 10 2009 026 220 A1 in connection with the grouping of articles or beverage containers. A frequently used variant of such manipulators are so-called gantry robots, which are often used in a modular design in packaging lines, in grouping units or in palletizing stations. The means of transport or conveying element is often a conveyor belt running horizontally in the longitudinal direction of the conveying plane or another continuously circulating medium on which the articles and / or packaging are arranged in predetermined positions or in randomly assumed positions. Such a module is known, for example, from DE 10 2009 043 970 A1. The gantry robots typically used in such modules can, for example,be equipped with gripping devices for lateral gripping of the piece goods to be handled and manipulated, as known from DE 10 2010 020 847 A1.

[0007] WO 2014 / 110349 A1 discloses optical monitoring devices that are used to control a handling robot for detecting and positioning piece goods in connection with their transport, positioning, and / or stacking. However, this requires continuous control based on the optical detection of the piece goods, which requires a high level of computing and control complexity.

[0008] DE 602 00 953 T2 discloses a method and system for the automatic and continuous production of layers of sales units prior to palletizing. The layers are formed using robots, whose exact positioning is specified by incremental encoders assigned to the conveyor systems for the sales units. However, with such couplings using incremental encoders, there is a risk that inaccurate positioning of piece goods can result in deviations in the allocation. Furthermore, incorrect positioning of piece goods can accumulate, so that additional measures for precise movement control of the robots may be necessary.

[0009] The primary goal of all these known handling systems is to precisely position piece goods, packages, bundles, and / or articles for the most trouble-free and reliable layering, palletizing, and / or packaging preparation possible. A secondary goal, which is becoming increasingly important, is to reduce cycle times without compromising the level of precision and / or reliability already achieved.

[0010] In view of the known state of the art, the primary objective of the present invention can be considered to enable precise, positionally accurate, and particularly rapid processing and handling of piece goods that are conveyed or transported in at least two rows. The motion control of a manipulator for detecting the piece goods should be precisely coordinated with the position of the delivered piece goods, without requiring significant computing and / or control effort. Alternatively and / or additionally, the position of the delivered piece goods should be adjusted to ensure precise, positionally accurate processing and handling of piece goods.

[0011] Furthermore, the process should be able to run at high speed without compromising positioning precision and / or reliability of the handling of the piece goods. The corresponding device should be able to operate quickly and with minimal computational and / or control effort for the motion control of a manipulator, while maintaining high reliability and consistently high positioning precision.

[0012] These objects of the invention are achieved by the subject matter of the independent claims, i.e., by a device for handling piece goods moved in at least two parallel rows and by a method for handling piece goods moved in at least two parallel rows, which comprise the features of the independent claims. Features of advantageous developments of the invention are set out in the respective dependent claims.

[0013] Furthermore, the published patent applications WO 2018 / 108326 A1, WO 2018 / 015029 A1, DE 10 2017 205 001 A1, DE 10 2017 206 995 A1, US 2009 / 218193 A1, and DE 10 2013 204 095 A1 each describe a device and a method for handling moving piece goods, in which the spatial coordination of the piece goods is detected by sensors. In particular, WO 2018 / 108326 discloses a device for handling piece goods moved in at least two parallel rows according to the preamble of claim 1 and a method for handling piece goods moved in at least two parallel rows according to the preamble of claim 8.

[0014] The invention relates to a device and a method for handling piece goods moved in at least two parallel rows. The piece goods are transported via at least two transport devices in a transport direction to a detection area of ​​at least one manipulator. At least one movable optical detection device for obtaining spatial coordinates and / or position and / or outline data of at least one piece good moved in the transport direction of the at least two transport devices is assigned to the detection area and / or movement space of the at least one manipulator. At least the manipulator and / or other conveyor components of the device can be calibrated and / or controlled based on the spatial coordinates and / or position and / or outline data.

[0015] It is provided that the at least one optical detection device is designed to be movable at least temporarily parallel to a horizontal conveyor device assigned to the detection area.

[0016] An optical detection device is provided for each transport device,

[0017] At least two optical detection devices are arranged in the region of a long side of the horizontal conveyor device so as to be movable parallel to the transport direction in or against the transport direction. The at least two optical detection devices are arranged at different heights above a conveying surface or conveying plane for the piece goods formed by the horizontal conveyor device. The at least two optical detection devices comprise a common drive and a common movement area in the region of a long side of the horizontal conveyor device. If, in the context of the present description, only a method, a method variant, the method according to the invention or the like is mentioned at some points, this generally means the aforementioned method for handling moving piece goods. This preferably relates to a method for handling piece goods moved in at least two rows one behind the other.If, in the context of the present description, reference is made at some points only to a device, a handling device, a device variant, the device according to the invention or the like, this generally means the said device for handling moved piece goods, in particular for handling piece goods moved in at least two rows one behind the other. If, in the following description, in the descriptive passages relating to the exemplary embodiments, in the claims and / or in connection with the entire description and / or drawing disclosure, reference is made to handling 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 located in a detection space orare arranged in the 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 and / or in a transport connection with it, whether these are downstream, upstream or integrated parts of the device according to the invention in the transport and / or conveying direction.

[0018] 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 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, form-fitting and / or force-fitting and / or clamping gripping of a piece goods or several piece goods simultaneously, as well as their handling until a target position and / or target orientation is reached.

[0019] According to a preferred embodiment, the moved piece goods can be articles, packages, container assemblies, bundles, cartons, or similar items moved in at least two rows one behind the other. 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, 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 goods item within the meaning of the present definition. The piece goods moved in two rows one behind the other can be of the same or different designs depending on the requirements of downstream handling devices.

[0020] The piece goods can be transported in different ways within the at least two rows. According to one embodiment of the invention, the piece goods within the rows are each transported via a corresponding transport device, spaced apart from one another and separated by gaps, to a detection area of ​​at least one manipulator of the device according to the invention. Preferably, groups of piece goods can also be fed to the detection area 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 at least two rows. 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 at least two rows without spacing or with minimal spacing as a continuous or closed formation.

[0021] In this context, a closed formation is understood to mean, in particular, a row of piece goods transported one behind the other in the form of 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 one-time dynamic pressure applied from behind. The dynamic pressure is preferably generated in front of or shortly before the detection area 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.The closed formation must be distinguished from an interrupted formation, in which groups each with a defined number of piece goods are fed one after the other, whereby the groups each comprise the same number of piece goods or a different number of piece goods and are separated from each other by gaps.

[0022] The at least two transport devices of the device can, for example, each be formed by a horizontal conveyor, in particular a horizontal conveyor belt. From the transport device, the piece goods pass onto a downstream horizontal conveyor device. The horizontal conveyor device and the manipulator with its detection area form, in particular, the grouping module of the device. The horizontal conveyor device is formed, in particular, by a plurality of grouping belts, the number of which corresponds, in particular, to the number of incoming transport devices, with each grouping belt of the horizontal conveyor device adjoining a transport device in alignment in the transport direction.The grouping belts together form a horizontal conveyor surface on which incoming piece goods are detected by the at least one manipulator of the device within the detection area, moved to a target position and / or target orientation, and, in particular, released. It can be provided that the grouping belts can each be controlled individually. However, it is preferably provided that the grouping belts move synchronously.

[0023] The detection range 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 positive-locking and / or force-locking detection and / or acceptance of at least one piece of goods from at least one of the at least two rows of consecutively transported piece goods entering the detection range of the manipulator by means of the at least two transport devices. 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.

[0024] 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, which 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 into 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.

[0025] From the moved piece goods of at least one of the at least two rows, in particular from the piece goods fed individually, in groups or as a closed formation, at least one transported piece 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 in the respective row and brought into a defined relative target position and / or target orientation with respect to the following piece 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 grasping, 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.

[0026] In this case, at least spatial coordinates and / or position and / or outline data of at least one piece of goods moved in the transport direction of the piece of goods transported to the detection area are detected by sensors before detection by the manipulator and made available to a control and / or evaluation unit as a position value.

[0027] The sensor technology required for this purpose is provided by at least two optical detection devices that are spatially and / or functionally assigned to the detection area and / or a movement space of the at least one manipulator and are preferably designed to be movable. These devices serve to detect the above-mentioned data, i.e., in particular, at least the spatial coordinates and / or position and / or outline data of a moving piece of goods or even just their current leading edge position or outline position of the at least two rows.

[0028] At least the manipulator and / or other conveying components of the device, for example the respective transport device via which the piece goods of the respective row are fed to the detection area or the respective grouping belt of the horizontal conveyor device of the respective row 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. Furthermore, the determined data can also be used in feedback of the position of the movable optical detection device. According to the invention, the detection of a spatial coordinate or of corresponding position and / or outline data triggers an activation or deactivation of the optical detection device, a carrying of the optical detection device with the transport device and / or horizontal conveyor device, or similar. As soon as deviations in the container dimensions and / or the conveying speed, etc.This can be corrected continuously - ie for all subsequent cycles or manipulation steps - as described in more detail below.

[0029] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the at least two optical detection devices can be moved at least temporarily parallel to the at least two grouping belts associated with the detection area and forming the horizontal conveyor. In particular, the at least two optical detection devices are designed to be movable approximately parallel to the transport direction of the piece goods on the incoming transport devices or the horizontal conveyor. The at least two movable optical detection devices are movable, in particular, in a movement area parallel to the transport direction of the piece goods or the groups of at least two grouped piece goods on or parallel to the horizontal conveyor of the grouping module arranged in the detection area of ​​the manipulator.The movement range of the optical detection devices is limited by a starting point and an end point, thus defining the detection range of the respective optical detection device. To enable the movement of the optical detection devices in or against the transport direction, they are arranged, for example, on a carriage or sliding carriage that can be moved along a rail, a toothed belt drive, or similar. The rail is arranged parallel to the piece goods arranged one behind the other in a row, next to or above the horizontal conveyor. In particular, the optical detection devices can be moved between the starting point and the end point within the movement range.

[0030] According to one embodiment, the movement range or detection range of the optical detection device covers a length of the entire detection range of the manipulator parallel to the transport direction. In particular, the optical detection device can be moved parallel to the entire length of the horizontal conveyor of the grouping module. According to another embodiment, the movement range or detection range of the optical detection device covers only a partial area of ​​the horizontal conveyor of the grouping module bordering the transport device in the transport direction, while a further alternative embodiment is also disclosed in which the optical detection device has a movement range that extends beyond the horizontal conveyor of the grouping module. The movement of the optical detection device is preferably not mechanically coupled to the movement of the manipulator.In particular, the optical detection device has a separate, independent drive. According to one embodiment, the optical detection device is linearly movable, while the manipulator is movable at least within one plane of movement, preferably within a three-dimensional space. As described in more detail below, an electronic coupling between the manipulator and the optical detection device can be provided via the control and / or evaluation unit.

[0031] According to the invention, an optical detection device is provided for each feeding transport device or for each row of fed piece goods. At least two detection devices are arranged in the region of a longitudinal side of the horizontal conveyor device, movable parallel to the transport direction. If piece goods are fed to the grouping module, for example, in two rows via two parallel transport devices, then two optical detection devices are also provided. In particular, a first optical detection device is assigned to a first transport device and a second optical detection device to a second transport device. Both optical detection devices are arranged on one of the longitudinal sides of the horizontal conveyor device, parallel to the transport direction.In particular, the distance of the first detection device to the associated first row is thus smaller than a distance of the second detection device to the associated second row.

[0032] Since a common drive is assigned to the at least two optical detection devices arranged in the region of a longitudinal side of the horizontal conveyor device, the at least two optical detection devices are designed to be movable together within a common movement range on a longitudinal side of the horizontal conveyor device.

[0033] According to an embodiment not according to the invention, each of the at least two optical detection devices arranged in the region of a longitudinal side of the horizontal conveyor device has its own drive, so that the at least two optical detection devices each have their own range of movement in the region of the longitudinal side of the horizontal conveyor device and can be moved independently of one another in the region of the longitudinal side of the horizontal conveyor device parallel to the transport direction in or against the transport direction.

[0034] In a device with two transport devices, for example, it is provided that both optical detection devices are arranged on one side of the horizontal conveyor device so that they can move parallel to the transport direction. The at least two optical detection devices each have different detection areas, in particular a first optical detection device covers a first detection area in the detection area of ​​the at least one manipulator of the device in alignment with a first of the at least two transport devices, and a second optical detection device covers a second detection area in the detection area of ​​the at least one manipulator of the device in alignment with a second of the at least two transport devices. The different detection areas arise due to the different arrangement and / or orientation of the optical detection devices, in particular sensors or similar.For example, the at least two optical detection devices are arranged at different heights above the conveying surface or conveying plane for the piece goods formed by the horizontal conveyor. Additionally, the optical detection devices can be arranged such that they each have a different detection angle and thus cover a different detection range on the horizontal conveyor.

[0035] The following describes, as an example, a method at the start of production, in which the at least one optical detection device detects the position of the incoming piece goods in at least two rows. The acquired data is used, for example, to align the rows or to synchronize the movement sequence of the at least one manipulator with the incoming piece goods.

[0036] A method according to the invention for handling piece goods moved in at least two parallel rows comprises the following steps. In the detection area, at least one transported piece of goods from the at least two parallel rows is detected by the at least one manipulator, spatially separated from subsequent piece goods in the respective row, and brought into a defined relative target position and / or target orientation with respect to the subsequent piece goods in the respective row. At least spatial coordinates and / or a position of one of the piece goods in at least one row moved in the transport direction towards the detection area are detected by sensors via at least one movable optical detection device that is spatially and / or functionally assigned to the detection area and is made available to a control and / or evaluation unit as a position value. At least the manipulator and / or other associated conveyor components are calibrated and / or controlled on the basis of the spatial coordinates and / or position and / or outline data.The optical detection device is moved at least temporarily parallel to a horizontal conveyor assigned to the detection area. One optical detection device is provided for each transport device, in particular one optical detection device is assigned to each row, with at least two optical detection devices being movable in the region of a long side of the horizontal conveyor parallel to the transport direction in or against the transport direction. The at least two optical detection devices are arranged at different heights above a conveying surface or conveying plane for the piece goods formed by the horizontal conveyor and can be moved together via a single drive within a movement area parallel to a horizontal conveyor assigned to the detection area.

[0037] When the device is started, the at least one optical detection device detects, for example, the leading edge of the piece of goods arriving first within a respective assigned row. As soon as the optical detection device has detected the leading edge or another suitable positioning signal of the leading piece of goods in the assigned row, it can be provided that the optical detection device moves along with the piece of goods, i.e. that the optical detection device moves in the transport direction at the same speed as the piece of goods. After the at least one manipulator has now detected at least one piece of goods or a cycle comprising several piece of goods in the row and separated it from the row, the optical detection device is moved against the transport direction until it detects the leading edge or another suitable positioning signal of the new piece of goods arranged first in the row, etc.The position data determined in this way are passed on to a control and / or evaluation unit and, if necessary, used to correct the movement sequence of the manipulator and / or to control the transport device and / or the grouping belt on which the piece goods of the respective row move.

[0038] Due to the motion-related coupling of the two optical detection devices, it can be advantageous to switch them on alternately in order to obtain a clean signal separation and correct position data for the foremost piece goods in at least two rows.

[0039] Furthermore, a device not according to the invention is described, which device comprises precisely one manipulator, at least two transport devices for piece goods, and an optical detection device, wherein the optical detection device is additionally designed to be movable in the vertical direction and can be arranged at at least two different height levels above a conveying surface formed by the horizontal conveyor device. In particular, the optical detection device can be arranged at a number of different height levels that corresponds to the number of feeding transport devices. The optical detection device arranged at at least two different height levels covers at least two different detection areas within the detection range of the device.

[0040] In particular, the optical detection device is designed to be adjustable such that it is arranged in a first working position at a first height level and covers a first detection area in alignment with a first of the at least two transport devices, whereby piece goods of the at least one first row are detected. Furthermore, the optical detection device is arranged in a second working position at a second height level, so that the optical detection device covers a second detection area in alignment with a second of the at least two transport devices, whereby piece goods of the at least one second row are detected, etc. In order to transfer the optical detection device from the first working position to the second working position, for example, only the height at which the optical detection device is arranged can be changed.Alternatively or additionally, the detection angle of the optical detection device can be adjusted by pivoting it about a rotation axis parallel to the transport direction.

[0041] The use of a single detection device for at least two transport devices is only possible if piece goods are never picked up from the at least two incoming rows at the same time, for example if piece goods or groups of piece goods from at least two incoming rows are processed sequentially by a single manipulator. The optical detection device is arranged in a position within its range of movement which is essentially in alignment with a position of the empty manipulator, i.e. one not loaded with at least one piece of goods, orthogonal to the direction of transport. The optical detection device is adjusted in such a way, in particular arranged at a height level, that the detection range covers the row from which at least one piece of goods is to be picked up.As soon as the manipulator has grasped at least one piece of goods in the row, or several pieces of goods in a cycle comprising a cycle, and separated it from the row, the optical detection device is moved against the transport direction until it detects the leading edge or another suitable positioning signal of the new piece of goods positioned at the front of the row and transmits the data to the control and / or evaluation unit. After the data has been acquired, the optical detection device is again positioned corresponding to the position of the manipulator. If the manipulator picks up piece of goods from the row already processed in the previous step, the optical detection device does not need to be adjusted, since the same detection area must be covered.If, however, the manipulator is to pick up piece goods from at least one other row, the optical detection device must also be adjusted, for example by adjusting the height level and / or the detection angle, in order to set the required detection range accordingly.

[0042] The optical detection device is preferably formed by at least one edge scanner, in particular a laser edge scanner, which supplies the control and / or evaluation unit with spatial coordinates and / or position and / or outline data for a moving piece of goods. An edge scanner can detect detailed position data, such as an inclination and / or other incorrect positioning of one of the piece of goods, which can be corrected if necessary during detection by the manipulator. For example, such an edge scanner is used to obtain spatial coordinates and / or position and / or outline data for the piece of goods located at the front and / or for a contour edge pointing forward or backward in the transport direction.

[0043] According to a further embodiment, at least one camera with downstream image evaluation is used as the optical detection device, from whose data the control and / or evaluation unit obtains spatial coordinates and / or position and / or outline values ​​for a moving piece of goods, in particular spatial coordinates and / or position and / or outline values ​​for the piece of goods located in front in each case and / or its forward or rearward-facing outline edge.

[0044] The optical detection devices or sensor devices mentioned are to be understood as examples. In principle, however, other sensor variants can also be used, such as ultrasonic sensors or similar sensor designs and / or detection principles. Other suitable sensors can also be advantageously used by a person skilled in the art.

[0045] The manipulator is further coupled to a control and / or evaluation unit. The control and / or evaluation unit of the device generally controls, for example, the movement of the manipulator and / or other machine components of the device. Preferably, the control and / or evaluation unit contains stored information about a grouping to be formed from a plurality of piece goods for a palletizable position, wherein the respective target positions and / or target orientations of the piece goods form part of the information and assign the respective piece goods a specific position and / or relative orientation within the respective grouping.

[0046] The sensor-determined data is transmitted to the control and / or evaluation unit, and the at least one manipulator and / or the motion control of the at least one manipulator and / or other conveying components of the device, such as the at least two infeed transport devices and / or the horizontal conveyor device formed from grouping belts, is / are calibrated at least during the detection of at least one moving piece of goods, for example during the detection of the at least one piece of goods arranged at the front, and the spatial separation of the at least one piece of goods from the following piece of goods on the basis of the coordinate and / or position values ​​supplied by the control and / or evaluation unit. For example, the calibration is carried out using coordinate and / or position values ​​for the piece of goods located at the front and / or their forward- or rear-facing contour edges.

[0047] The sensor-determined values ​​are used, in particular, to calculate a movement sequence of the manipulator by means of the control and / or 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. Furthermore, the data can be used to at least temporarily increase or reduce the speed of the incoming transport devices and / or the onward grouping belts, to correct the position of the piece goods entering the grouping module within the grouping module, etc.

[0048] The control and / or evaluation unit can, in particular, be an electronic and / or programmable control and / or evaluation unit, such as a PLC. Different recipes / data can be stored in this unit, with which different piece goods—for example, six-packs and four-packs—can be clamped, released, and / or processed. This can be done, in particular, to arrange the piece goods according to a predefined layering pattern and thus prepare them for subsequent palletizing, or to distribute the piece goods across a different number of further transport lanes, rotating them by 90 degrees if necessary.

[0049] An important aspect of the invention is that at least one optical detection device arranged laterally to the horizontal conveying surface and movable parallel to the transport direction or counter to the transport direction can detect piece goods of a spaced row, wherein at least one row of piece goods runs between the optical detection device and the spaced row.

[0050] In connection with the invention, a gripping of at least two piece goods is also described, wherein at least one piece of goods from at least two directly adjacent parallel rows is gripped by the manipulator, separated from the following piece goods in the at least two rows and moved to a target position and / or target arrangement on the horizontal conveyor. In this case, the manipulator comprises a gripper arrangement with a double or multiple gripper function. According to a first embodiment of a manipulator with a double or multiple gripper function, the manipulator comprises at least two clamping grippers, each with two clamping jaws that can be advanced towards one another. To grip piece goods from at least two adjacent rows, the at least two clamping grippers are aligned such that the clamping jaws are aligned parallel to the transport direction.Preferably, the distance between the at least two clamping grippers can be changed after the piece goods have been picked up from the at least two rows, so that the distance between the grasped piece goods in the target position can be changed relative to the starting position. Furthermore, it can be provided that the at least two clamping grippers are rotatably mounted on the manipulator independently of one another, so that the orientation of the piece goods in the at least two rows relative to one another in the target position can be changed relative to the orientation of the piece goods in the at least two rows on the incoming transport devices.

[0051] According to a second embodiment of a manipulator with double or multiple gripper function, the manipulator comprises a clamping gripper with two clamping jaws that can be advanced towards each other and spaced apart so far that at least two piece goods from at least two adjacent rows can be gripped between the clamping jaws. The clamping jaws of the clamping gripper are then advanced towards each other until the at least two piece goods from the at least two adjacent rows contact each other and are securely clamped between the two clamping jaws of the clamping gripper. The at least two piece goods can now be moved together into a target position and / or target orientation. The at least two piece goods can only be rotated together.Furthermore, such a manipulator does not allow for a defined distance between the items simultaneously picked up from at least two different rows in the target position. In particular, these items are always arranged in contact with each other in the target position.

[0052] Alternatively or in addition to the described features, the device may comprise one or more features and / or properties of the method and the different method variants described in detail below. Likewise, the method may alternatively or additionally comprise one or more features and / or properties of the described device.

[0053] 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 first arrangement of an automated position detection and / or calibration within a grouping module. Figures 2 to 6 show a method for position detection and / or calibration by means of a first arrangement according to Fig. 1 . Fig. 7 shows a non-inventive arrangement of an automated position detection and / or calibration within a grouping module. Figures 8 to 9 show a method not according to the invention for position detection and / or calibration by means of a second arrangement according to Fig. 7 . Figures 10 to 12show a third arrangement of automated position detection and / or calibration within a grouping module. Fig. 13 shows a fourth arrangement of automated position detection and / or calibration within a grouping module. Fig. 14 shows the simultaneous picking up of piece goods from parallel rows by means of a second embodiment of a manipulator. Figures 15 and 16 show the simultaneous picking up of piece goods from parallel rows by means of a further embodiment of a manipulator not according to the invention.

[0054] Identical reference numerals are used for identical or equivalently functioning elements of the invention. For the sake of clarity, only reference numerals necessary for the description of the respective figure are shown in some figures. The illustrated embodiments merely represent examples of how the device and method according to the invention can be configured and do not represent a definitive limitation.

[0055] The schematic view of the Fig. 1 shows a first arrangement of an automated position detection and / or calibration within a grouping module 20 and Figures 2 to 6 show a method for position detection and / or calibration by means of a first arrangement according to Fig. 1within a grouping module 20 of a handling device 10. Unit loads 2 are fed to the grouping module 20 in two parallel rows 1, 1a, 1b. In the illustrated embodiment, the unit loads 2 are each a package comprising a plurality of beverage containers, which are held together, for example, with shrink wrap.

[0056] The handling device 10 comprises two parallel transport devices 3, 3a, 3b, via which preferably directly successive piece goods 2 are transported in two parallel rows 1, 1a, 1b in the transport direction TR without interruption and / or at a substantially continuous transport speed v3 into a detection area 4 of at least one movable, displaceable and / or rotatable manipulator 5 of the handling device 10. In particular, it is provided that the two parallel transport devices 3a, 3b are assigned exactly one detection area 4 of only a single manipulator 5 of the handling device 10. The transport devices 3a, 3b are each formed, for example, by a conveyor belt or another suitable conveyor device on which the piece goods 2 are preferably transported in a single row, wherein there are preferably no or only very few gaps between each directly successive piece goods 2.only a slight gap, possibly due to the process, exists. The piece goods 2 thus enter the detection area 4 of the manipulator 5 in each of the rows 1a, 1b in a so-called closed formation F (cf. . Figures 4 and 5 ).

[0057] Each of the two incoming transport devices 3, 3a, 3b can be assigned its own drive, allowing the two transport devices 3a, 3b to be controlled independently of each other. Typically, the two transport devices 3a, 3b are operated at the same constant speed v3. Any irregularity in the continuous feed of the piece goods 2 can be corrected, for example, by briefly adjusting the respective belt speed.

[0058] Two parallel horizontal conveyors 6, for example, a first grouping belt 7a and a second grouping belt 7b, are arranged in the grouping module 20 and are assigned, in particular, to the detection area 4 of the manipulator 5. The piece goods 2 fed in on the first transport device 3a are transferred to the first grouping belt 7a and transported further, and the piece goods 2 fed in on the second transport device 3b are transferred to the second grouping belt 7b and transported further. Each of the two grouping belts 7a, 7b is assigned its own drive, so that the two grouping belts 7a, 7b can be controlled independently of one another and / or independently of the respective feeding transport devices 3a, 3b.As a rule, the two grouping belts 7a, 7b are operated at the same constant speed v6. Any irregularity in the continuous supply of the piece goods 2 can be corrected, for example, by briefly adjusting the respective belt speed. As a rule, the transport devices 3a and / or 3b are each controlled and regulated synchronously with the aligned grouping belts 7a, 7b.

[0059] The manipulator 5 is designed for the clamping and / or force-fitting and / or form-fitting reception of piece goods 2 within the detection area 4 of the grouping module 20. In particular, the manipulator 5 arranges the piece goods 2 arriving in a closed formation F on the horizontal conveyor 6 according to a predetermined layering scheme, with the piece goods 2 being rotated if necessary according to their desired arrangement within the layering scheme to be created (not shown). In a subsequent process step, it may be necessary to push the piece goods 2 of the layer prepared according to the layering scheme together and form a compact layer, which can then be palletized (not shown).

[0060] The manipulator comprises, for example, a clamping gripper 52 with two mutually adjustable clamping jaws 53, which allow rapid grasping, moving, positioning, lifting, and releasing of the piece goods 2, 2* at the desired speed with the desired positioning precision. For example, the manipulator can be designed as a multi-axis robot, as part of such multi-axis robots, as a parallel kinematic robot, as a delta kinematic robot or a so-called tripod, or as part of a delta kinematic robot or a parallel kinematic robot, as described, for example, in the application with the file number DE 10 2016 206 639.0.

[0061] The at least one piece of goods 2 grasped by the manipulator 5 is also identified below with the reference symbol 2*. For example, in the grasping area 4, the manipulator 5 grasps at least one piece of goods 2 from the closed row 1a or formation F arriving via the first transport device 3a, separates it from the following piece of goods 2 in the row 1a ( Fig. 5A ) and transfers the separated piece goods 2* or a separated group or cycle of at least two piece goods arranged in a row without gaps into a target position P and / or target orientation (cf. Fig. 6). In this case, the piece goods 2* are spaced apart from the formation F of the piece goods 2 of the row 1a by the manipulator 5 in the transport direction TR; moreover, the piece goods 2* can be rotated or similarly relative to the piece goods 2 of the formation F. When moving the at least one piece of goods 2* grasped by the manipulator, it can be advantageous and / or necessary to lift the piece goods 2* at least briefly.

[0062] In the grouping module 20, at least one piece of goods 2 or a group or a so-called cycle comprising at least two piece goods 2 is gripped by the manipulator 5 and moved, lifted, and / or rotated, or similarly, to form a palletizable layer or a pre-grouping for a palletizable layer (not shown). Alternatively, the manipulator 5 can also serve as a rotation and distribution system to distribute the piece goods 2 arriving in at least two rows 1a, 1b for subsequent processing across more or fewer transport lanes and, if necessary, rotate them by, for example, 90°.

[0063] In order for the manipulator 5 to correctly grip the respective piece of goods 2 or the respective cycle, it is necessary to know the exact position of the at least one piece of goods 2 to be picked up within the grouping module 20. The position detection of the piece of goods 2 in each row 1a, 1b is carried out with the aid of at least one preferably movable sensor 40. This can be, for example, a movably designed and / or arranged light barrier, a movably designed and / or arranged laser edge scanner or another suitable movably designed and / or arranged optical detection means that is suitable for optically detecting certain parameters of a piece of goods 2 and / or certain parameters of a cycle of piece goods 2.

[0064] In the Figures 1 to 6In the exemplary embodiment shown, two movable sensors 40a, 40b are provided, wherein the movable sensor 40a is arranged, adjusted and / or designed such that it detects parameters of the piece goods 2 entering the first grouping belt 7a via the first transport device 3a, while the movable sensor 40b is arranged, adjusted and / or designed such that it detects parameters of the piece goods 2 entering the second grouping belt 7b via the second transport device 3b. In particular, the two sensors 40a, 40b each detect the front edge 30 of a piece of goods 2 entering their respective detection area 50a, 50b (cf. Figures 2 and 3 ).

[0065] The movable sensors 40a, 40b are movable, in particular, within a movement range 45 parallel to the transport direction TR of the piece goods 2 or the cycles of at least two grouped piece goods 2 on or parallel to the horizontal conveyor 6 of the grouping module 20. The movement range 45 is delimited by a starting point and an end point and thus defines the detection range of the sensors 40a, 40b. The sensors 40a, 40b are arranged, for example, on a carriage that can be moved via a guide rail, a toothed belt drive, or similar, parallel to the transport direction TR of the piece goods 2 or cycles between the starting point and the end point within the movement range 45. The sensors 40a, 40b are, in particular, not mechanically coupled to the manipulator 5. Furthermore, the mobility of the sensors 40a, 40b is not coupled to the mobility of the manipulator 5.In the embodiment illustrated here, the two sensors 40a, 40b are arranged on a common linear axis and form a sensor arrangement 42. The two sensors 40a, 40b are each moved jointly in the transport direction TR or counter to the transport direction TR within the movement range 45. In particular, the arrangement of sensors 40a, 40b has its own drive, via which the sensors 40a, 40b can be moved preferably parallel to the transport direction TR of the incoming piece goods 2 or counter to the transport direction TR of the incoming piece goods 2.

[0066] The movable sensors 40a, 40b detect at least one specific parameter of the piece goods 2 that is the first to enter the detection area in the row 1a, 1b assigned to the respective sensor 40a, 40b. For example, the sensors 40a, 40b each detect a leading edge 30 of the respective piece goods 2 that is the first to enter the detection area in the assigned row 1a, 1b.

[0067] The sensors 40a, 40b can each only be active temporarily in order to record corresponding data and transmit it to a control device 15 (cf. Fig. 1 ). An actively switched sensor 40a, 40b is marked by an asterisk *. Figures 2 and 3 show that at the latest when picking up a piece of goods 2 of a row 1b according to Fig. 2 or a series 1a according to Fig. 3 by the manipulator 5 the sensor 40a, 40b respectively assigned to the row 1a, 1b is activated in order to directly after the separation of the at least one piece goods 2 by the manipulator 5 the front edge 30 (cf. the Figures 5A and 5B) of the now foremost piece of goods 2 of the respective row 1a, 1b and thus the exact position of the following foremost piece of goods 2 of the row 1a, 1b, from which the item has just been picked, within the grouping module 20. The data thus acquired are transmitted to the control device 15 and used by the latter to calculate a correction of the pre-programmed movement sequence of the manipulator 5, for example in the event of a deviation of the actual position of the foremost piece of goods 2 of the respective row 1a, 1b from a target position. Alternatively and / or additionally, the respective transport device 3a, 3b and / or the respective grouping belt 7a, 7b can also be controlled and regulated based on the acquired data in order to compensate for any determined offset between the actual position of the foremost piece of goods 2 and a predefined target position. In the representation of the Fig. 2the sensor 40b is active in order to determine the position of the piece goods 2 of the row 1b that is now arranged at the front after at least one piece goods 2 of the row 1b has been picked up by the manipulator 5. In the representation of the Fig. 3 In contrast, the sensor 40a is active in order to determine the position of the piece goods 2 of the row 1a that is now arranged at the front after at least one piece goods 2 of the row 1a has been picked up by the manipulator 5.

[0068] Based on the Figures 4 to 6A method for detecting the position of piece goods 2 at the start of a production process and within a production process is now explained. At the start of production, the sensors 40a, 40b are arranged essentially directly adjacent to a transition area between the two transport devices 3a, 3b and the aligned grouping belts 7a, 7b. At the start of production, the leading edges 30 of the first piece goods 2 of each row 1a, 1b are detected by the respective active sensor 40a, 40b. If, for example, in Fig. 4 shown, an offset between the respective foremost arranged piece goods 2 of the two rows 1a, 1b is determined perpendicular to the transport direction TR, the transport devices 3a and / or 3b as well as the respectively aligned grouping belts 7a, 7b are controlled by the control device 15 (cf. Fig. 1) is regulated in such a way that the first arriving piece goods 2 of the two rows 11, 1b enter the grouping module 20 in an evenly arranged manner perpendicular to the transport direction TR. At the latest when a piece of goods 2 is picked up from row 1a, the associated sensor 40a is activated, which is indicated by the marking with an asterisk * (cf. Fig. 5A ). The other sensor 40b is preferably inactive at this time. The sensor arrangement 42 comprising the two sensors 40a, 40b is now moved counter to the transport direction TR until the sensor 40a detects the front edge 30 of the now foremost piece goods 2 of the row 1a (cf. Fig. 5B ).

[0069] Meanwhile, the piece goods 2* of row 1a, which are detected by the manipulator 5, are transported to a target position P and / or target arrangement (cf. Fig. 6). Based on the determined position of the now foremost piece of goods 2 in row 1a, the movement sequence of the manipulator 5 can be corrected for a subsequent process step if a deviation between the actual position of the foremost piece of goods 2 in row 1a and a previously known target position has been determined. If necessary, the position of the foremost piece of goods 2 in row 1a can also be adjusted by controlling the speeds of the transport device 3a and / or the grouping belt 7a.

[0070] After the actual position of the foremost piece of goods 2 of row 1a has been determined by the sensor 40a, the sensor arrangement 42 is moved in the transport direction TR to a position which is located in the transport direction TR in front of the target position of a piece of goods 2 of row 1b, which will form the next foremost piece of goods 2 of row 1b after at least one piece of goods 2 of row 1b has been picked up by the manipulator 5 (cf. Fig. 6). After the manipulator 5 has grasped at least one piece of goods 2 of the row 1b and separated it from the row 1b, the sensor arrangement 42 with the now active sensor 40b is moved against the transport direction TR until the front edge 30 of the now foremost piece of goods 2 of the row 1b is grasped, etc. Preferably, only the sensor 40a or 40b is active at any one time, which is assigned to the row 1a or 1b from which the manipulator 5 is currently picking up at least one piece of goods 2, in order to determine the position of the front edge 30 of the new foremost piece of goods 2 of the respective row 1a, 1b within the grouping module 20 and, if necessary, to adapt and / or correct the movement sequence of the manipulator 5 and / or the conveyor devices of the handling device 10, in particular the transport devices 3a, 3b and / or the grouping belts 7a, 7b.

[0071] In the embodiment of a sensor arrangement 42 shown here, it is preferably provided that the sensor 40a, which is arranged directly adjacent to the grouping belt 7a, is arranged at a first height above the conveying surface for the piece goods 2 formed by the grouping belts 7a, 7b. In contrast, the sensor 40b for detecting piece goods 2 on the grouping belt 7b spaced apart by the grouping belt 7a is arranged at a second, in particular higher, height above the conveying surface. The arrangement at different heights and / or with different detection areas 50a, 50b and / or detection angles is particularly advantageous to ensure that the sensors 40a, 40b each detect only the front edges 30 of the piece goods 2 of the respectively assigned rows 1a, 1b. This is particularly necessary to avoid errors in the assignment.

[0072] The schematic representation of the Fig. 7shows a non-inventive arrangement of an automated position detection and / or calibration within a grouping module 20 and Figures 8 to 9 show a method for position detection and / or calibration by means of a second arrangement according to Fig. 7 In the embodiment shown here, two movable sensors 40a, 40b are provided. In the following, only the differences to the Figures 1 to 6 The exemplary embodiment shown will be discussed in more detail below. With regard to the general description of the handling device 10, reference is made to the description of the figures for the Figures 1 to 6 referred to.

[0073] In the Figures 7 to 9In the non-inventive embodiment shown, the movable sensors 40a, 40b are arranged, adjusted and / or configured such that the sensor 40a detects parameters of the piece goods 2 entering the first grouping belt 7a via the first transport device 3a, while the movable sensor 40b detects parameters of the piece goods 2 entering the second grouping belt 7b via the second transport device 3b. In particular, the two sensors 40a, 40b each detect the front edge 30 of a piece of goods 2 entering their respective detection area.

[0074] In the embodiment shown here, the two sensors 40a, 40b are each arranged on their own linear axis, so that the two sensors 40a, 40b can each be moved independently of one another within their respective movement range 45a, 45b defined by the respective guide rails 46a, 46b, parallel to and in the transport direction TR or counter to the transport direction TR. Both sensors 40a, 40b are arranged in the region of a longitudinal side of the horizontal conveyor 6, parallel to the transport direction TR.

[0075] The schematic view of the Fig. 8shows the picking up of a piece of goods 2* of the row 1a and the separation of the same by a movement with a movement component in the transport direction TR and a speed increased compared to the conveying speed v6 of the grouping belt 7a by the manipulator 5 as well as the detection of the actual position of a now foremost piece of goods 2 of the row 1a by the sensor 40a, in that the latter is preferably moved counter to the transport direction TR until it detects the front edge 30 of the now foremost piece of goods 2 of the row 1a.Subsequently, the sensor 40a can be moved, for example, together with the foremost piece of goods 2 of the row 1a at a speed v6 in the transport direction until this and possibly subsequent piece of goods 2 of the row 1a are detected by the manipulator 5 and separated from the row 1a, whereupon the sensor 40a is moved again against the transport direction TR in order to determine the front edge 30 of the new foremost piece of goods 2 of the row 1a.

[0076] The second sensor 40b is located in a position perpendicular to the front edge 30 of the foremost piece of goods 2 in row 1b or at least in a position that is located in front of a piece of goods 2 in row 1b in the transport direction, which, after picking up at least one piece of goods 2 from row 1b, will form the next foremost piece of goods 2 in row 1b. When at least one piece of goods 2 in row 1b is picked up by the manipulator 5, the sensor 40b is activated, and after the at least one piece of goods 2* has been separated from row 1b by the manipulator 5, the sensor 40b is moved counter to the transport direction TR in order to determine the exact position of the front edge 30 of the next foremost piece of goods 2 in row 1b.

[0077] As particularly in Fig. 7As shown, in this embodiment too, the two sensors 40a, 40b are preferably arranged at different height levels above the conveying surface for the piece goods 2 in order to enable correct position determination due to different detection areas 50a, 50b and / or detection angles.

[0078] The schematic views Figures 10 to 12show a third arrangement of automated position detection and / or calibration within a grouping module 20 of a handling device 10. The grouping module 20 comprises a manipulator 5 for processing piece goods 2, which are fed to the grouping module 20 in three rows 1a, 1b, 1c via three transport devices 3a, 3b, 3c and are then transported further within the grouping module 20 on three grouping belts 7a, 7b, 7c. Three sensors 40a, 40b, 40c are arranged at different heights on a linear drive arranged parallel to the transport direction TR laterally next to the grouping belt 7a. For the operation of the manipulator 5 and the position detection by the sensors 40a, 40b, 40c as well as the subsequent position correction or correction of the movement sequence of the manipulator, reference is made in particular to the description of the Figures 1 to 6 In this case, too, an alternative embodiment would be in accordance with the Figures 7 to 9conceivable, in which all three sensors 40a, 40b, 40c are arranged movably on a long side of the grouping module 20 parallel to the transport direction TR, wherein each sensor 40a, 40b, 40c is assigned its own linear drive with its own range of motion 45.

[0079] The schematic representation of the Fig. 13shows a fourth arrangement of automated position detection and / or calibration within a grouping module 20. The sensor arrangement 42 shown here comprises a sensor 40 whose height is adjustable relative to the conveying surface. If the manipulator 5—as in all previously described embodiments—picks up at least one piece of goods 2 from each row 1a, 1b, or 1c and thus never processes the rows 1a, 1b, or 1c simultaneously, the sensor is positioned at a height depending on the piece of goods 2 to be picked up by the manipulator 5, which enables the detection of the piece of goods 2 that is now at the front of the corresponding row 1a, 1b, or 1c. The arrangement at different height levels enables, in particular, a change in the detection range 50.For example, the sensor 40 covers a detection area 50a at a first height H1, which is assigned to the grouping belt 7a directly adjacent to the sensor arrangement 42, so that the sensor 40 arranged at the first height H1 can detect the front edge 30 of incoming piece goods 2 of the row 1a (see also the . Figures 4 to 6). In contrast, the sensor 40 arranged at a second height H2 covers a detection area 50b which is assigned to the grouping belt 7b arranged at a distance from the sensor arrangement 42, so that the sensor 40 arranged at the second height H2 can detect the front edge 30 of incoming piece goods 2 of the row 1b. If a third row 1c is present, the sensor 40 can be arranged accordingly at a further third height. In this embodiment, too, the determined sensor data are used to adapt the movement profile of the manipulator 5 and / or to correct and / or regulate the incoming transport devices and / or the continuing grouping belts 7a, 7b of the horizontal conveyor device 6 accordingly.

[0080] In the sensor arrangement 42 with a height-adjustable sensor 40, which is arranged displaceably on a vertical frame element, for example, it can also be provided that instead of or together with the height adjustment, an adjustment of the detection angle of the sensor 40 takes place in order to be able to better adjust the respective detection area 50.

[0081] The schematic representation of the Fig. 14shows an alternative embodiment of a method for handling piece goods 2 fed to a grouping module in at least two rows 1a, 1b, wherein piece goods 2 are simultaneously picked up from both feeding parallel rows 1a, 1b by means of a second embodiment of a manipulator 5. The manipulator 5 is designed in particular as a double gripper and comprises two clamping grippers 52a, 52b, each with two clamping jaws 53a, 53b that can be advanced towards one another. In this case, it can be provided that the distance between the clamping grippers 52a, 52b can be changed after the piece goods 2 have been picked up from the two rows 1a, 1b, so that the distance between the grasped piece goods 2 in the target position is changed compared to the starting position.Furthermore, it can be provided that the clamping grippers 52a, 52b are rotatably mounted on the manipulator 5 independently of one another, so that the orientation of the piece goods 2 of the two rows 1a, 1b relative to one another in the target position can be changed compared to the orientation of the piece goods 2 of the two rows 1a, 1b on the incoming transport devices. Even when using such a manipulator 5 with a double gripper, it can be advantageous to use an embodiment with separately movable sensors 40a, 40b according to . Figures 7 to 9 to use.

[0082] The schematic representations of the Figures 15 and 16show the simultaneous picking up of piece goods from parallel rows 1a, 1b by means of a further embodiment of a manipulator 5, not according to the invention. This also comprises a clamping gripper 52 with two clamping jaws 53 that can be moved towards one another. The clamping jaws 53 can in particular be spaced apart from one another so that at least two piece goods 2 of the adjacent rows 1a, 1b can be grasped simultaneously between the clamping jaws 53 (cf. Fig. 15 ). The clamping jaws 53 are then moved towards each other until the piece goods 2 of the two adjacent rows 1a, 1b come into contact with each other, so that the two piece goods 2 of the two rows 1a, 1b arranged next to each other between the two clamping jaws 53 are securely clamped (cf. Fig. 16). These can now be moved together to a target position and / or target alignment. The at least two piece goods 2 can only be rotated together. Furthermore, with such a manipulator 5, no defined distance can be set between the piece goods 2 originating from different rows 1a, 1b and simultaneously detected in the target position. In particular, these are always arranged in contact with one another in the target position.

[0083] 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.

[0084] Although in the context of Figures 1 to 16 While we generally speak of "schematic" representations and views, this does not in any way mean that the figures are of secondary importance with regard to the disclosure of the invention. The person skilled in the art is perfectly capable of deriving sufficient information from the schematic and abstractly drawn representations to facilitate their understanding of the invention, without their understanding being impaired in any way by the drawn and possibly not exactly scaled proportions of the items and / or parts of the device or other drawn elements. Figures 1 to 16thus enable the skilled reader, on the basis of the more concretely explained implementations of the method according to the invention and the more concretely explained functioning of the device according to the invention, to derive a better understanding of the inventive idea formulated in a more general and / or abstract manner in the claims and in the general part of the description.

[0085] Finally, it should be emphasized again at this point that the invention has been described with reference to one or more preferred embodiments. However, it is entirely conceivable for a person skilled in the art that modifications or changes to the invention can be made without departing from the scope of the following claims. List of reference symbols

[0086] 1; 1a, 1b, 1cRow 2Piece goods 2*detected piece goods 3; 3a; 3bTransport device 4Detection area 5Manipulator 6Horizontal conveyor device 7a, 7b, 7cGrouping belt 10Handling device 15Control device 20Grouping module 30Leading edge 40; 40a, 40bSensor 42Sensor arrangement 45; 45a, 45bMovement area 46Running rail 50a; 50bDetection area 52, 52a, 52bClamping gripper 53, 53a, 53bClamping jaw H1first height H2second height Ptarget position TRtransport direction v3transport speed v6speed / conveyor speed

Claims

1. An apparatus (10) for handling piece goods (2) that are being moved in at least two parallel rows (1), the apparatus (10) comprising - at least one manipulator (5) for piece goods (2), - at least two transport devices (3) by way of which the moved piece goods (2) are transportable in a transport direction (TR) to a seizing range (4) of the at least one manipulator (5), and also comprising - at least one movable optical detection device (40) assigned to the seizing range (4) and / or to a movement space of the at least one manipulator (5), which at least one movable optical detection device (40) is prepared and equipped for the acquisition of space coordinates and / or position data and / or contour data of at least one piece good (2) of the at least two transport devices (3), the at least one piece good (2) being moved in transport direction (TR), - wherein at least the manipulator (5) and / or further conveyor components of the apparatus (10) is / are calibratable and / or controllable based on the space coordinates and / or position data and / or contour data, - wherein the at least one optical detection device (40) is designed to be at least temporarily movable parallel to a horizontal conveying device (6) assigned to the seizing range (4), - wherein one optical detection device (40) is provided for each transport device (3), - wherein at least two optical detection devices (40) are arranged so as to be movable parallel to the transport direction (TR) in or against the transport direction (TR) in the area of a longitudinal side of the horizontal conveyor device (6), characterised in that - the at least two optical detection devices (40) are arranged at different heights above a conveyor surface or conveying level for the piece goods (2) formed by the horizontal conveying device (6), - wherein the at least two optical detection devices (40) comprise a common drive and a common movement range (45) in the area of a longitudinal side of the horizontal conveyor device (6).

2. The apparatus (10) according to claim 1, in which the at least two optical detection devices (40) arranged in the area of a longitudinal side of the horizontal conveyor device (6) each cover different detection ranges (50) in the seizing range (4) of the apparatus (10), in particular, wherein a first optical detection device covers a first detection range in the seizing range (4) of the apparatus (10), which first detection range is in alignment with a first of the at least two transport devices (3), and wherein a second optical detection device covers a second detection range in the seizing range (4) of the apparatus (10), which second detection range is in alignment with a second of the at least two transport devices (3).

3. The apparatus (10) according to one of the previous claims, in which the optical detection device (40) is formed by at least one edge scanner, which delivers space coordinates and / or position data and / or contour data for a moved piece good (2) of the particular assigned row (1) to the control unit and / or analysis unit (15), in particular, which at least one edge scanner delivers space coordinates and / or position data and / or contour data for the in each instance foremost located piece good (2) of the particular assigned row (1) and / or for a contour edge (30) facing forward or backward in transport direction (TR), or in which apparatus (10) the optical detection device (40) is formed by at least one camera with downstream image evaluation from the data of which the control unit and / or analysis unit (12) acquires space coordinates and / or position values and / or contour values for a moved piece good (2) of the particular assigned row (1), in particular, from the data of which at least one camera the control unit and / or analysis unit (15) acquires space coordinates and / or position values and / or contour values for the in each instance foremost located piece good (2) of the particular assigned row (1) and / or for its contour edge (30) facing forward or backward in transport direction (TR).

4. The apparatus (10) according to one of the previous claims, wherein an activation or a deactivation of the optical detection device (40) is triggerable based on the detected space coordinates and / or position data and / or contour data.

5. The apparatus (10) according to one of the claims 1 to 3, wherein a movement of the optical detection device along with the transport device and / or with the horizontal conveying device is triggerable based on the detected space coordinates and / or position data and / or contour data.

6. The apparatus (10) according to one of the previous claims, wherein the at least two optical detection devices (40), which are coupled in terms of movement via a common drive, are activatable alternately in order to obtain a clean signal separation and correct position data for the in each instance foremost piece goods (2) of the at least two rows (1).

7. The apparatus (10) according to one of the previous claims, comprising a control unit and / or analysis unit (15), to which control unit and / or analysis unit (15) the manipulator (5) is coupled, which control unit and / or analysis unit (15) is designed to control the movement of the manipulator (5) and / or of other machine components of the apparatus (10).

8. A method for handling piece goods (2) that are being moved in at least two parallel rows (1), wherein the piece goods (2) are transported to a seizing range (4) of at least one manipulator (5), - wherein at least one transported piece good (2) of the at least two parallel rows (1) is seized in the seizing range (4) by the at least one manipulator (5), is spatially separated from subsequent piece goods (2) of the particular row (1), and is brought into a specified relative target position (P) and / or target alignment in relation to the subsequent piece goods (2) of the particular row (1), - wherein at least space coordinates and / or a position of one of the piece goods (2) of at least one row (1) that is being moved in transport direction (TR) to the seizing range (4) is sensor-detected and provided as position value to a control unit and / or analysis unit (15) by at least one optical detection device (40) that is designed to be movable and that is spatially and / or functionally assigned to the seizing range (4), and - wherein at least the manipulator (5) and / or other assigned conveyor components is / are calibrated and / or controlled based on the space coordinates and / or position data and / or contour data, - in which the optical detection device (40) is at least temporarily moved parallel to a horizontal conveying device (6) assigned to the seizing range (4), - wherein one optical detection device (40) is provided for each transport device (3), in particular. in which each row (1) is assigned an optical detection device (40), - wherein at least two optical detection devices (40) are movable parallel to the transport direction (TR) in or against the transport direction (TR) in the area of a longitudinal side of the horizontal conveyor device (6), characterised in that - the at least two optical detection devices (40) are arranged at different heights above a conveyor surface or conveying level for the piece goods (2) formed by the horizontal conveying device (6), and - wherein at least two optical detection devices (40) are moved together via a single drive parallel to a horizontal conveying device (6) assigned to the seizing range (4) within a movement range.

9. The method according to claim 8, in which the at least two optical detection devices (40) are designed such that a first optical detection device (40) detects piece goods (2) of a first row (1) and that a second optical detection device (40) detects piece goods (2) of a second row (1).

10. The method according to claim 8 or 9, wherein an activation or a deactivation of the optical detection device (40) is carried out based on the detected space coordinates and / or position data and / or contour data.

11. The method according to claim 8 or 9, wherein a movement of the optical detection device along with the transport device and / or with the horizontal conveying device is carried out based on the detected space coordinates and / or position data and / or contour data.

12. The method according to one of the claims 8 to 10, wherein the at least two optical detection devices (40), which are coupled in terms of movement via a common drive, are activated alternately in order to obtain a clean signal separation and correct position data for the in each instance foremost piece goods (2) of the at least two rows (1).

13. The method according to one of the claims 8 to 12, wherein the manipulator (5) is controlled by a control unit and / or analysis unit (15) of a device (10) according to one of the claims 1 to 7.