System and method for handling trays

Abstract

A system comprising a feeder zone (2), at least a first and a second loading zone (3, 5), at least one first waiting zone (6), at least one transfer zone (7), and at least two tray carriages (8, 9). Each loading zone has at least one loading station and at least one loading elevator, each transfer zone (7) has at least one stack handling unit (71), and the tray carriages (8, 9) can be moved in the horizontal direction on vertically offset conveyance paths.

Description

[0001] System and procedure for handling trays

[0002] The present invention relates to a system or a system module with a loading zone. Such a system or such a system module can also be referred to as a placement system or module. In particular, the invention relates to a system or a system module with a loading station located in the loading zone, which is designed such that a tray can be introduced into the loading station and loaded with products there by a loading handler. The tray can be particularly suitable for use in wet-chemical production processes, especially in production processes for contact lenses.

[0003] A well-known method for manufacturing contact lenses involves the first step of producing molds using an injection molding process. The actual contact lenses are then manufactured in these molds. After the lenses have cured, a post-processing or cleaning step is usually required. This involves, among other things, extracting any remaining polymer residue before the contact lenses can be individually inspected or packaged.

[0004] The contact lenses can be manufactured in the molds in one or more batches. The subsequent cleaning and surface treatment is usually carried out using a wet-chemical processing system, which has several liquid-filled process tanks into which the contact lenses are immersed for cleaning and surface treatment. Contact lenses consist primarily of optical substrates made of polymer or monomer components, which are subjected to one or more wet-chemical processes such as cleaning, etching, and deposition during cleaning and surface treatment. To ensure high productivity (particularly with regard to processing time and / or production output) in a wet-chemical processing system, it is common practice to transport the contact lenses through the wet-chemical processing system on product carriers, so-called trays.It is generally important that the contact lenses are placed individually on the trays or that multiple contact lenses in a tray are spatially separated from one another. For this reason, trays are usually used which, for example, have several recesses / wells on one level so that a contact lens can be placed in each well. To implement the wet chemical processes economically, several trays stacked together, so-called stacks, are usually conveyed through the wet chemical processing system. As a rule, the top tray containing contact lenses in each stack is covered with a tray lid. The tray lid forms a closure for the last tray containing contact lenses and serves to ensure that the contact lenses remain in the recesses of their tray and are not washed out of the tray or their recess during treatment in the process tank.In the trays below, the next tray forms a top. Therefore, an empty tray, in particular, can serve as the tray lid and form the top stack end. Alternatively, the tray lid can also be another object, such as a suitably sized plate or a special lid component.

[0005] To implement the described process, the contact lenses individually manufactured in the molds must be placed into trays, typically using a loading system. The trays filled with contact lenses must then be stacked so that they can be economically processed as a stack through the subsequent wet-chemical process. In conventional systems, these two steps are often implemented in a so-called loading module.

[0006] For example, continuous flow systems are known that have a placement module located upstream of a wet-chemical process module with multiple process tanks. The placement module has a loading station and a stacking unit. The loading station represents an interface to a loading handling system. The loading handling system can, for example, have several suction devices suitable for transporting contact lenses and, in particular, inserting them into a tray. Thus, a tray can be loaded with contact lenses in the loading station. The stacking unit serves to form a stack from loaded trays, i.e., to stack the loaded trays. This stack can then be transported from the placement module to the wet-chemical process module.

[0007] Contact lens production follows strict quality standards and is subject to high demands on cost-effectiveness. Therefore, a relevant criterion for successful contact lens production is how many contact lenses can be manufactured per unit of time in a production facility. Therefore, on the one hand, it is relevant how many contact lenses can be produced simultaneously or processed by individual system modules, and on the other hand, the cycle time. This is generally limited by the throughput times in individual process steps in the production process, particularly by the injection molding of the molds and by the time required to load the trays with contact lenses and to form the stacks.In some production facilities, multiple or larger injection molding machines are used to increase output, and contact lenses can be produced in multiple batches (each injection molding machine's production can be assigned to a separate batch). This allows production output to be easily regulated by switching individual units on and off. Furthermore, the number of contact lenses that can be produced in the molds per unit of time can be multiplied.

[0008] In any case, however, multi-lot production also requires an adjustment of the assembly module's capacity. The assembly module must ensure that the contact lenses are processed in a lot-pure manner to enable clear traceability and meet the industry's high quality standards. Furthermore, one criterion for consistent quality of the produced contact lenses can be that each contact lens completes each process step in approximately the same amount of time.

[0009] This places high demands on the entire manufacturing process, including loading the trays with contact lenses and forming a stack. This is because, on the one hand, contact lenses from multiple lots should be processed according to the first-in, first-out (FIFO) principle in order to maintain a limited and almost constant production time window for each contact lens, preferably throughout the entire production process. On the other hand, lot-pure processing must be ensured.In the present application, the FIFO principle means in particular that a contact lens which is inserted into a tray first, or the entire tray which was first loaded with contact lenses, leaves the system or the system module in a defined arrangement in relation to other trays, that this contact lens or the entire tray can also be removed from the tray first in a subsequent process, preferably in compliance with a predetermined sequence, or that the entire tray can also be emptied first.

[0010] The only known systems from the state of the art are those with one loading station or one loading handling system. With these systems, lot-pure processing of contact lenses from multiple lots is either not possible or only possible in a very complicated and time-consuming manner. If, for example, the number of loading handling systems in a known system could be easily adapted to the number of lots without extensive changes to the entire system module, this would result in process disadvantages. Firstly, the FIFO principle cannot be easily adhered to when separating into multiple lots. In addition, the necessary consideration of maximum throughput times for contact lenses across all lots cannot be ensured. Finally, there is no known automated handling of the tray lid that would not lead to individual loading stations repeatedly blocking during system operation, thereby increasing the cycle time of a corresponding system module.

[0011] Therefore, there is a need for a system or system module that loads trays with contact lenses in a first-to-first-serve manner and can process, transfer, or stack the loaded trays according to the first-to-first-serve principle, preferably before the trays pass through a wet-chemical processing module, preferably avoiding cross-contamination and more preferably passing both the trays and the contact lenses through the system or system module according to the first-to-first-serve principle. This need cannot be met by the prior art, as known systems are not capable of processing, transferring, or stacking contact lenses and / or trays from multiple lots in a first-to-first-serve manner.

[0012] It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a system or a system module which can at least partially satisfy the highlighted need and / or at least partially compensate for the disadvantages described above. In other words, within the scope of the present invention, a system or a system module is to be realized in which at least two trays can each be loaded with contact lenses in a pure lot (so that each tray is loaded exclusively with contact lenses from the same lot). These trays should then be stackable so that loaded trays are arranged in the stack preferably in the order in which they are loaded, i.e. according to the first-in, first-out principle, and a tray lid (or an unloaded tray serving as a tray lid) is preferably arranged on top of each stack. The loading and arrangement of the trays in the system or in the system module should preferably be economical, i.e.as time-efficiently as possible, preferably so quickly that it is not the loading and arrangement of the trays but the production of the contact lenses in the molds that represents the limiting factor for a minimum cycle time of the entire production chain section.

[0013] This object is achieved by the present invention by a system or a system module, e.g., a loading module, with a staging zone, at least a first and a second loading zone, at least one first waiting zone, at least one transfer zone, and at least two tray carriages. Each loading zone has at least one loading station and at least one loading lift. Each transfer zone has at least one stack handling device. The tray carriages can be moved horizontally on vertically offset transport paths.

[0014] A provision zone can preferably be characterized in that at least one empty or unfilled tray can be provided in this zone and / or transferred to one of the two tray carriages. The provision zone can preferably have at least one manipulator which is suitable for moving a tray or tray lid. The manipulator can preferably be suitable for moving a tray or tray lid into a horizontal transport plane in which the transport path of the first or the second tray carriage is at least partially arranged. The manipulator can preferably be suitable for moving a tray from an interface to, for example, another system module or from a system area in which trays are manually fed, into a horizontal transport plane of a tray carriage.Particularly preferably, the manipulator can be a tray lift and can preferably be suitable for moving a tray in a vertical direction and / or into another level of the system. A loading zone can preferably be an area of ​​the system in which an empty tray can be loaded with contact lenses. A first loading zone can preferably be assigned a first loading station and a second loading zone can preferably be assigned a second loading station. The loading stations can preferably be suitable for receiving a tray and can more preferably have an interface to a corresponding first or second loading handling device. The interface and / or the loading handling device can preferably be designed such that one or more separated contact lenses can be inserted into a tray.Furthermore, the first and / or second loading handling devices can preferably be configured such that they can operate in a, preferably horizontal, loading plane in the loading station, which is spaced from a transport path, preferably vertically offset from a transport path. The loading plane can preferably be located above the first and second transport paths. This can preferably prevent a tray located in a loading station from blocking a transport path.

[0015] In the context of the disclosure, a waiting zone can be understood as a spatial area in the system in which a tray can be positioned without blocking an adjacent zone, e.g. the transfer zone or a loading station. In other words, the waiting zone is preferably an area in which a tray can be positioned without impairing the functionality of another, preferably adjacent, area. Preferably, a tray can be positioned in the waiting zone in such a way that another tray can be loaded in a loading station, preferably adjacent to the waiting zone, and in turn another tray can be introduced into a transfer zone, preferably adjacent to the waiting zone. Preferably, it can be achieved that the tray in the waiting zone neither blocks the handling of a tray in the transfer zone nor blocks a loading station.

[0016] A transfer zone can preferably designate an area in which the at least one stack handling device is arranged or operates. The stack handling device is preferably suitable for stacking trays on top of one another and / or building up a stack of trays and / or a tray lid. In other words, the stack handling device is preferably suitable for forming a stack. The transfer zone can further preferably have an interface at which the formed stack can be removed from the loading module. The interface can preferably represent an interface to an adjacent system, an adjacent system module, to a manual area or to the environment. In particular, the interface can be an interface to an adjacent wet-chemical system. Such a wet-chemical system preferably has several process tanks. A process tank can, for example, be filled with an acid (e.g. formic acid), with solvents (e.g.Isopropanol), with a base, with distilled water, or with mixtures. Preferably, in the system according to the invention, a flow direction from the supply zone to the transfer zone can be defined. In other words, the system according to the invention can have several zones arranged in series, with the first zone being a supply zone and the last zone being a transfer zone.

[0017] The first loading zone can preferably be adjacent to the staging zone. More preferably, the second loading zone can be adjacent to the first waiting zone, wherein the first waiting zone can preferably be arranged between the second loading zone and the transfer zone. This preferably ensures that a tray lid can be introduced directly into the transfer zone and can be grasped by the stack handling, regardless of whether a tray carriage is currently stationary below the second loading station. The first waiting zone can therefore preferably minimize paths, in particular travel paths of the tray carriages, and thus reduce cycle times. Furthermore, the described preferred positioning of the waiting zone in the system can ensure that the stack handling is never blocked by a tray carriage which is introducing a tray into or removing a tray from the second loading station.This can help make plant control simpler and / or more robust.

[0018] A tray can be a part that is suitable for holding and transporting products. The design of a tray depends in particular on the type and shape of the products for which it is configured and on the way in which the products are to be transported, e.g. through a system. A tray for use in the production of contact lenses can, for example, be a round or square disc, a tray or a flat dish, with a top side and a bottom side, whereby the top side preferably represents the side that comes into contact with the product. One or more wells can preferably be formed in the top side, each of which serves, for example, to hold a contact lens. Trays can preferably have at least 6, more preferably at least 10 and particularly preferably at least 100 wells and the wells and / or the tray can preferably be perforated.The top side can preferably be approximately rectangular, preferably with rounded corners and have an edge length of at least 100 mm, more preferably at least 200 mm and particularly preferably at least 300 mm in the longitudinal direction (length) and at least 50 mm, more preferably at least 100 mm and particularly preferably at least 200 mm in the transverse direction (width). More preferably, the top side is a maximum of 800 mm, more preferably a maximum of 600 mm and particularly preferably a maximum of 500 mm wide and a maximum of 800 mm, more preferably a maximum of 600 mm and particularly preferably a maximum of 500 mm long. Alternatively, the top side can also be round, oval or square. A tray can be divided into several smaller inserts or nests, which are enclosed by a frame in such a way that a single tray can be defined which can be transported through a system in one piece. A tray lid, in turn, can in principle be any component suitable for covering a tray.Preferably, the tray lid can have the same length and width dimensions as a tray. Further preferably, a tray lid can be realized by an unloaded, i.e., empty, tray.

[0019] A tray carriage can preferably be a linear and / or particularly preferably a horizontally movable transport device. A tray carriage can preferably be suitable for receiving a tray or tray lid and transporting it along its transport path. Preferably, the first tray carriage can be moved horizontally on a first transport path and the second transport carriage can be moved horizontally on a second transport path, which is vertically offset from the first transport path. Preferably, the transport carriages can overtake each other. This is preferably advantageous in order to ensure a solder-free transfer of the trays loaded with contact lenses into the transfer zone. Particularly advantageously, the offset paths can be used to realize a solder-free transfer using a robust and / or error-free system control system.

[0020] The terms "horizontal" and "vertical" can be defined within the scope of the present disclosure as predominantly horizontal or vertical. In particular, a horizontal plane or a horizontal direction can have an inclination of a maximum of 15°, preferably a maximum of 10°, more preferably a maximum of 5°, more preferably a maximum of 2°. A horizontal travel path can be defined as a predominantly horizontal travel path. A horizontal travel path can therefore have an inclination of a maximum of 15°, preferably a maximum of 10°, more preferably a maximum of 5°, more preferably a maximum of 2°. In addition, a horizontal travel path can also have non-horizontal passages. Preferably, a horizontal travel path runs at least 75%, more preferably at least 85%, and particularly preferably at least 95% horizontally (or in a plane with an inclination of a maximum of 15°, preferably a maximum of 10°, more preferably a maximum of 5°, more preferably a maximum of 2° to the horizontal).In particular, the invention encompasses a system that extends substantially horizontally and / or has substantially horizontal and / or substantially linear travel paths, which only have passages that are non-horizontal and / or non-linear due to external constraints, such as the space available in a production hall. These definitions can preferably be applied accordingly to the term "vertical."

[0021] Preferably, each tray carriage can have at least two tray receptacles, each suitable for receiving a tray or tray lid. Preferably, the tray carriages can travel to all zones of the system. Further preferably, the first and / or second tray carriage can transport a tray lid and / or a tray from the provision zone, preferably directly, to the transfer zone.

[0022] In a loading zone of the system, the loading lift can preferably be suitable for moving a tray, preferably in a vertical direction, between an upper and a lower position, wherein the upper position can preferably be a loading position, and the lower position can preferably lie in a horizontal base plane. The base plane is preferably vertically offset from the transport paths. More preferably, the base plane lies below the transport paths. Preferably, the loading lift can be configured and suitable for picking up a tray from a tray receptacle of a tray carriage and moving it into the loading position. Preferably, the loading lift does not restrict the freedom of movement of the tray carriages in either the upper or lower position.In other words, the loading lift can be arranged in relation to or at the loading station such that the loading lift is configured to position a tray in the loading position so that the tray can be loaded with contact lenses. If the loading lift is in the loading position, the transport paths are preferably not blocked by the loading lift. Thus, the tray carriages can also pass through a loading station loaded with a tray. This can be advantageous for operating the system in a time-efficient manner and / or reducing the susceptibility of the system module to failure and / or implementing a robust system control system. In particular, a tray or a tray lid can be transported from the provision zone to the second loading station or to the transfer zone while a tray is located in the loading level at the first loading station.

[0023] The first and / or second loading station can preferably have a pressing unit. More preferably, the pressing unit can be a pressing plate with a flat surface located in the loading plane. This allows a tray to be secured in the loading station for loading, and it can preferably be avoided that the secured tray becomes deformed, resulting in the position of the individual cups no longer being precisely defined and / or the tray being subjected to unnecessary mechanical stress.

[0024] In addition, the first and / or the second loading station can preferably have a shutter, preferably wherein the shutter is arranged above the loading level, and wherein the shutter at least partially covers an upper side of a tray located in the loading station at least at one operating point of the system. As a rule, when loading the tray with contact lenses, not all cups are filled with contact lenses at the same time. A loading handler usually carries out several loading cycles until a tray is completely loaded with contact lenses. With each loading cycle, the loading handler usually only places a defined number of contact lenses into a tray, e.g. lenses for a single cup row of the tray. Preferably, the shutter can cover all cups of a tray into which no contact lenses are to be placed in the current loading cycle.This minimizes the risk of dirt or contact lenses accidentally dropped during loading handling getting into individual wells of the tray in the loading station where they shouldn't end up. Thus, the use of a shutter can increase process reliability and / or minimize waste.

[0025] The loading lift can preferably have a tray holder and / or a plate which is arranged on the loading lift or below a tray holder of the loading lift in such a way that the plate extends at least partially below a tray to be picked up. The plate can preferably be arranged in such a way that the plate covers an area below a tray to be picked up, which covers at least the section of the tray in which objects are to be placed. This makes it possible to advantageously and easily minimize the risk of lenses falling from a loading station onto a transport path located below, on which a tray carriage or a tray may be located which is or is to be loaded with contact lenses from a different lot. The plate can therefore preferably reduce the risk of contamination or cross-contamination. Consequently, process reliability can be increased and / or waste minimized.

[0026] The tray carriages of the system can preferably be designed in relation to the spatial extent of the individual zones; in particular, the arrangement of the tray receptacles on the tray carriages can preferably be coordinated with the system or the trays to be handled. Preferably, the tray receptacles of the first tray carriage can have a first distance from one another that corresponds to the horizontal distance of a tray lift in the staging zone to the first loading lift in the first loading zone. More preferably, the tray receptacles of the second tray carriage can have a second distance from one another that is smaller or, particularly preferably, equal to the first distance. These distances can be particularly advantageous for increasing the throughput of the system and / or for loading and stacking trays in a particularly time-efficient manner.

[0027] Preferably, at least two, more preferably all, tray receptacles of a tray carriage are located in the same horizontal plane. This preferably simplifies the manipulator or lift movements, which further preferably reduces or eliminates complex systems and controls. This preferably allows the installation space of the system to be reduced and / or kept compact.

[0028] The first tray carriage and the second tray carriage, and preferably all tray carriages, preferably have the same geometry. This allows for a common parts concept for all tray carriages, which can be advantageous in terms of costs and spare parts inventory. In this context, the geometry can also refer only to functionally relevant core components of the tray carriages, which cannot be easily replaced with standard parts or other commonly available off-the-shelf parts.

[0029] Preferably, the first and second loading lifts and / or at least one tray carriage and / or the stack handling device can be suitable for receiving trays with a tray width and / or tray length of 200 mm to 800 mm, preferably of 300 mm to 600 mm, particularly preferably of 400 to 500 mm.

[0030] Preferably, the first loading lift in the first loading zone and the second loading lift in the second loading zone can be spaced apart by at least the width or length of a tray. Further preferably, the system can have a second waiting zone located between the first and second loading zones. This ensures that when a loading station is loaded with a tray, particularly at the time when the loading lift lifts the tray from a first tray receptacle of the tray carriage and into the loading station or under a loading handling device, the other loading zone or the loading station located therein is not blocked by a second tray receptacle of the tray carriage.

[0031] The tray carriages, tray lifts, and loading lifts of the system can preferably be mechanically coupled to a drive unit. Preferably, the first and / or second tray carriage can be coupled to a drive on a first side of a vertical plane defined by the first and / or second transport path, and the tray lift and / or the first and / or second loading lift can be coupled to a drive on a second side of the vertical plane. Thus, the system can preferably be designed in a space-saving manner, and further preferably, the tray carriages and the tray lifts or loading lifts can be easily coupled to the corresponding drive units through this arrangement, preferably without interfering with one another.

[0032] Preferably, the tray carriages and / or the transport paths can be vertically offset by at least one tray height, preferably by at least 30 mm, particularly preferably by at least 50 mm, and the tray carriages can be moved horizontally.

[0033] Furthermore, the tray which is first introduced into a loading station can preferably also be brought into the transfer zone first. In other words, a first tray which is to be loaded with contact lenses and which can be transported from the preparation zone to a loading station before a second tray which is to be loaded with contact lenses can preferably also be brought into the transfer zone before the second tray. Further preferably, a tray which is to serve as a tray lid can be brought into the transfer zone without regard to trays located in the loading stations and preferably in a direct route. In other words, a lid tray can preferably overtake other trays in the system and can therefore be arranged higher up in a stack formed in the transfer zone than a tray loaded with contact lenses which has already been removed from the preparation zone.This does not contradict the inventive FIFO concept, since the FIFO principle within the scope of the invention preferably only refers to the contact lenses themselves or to trays equipped with contact lenses.

[0034] The system is preferably designed such that only objects from a first lot are handled in the first loading station, and only objects from a second lot are handled in the second loading station. Further preferably, the first tray carriage does not transport trays from the second loading station, and the second tray carriage does not transport trays from the first loading station. This preferably ensures the processing of the contact lenses in a clean lot, preferably avoids cross-contamination, preferably increases process reliability, and / or minimizes rejects.

[0035] Preferably, the tray lid can be transported from the first or the second tray carriage into the transfer zone, particularly preferably the tray lid can be transported from the provision zone into the transfer zone without the tray carriage with the tray lid having to stop on the transport path, further preferably without other systems being blocked.

[0036] Preferably, in the system, trays can be alternately loaded with contact lenses in the first and second loading stations and then stacked in the transfer zone. Preferably, a stack formed in the transfer zone always has a tray lid on top and, underneath, alternating trays that were loaded in the first loading station and trays that were loaded in the second loading station. In other words, trays with lenses from a first lot and trays with lenses from a second lot are preferably always arranged alternately in the stack. Preferably, a tray lid forms the uppermost unit of a stack that is formed in the transfer zone, preferably from top to bottom. The tray lid can be realized in a simple manner, preferably by means of a tray that is not loaded with contact lenses, i.e., is empty. In other words, the tray lid (i.e., e.g.An empty tray can be transported to the transfer zone as the first tray of a newly formed stack. A tray from the first loading station can be transported to the transfer zone as the topmost tray under the tray lid (i.e., the first tray loaded with contact lenses), and a loaded tray from the second loading station can be transported to the transfer zone below it. The remaining trays can then be removed alternately from the first and second loading stations and integrated into the stack in the transfer zone.

[0037] Preferably, the stack handling device in the transfer zone can be suitable for building a stack from top to bottom, wherein the underside of the stack can preferably remain in the same plane throughout the entire stack building process and / or wherein the underside of the stack is preferably in the same plane regardless of the number of trays in the stack. In other words, the stack handling device can preferably first pick up a topmost tray or tray lid and then arrange further trays beneath this topmost unit. In the finished stack, the tray or tray lid that was first introduced into the stack or stack handling device is preferably arranged at the top of the stack, and the tray that was last introduced into the stack or stack handling device is arranged at the bottom of the stack.The FIFO principle is preferably successfully implemented when a tray that was first loaded with contact lenses in the system is also arranged above a tray in the stack that was only subsequently loaded with contact lenses. This preferably allows the process parameter "time" to be kept as constant as possible for each contact lens in the production process, more preferably throughout the entire production process. This preferably increases production quality and / or minimizes waste. Preferably, the time at which the trays are loaded with contact lenses can refer to the time at which the tray was placed in the loading station. Alternatively, the time at which the trays are loaded can preferably refer to the time at which the first contact lens was placed in the tray or to the time at which the last contact lens was placed in the tray.

[0038] The configuration of the transfer zone and in particular of the stack handling in the preferred form that a stack can be built up from top to bottom can preferably bring advantages, particularly in process steps that are carried out in subsequent system modules. In the contact lens production process, a wet-chemical system module is preferably connected downstream of the placement module according to the invention, in which wet-chemical system module the stacks formed in the placement module are immersed in liquid-filled process tanks. After treatment in the liquid-filled process tanks, the contact lenses must be further processed within a very short time. As a rule, stacks are removed from a process tank from the top. It is advantageous if the stacks can partially remain in a final process tank and trays can be removed from the stacks from above for subsequent process steps.In order to continue to adhere to the FIFO principle, it is advantageous to build the stack from top to bottom, preferably with the "oldest" tray on top and the "youngest" tray on the bottom.

[0039] A stack preferably comprises at least four, more preferably at least 18, particularly preferably at least 24 trays and / or a maximum of 80, more preferably a maximum of 70, particularly preferably a maximum of 50 trays. The specified number of trays preferably consists of a single tray lid and several trays loaded with contact lenses. A tray preferably has a maximum height of 50 mm, more preferably a maximum of 30 mm, and / or a stack preferably has a maximum height of 1,500 mm, more preferably 1,000 mm, more preferably 720 mm, particularly preferably 500 mm.

[0040] Preferably, a tray can be moved within the system in such a way that the tray height defines a vertical direction of the system. Thus, the trays can be moved horizontally without the contents, such as contact lenses, falling out. The stack height can therefore preferably also be defined in the vertical direction.

[0041] The individual zones can preferably be defined such that they adjoin one another horizontally. The tray carriages can thus be moved, preferably in a simple and direct manner, between the zones, preferably in horizontal planes, while the loading stations are arranged vertically offset from the travel paths of the tray carriages. Likewise, as an alternative to the claimed invention, the system could also be constructed vertically instead of lengthwise. The tray carriages could then be moved vertically, with the loading stations being arranged horizontally and / or vertically offset from the vertical travel paths of the tray carriages.

[0042] In particular, a combination of the loading module according to the invention, in which trays are individually inserted, loaded with contact lenses, and stacked in sequence, can be preferred, with a wet-chemical system module in which the trays pass through individual process tanks in stacks. A discharge module can preferably be connected downstream of the wet-chemical system module, in which the individual tray stacks are removed from the stack from top to bottom and individual trays are emptied in sequence, so that the entire system adheres to the first-in, first-out principle. In other words, a tray that was first loaded with contact lenses can also have the contact lenses removed first. A corresponding discharge module, with which such a complete system can be implemented in conjunction with the loading module according to the invention, is described, for example, in German patent application DE 10 2022 132 969.0, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0043] Preferably, the system or system module according to the invention can process the trays loaded with contact lenses according to the first-in, first-out principle. This can ensure (preferably in particular in conjunction with other system modules, as described above) that contact lenses pass through the production process within a constant period of time. This can preferably ensure that each contact lens can be produced with process parameters that are as similar as possible, thus achieving consistent quality for all contact lenses. In addition, the first-in, first-out principle can lead to order changes or conversions of the production system to other product types to be produced being carried out in an orderly and time-efficient manner. Within the scope of the invention, the first-in, first-out principle can preferably be observed in particular only for loading the trays with contact lenses, i.e. with regard to trays loaded with contact lenses.The tray lid can preferably be pushed through the system or system module without regard to the first-in, first-out principle. In particular, the tray lid can preferably be pushed through the system or system module while trays that were previously fed into the system module are already in the first and / or second loading station.

[0044] The invention further relates to a method for loading trays with contact lenses and stacking the trays for further processing. The method according to the invention comprises one or more of the following steps:

[0045] (a) Positioning of a tray lid in a stack handling system of a transfer zone;

[0046] (b) positioning a tray from a first loading station in the stack handling system;

[0047] (c) Positioning a tray from a second loading station in the stack handling system.

[0048] Preferably, trays from the first loading station can be loaded with contact lenses from a first lot and trays from the second loading station can be loaded with contact lenses from a second lot.

[0049] Process steps (b) and (c) can preferably be carried out alternately, more preferably with step (a) being carried out first and / or with a stack being built up during stack handling having a tray lid on top. This preferably allows a stack of trays, protected, for example, by a tray lid against dirt, to be built up from top to bottom. Top-to-bottom construction can preferably be advantageous, since subsequent removal of individual trays can then take place from top to bottom according to the first-in, first-out principle.

[0050] The method according to the invention may further comprise one or more of the following steps:

[0051] (d) provision of a tray lid in a staging area;

[0052] (e) receiving the tray lid from a first conveyor element;

[0053] (f) provision of a first tray in the provisioning zone;

[0054] (g) receiving the first tray from a second conveyor element;

[0055] (h) positioning the first tray in the second loading station;

[0056] (i) provision of a second tray in the staging area;

[0057] (j) picking up the second tray from the first conveyor element; (k) positioning the second tray in the first loading station.

[0058] The method according to the invention can preferably be implemented with the first conveyor element and the second conveyor element being moved horizontally on vertically offset transport paths. Further preferably, in at least one sequence of the method, a tray loaded with contact lenses and an empty tray can be positioned and moved simultaneously on at least one conveyor element.

[0059] The method according to the invention can preferably be a method for operating the plant according to the invention.

[0060] Preferably, the first and / or second conveying element can be a horizontal conveying element, more preferably a tray carriage. Particularly preferably, the first and / or second conveying element can be a tray carriage with two tray receptacles.

[0061] The method preferably comprises the direct transport of an empty tray or tray lid, which forms the uppermost element in a stack formed by stack handling, from the supply zone to the transfer zone. In other words, the method preferably comprises the transport of an empty tray or tray lid without the conveyor element with the empty tray or tray lid stopping or pausing on the route between the supply zone and the transfer zone.

[0062] The trays, preferably the first and second trays, can preferably be loaded with contact lenses in the loading stations. More preferably, a tray in the first or second loading station can be completely loaded with contact lenses within a time interval of 60 seconds, preferably 50 seconds, and more preferably 40 seconds. Contact lenses can thus preferably be produced economically, time-efficiently, and / or with consistent quality. Furthermore, the trays that are or have been loaded with contact lenses can preferably be fed through the system according to the first-in, first-out principle. Particularly preferably, step (f) can be carried out before step (i), and step (c) can preferably be carried out before step (b). The first-in, first-out principle is preferably met if a tray that was loaded with contact lenses first is introduced into the transfer zone first or is arranged in a stack above a subsequent tray.By adhering to the FIFO principle, the high quality standards in contact lens production can be maintained and / or the quality losses that contact lenses suffer at certain points in the production process as soon as they are exposed to the ambient air can be reduced to a minimum.

[0063] In the process, steps (g), (h), and (c) and / or steps (j), (k), and (b) can preferably be carried out within a total time interval of 110 seconds, preferably 90 seconds, particularly preferably 65 seconds. Adhering to the preferred time interval can preferably increase the cost-effectiveness of production and / or the quality of the contact lenses produced.

[0064] The terms "simultaneously" or "simultaneously" can preferably be defined such that a time interval of less than 3 seconds, preferably less than 1 second, particularly preferably less than 0.1 seconds is defined by one of the terms.

[0065] The method according to the invention can preferably be implemented in such a way that in one or in each loading zone a loading lift moves a tray from a tray carriage to a loading level of a loading station, i.e. a loading station is loaded with a tray using the loading lift, and after loading the tray carriages can be moved horizontally along their transport paths, e.g. underneath the loading level, while the tray or trays are loaded with contact lenses in the loading stations. The free mobility of the tray carriages is preferably particularly advantageous in order to be able to remove the trays vertically from the loading stations and to adhere to the first-in, first-out principle. In addition, a tray lid or an empty tray serving as a lid can preferably be transported directly to the transfer zone, even while a tray is in a loading station.This allows the process to be particularly economical, as times in which no tray is in a loading station can be minimized and, preferably, both the FIFO principle and solder purity are still guaranteed.

[0066] Preferably, within the scope of the method, stacks of a type I and a type II can be formed alternately, wherein the stacks of type I have a tray covered with a lid (or an empty tray) from a first production batch (or from a first loading station) at the top and the stacks of type II have a tray covered with a lid from a second production batch (or from a second loading station) at the top.

[0067] The present invention further includes the following aspects:

[0068] 1. A system with a staging zone, at least a first and a second loading zone, at least one first waiting zone, at least one transfer zone, and at least two tray carriages, wherein: each loading zone has at least one loading station and at least one loading lift; each transfer zone has at least one stack handling device; and the tray carriages can be moved horizontally on vertically offset transport paths. 2. A system according to aspect 1, wherein the first waiting zone is arranged between the second loading zone and the transfer zone and / or wherein the staging zone is adjacent to the first loading zone.

[0069] 3. System according to aspect 1 or 1, wherein the first and / or the second tray carriage has at least two tray receptacles, each of which is suitable for receiving a tray or tray lid, wherein the tray can be loaded in one of the loading zones.

[0070] 4. System according to one of the preceding aspects, wherein the tray carriages can travel to all zones of the system and / or wherein the first and / or the second tray carriage can transport a tray lid and / or a tray from the provision zone to the transfer zone.

[0071] 5. System according to one of the preceding aspects, wherein the first and / or second loading station is suitable for receiving a tray and has an interface to a first or second loading handling device and is preferably configured such that the first and / or the second loading handling device can operate in a horizontal loading plane which is vertically offset from a transport path, preferably wherein the loading plane lies above the transport paths.

[0072] 6. System according to one of the preceding aspects, wherein the first and / or the second loading station has a pressing unit, preferably, wherein the pressing unit has a pressing plate with a flat surface and / or the loading lift, wherein the pressing plate is particularly preferably located in the horizontal loading plane.

[0073] 7. System according to one of the preceding aspects, wherein the first and / or the second loading station have a shutter, preferably wherein the shutter is arranged above the loading level, and wherein the shutter at least partially covers an upper side of a tray located in the loading station in at least one operating point of the system.

[0074] 8. Installation according to one of the preceding aspects, wherein the loading lift can be moved between a horizontal base plane and the loading plane, preferably in a vertical direction, wherein the base plane is vertically offset from a transport path, preferably wherein the base plane lies below the transport paths.

[0075] 9. System according to one of the preceding aspects, wherein the loading lift has a plate which is arranged below a tray holder of the loading lift in such a way that the plate extends at least partially below a tray to be picked up, preferably in such a way that the plate covers an area below a tray to be picked up, which covers at least the section of the tray in which it is intended to place objects.

[0076] 10. Plant according to one of the preceding aspects, wherein the provision zone has a manipulator, preferably wherein the manipulator is suitable for moving a tray or a tray lid into a horizontal transport plane in which the transport path of the first or the second tray carriage is arranged, further preferably wherein the manipulator is a tray lift.

[0077] 11. System according to one of the preceding aspects, wherein the tray receptacles of the first tray carriage have a first distance from one another which corresponds to the horizontal distance of a tray lift in the provision zone to the first loading lift in the first loading zone and preferably wherein the tray receptacles of the second tray carriage have a second distance from one another which is less than or equal to the first distance.

[0078] 12. System according to one of the preceding aspects, wherein the first and the second loading lift and / or at least one tray carriage are suitable for receiving trays with a tray width and / or tray length of 200 mm to 800 mm, preferably of 300 mm to 600 mm, particularly preferably of 400 to 500 mm.

[0079] 13. System according to one of the preceding aspects, wherein the first loading lift and the second loading lift are spaced apart from one another by at least the width or the length of a tray and / or wherein the system has a second waiting zone arranged between the first and the second loading zone.

[0080] 14. System according to one of the preceding aspects, wherein the first and / or second tray carriage are coupled to a drive on a first side of a vertical plane defined by the first and / or second transport path, and the tray lift and / or the first and / or second loading lift are coupled to a drive on a second side of the vertical plane. 15. System according to one of the preceding aspects, wherein the transfer zone has a stack handling system suitable for building a stack of trays and tray lids.

[0081] 16. Installation according to aspect 15, wherein the stack handling is suitable for building a stack from top to bottom, preferably wherein the underside of the stack can remain in the same plane during the entire stack building process and / or wherein the underside of the stack is in the same plane regardless of the number of trays in the stack.

[0082] 17. System according to one of the preceding aspects, wherein the tray carriages and / or the transport paths are vertically offset by at least one tray height, preferably by at least 30 mm, particularly preferably by at least 50 mm, and can be moved horizontally.

[0083] 18. System according to one of the preceding aspects, wherein the tray which is first transferred from the staging zone to a tray carriage is also first introduced into the transfer zone and / or can also be first passed through the system.

[0084] 19. Installation according to one of the preceding aspects, wherein in the first loading station only objects from a first lot are handled and in the second loading station only objects from a second lot are handled, wherein the first tray carriage does not transport any trays from the second loading station and the second tray carriage does not transport any trays from the first loading station.

[0085] 20. Installation according to one of the preceding aspects, wherein a stack formed in the transfer zone always has a tray lid on top and trays from the first loading station and from the second loading station alternately underneath.

[0086] 21. A method for loading trays with contact lenses and stacking the trays for further processing, comprising:

[0087] (a) Positioning of a tray lid in a stack handling system of a transfer zone;

[0088] (b) Positioning a tray from a first loading station in the stack handling system; (c) Positioning a tray from a second loading station in the stack handling system.

[0089] 22. Method according to aspect 21, wherein trays from the first loading station are loaded with contact lenses from a first lot and wherein trays from the second loading station are loaded with contact lenses from a second lot.

[0090] 23. Method according to one of aspects 21 or 22, wherein steps (b) and (c) take place alternately, preferably wherein step (a) takes place first and / or wherein a stack which is built up in stack handling has a tray lid on top.

[0091] 24. Method according to any one of aspects 21 to 23, further comprising one or more of the following steps:

[0092] (d) provision of a tray lid in a staging area;

[0093] (e) receiving the tray lid from a first conveyor element;

[0094] (f) provision of a first tray in the provisioning zone;

[0095] (g) receiving the first tray from a second conveyor element;

[0096] (h) positioning the first tray in one of the loading stations, preferably in the second loading station;

[0097] (i) provision of a second tray in the staging area;

[0098] (j) receiving the second tray from the first conveyor element;

[0099] (k) Positioning the second tray in one of the loading stations, preferably in the first loading station.

[0100] 25. Method according to one of aspects 21 to 24, wherein the first and / or second conveying element is a tray carriage with two tray receptacles.

[0101] 26. A method according to any one of aspects 21 to 25, wherein the method is a method for operating a plant according to any one of aspects 1 to 20.

[0102] 27. The method according to any one of aspects 21 to 26, wherein the trays are moved through the system according to the first-in-first-out principle and / or wherein step (f) is performed before step (i) and wherein step (c) is performed before step (b). 28. The method according to any one of aspects 21 to 27, wherein a tray is completely loaded with contact lenses in the first or second loading handling within a time interval of 60 seconds, preferably 50 seconds, and more preferably 40 seconds.

[0103] 29. Method according to one of aspects 24 to 28, wherein steps (g), (h), and (c) and / or steps (j), (k) and (b) are carried out within a time interval of a total of 110 seconds, preferably 90 seconds, particularly preferably 65 seconds.

[0104] 30. Method according to one of aspects 21 to 29, wherein the first conveyor element and the second conveyor element are moved horizontally on vertically offset transport paths.

[0105] A preferred embodiment of the invention is described below with reference to the following figures. The figures show:

[0106] Fig. 1 shows an exemplary schematic representation of a system module according to the present invention

[0107] Fig. 2 a type I stack with 23 loaded trays of two lots and a tray lid, which can be assembled in the transfer zone 7 of the system module of Figure 1;

[0108] Fig. 3 a type II stack with 23 loaded trays of two lots and a tray lid, which can be assembled in the transfer zone 7 of the system module from Figure 1.

[0109] Figure 1 schematically shows an exemplary structure of a system or a system module 1 according to the present invention.

[0110] The system module 1 comprises a staging zone 2, a first loading zone 3, a second loading zone 5, a first waiting zone 6, and a transfer zone 7. A first tray carriage 8 and a second tray carriage 9 can be moved in corresponding transport planes in the horizontal direction, here the x-direction, between the staging zone 2 and the transfer zone 7.

[0111] The first tray carriage 8 has a first tray receptacle 81 (in Figure 1, the left tray receptacle of the tray carriage 8) and a second tray receptacle 82 (in Figure 1, the right tray receptacle of the tray carriage 8). Likewise, the second tray carriage 9 has a first tray receptacle 91 (in Figure 1, the left tray receptacle of the tray carriage 9) and a second tray receptacle 92 (in Figure 1, the right tray receptacle of the tray carriage 9). Each tray receptacle 81, 82, 91, 92 of the first and second tray carriages 8, 9 is suitable for positioning a tray thereon. Preferably, a tray receptacle can be fork-shaped. Preferably, the tray receptacle can have a frame or contact points onto which a tray can be placed. More preferably, this frame or the fork shape has approximately a U or V lying in the horizontal plane (here, the xy plane).Preferably, the frame or the fork contour is open in one direction, preferably in a horizontal direction, perpendicular to the direction of travel of the tray carriage. Further preferably, the tray holder is designed such that a tray located on the tray holder can be removed from the tray holder from bottom to top, preferably by means of a lift. Further preferably, a tray holder can have a sensor or mechanical contact which is suitable for detecting whether a tray is on the tray holder. Further preferably, one or more sensors or mechanical contacts are statically arranged along the travel paths of the tray carriages on the system, preferably in each zone, wherein the sensors or contacts are preferably suitable for detecting whether a tray holder is located in their detection area and / or whether this tray holder is free or loaded with a tray.

[0112] The two tray carriages 8, 9 of the system module 1 are positioned on two different levels and can each be moved horizontally (here in the x-direction) in their own level. The two levels are spaced apart such that the first tray carriage 8 in a first transport level is vertically offset from the second tray carriage 9 in a second transport level. The two tray carriages can therefore be moved past each other by moving the first tray carriage 8 above the second tray carriage 9 or the second tray carriage 9 below the first tray carriage 8. The two tray carriages 8, 9 can therefore be moved on vertically offset transport paths. In the present exemplary embodiment, the transport path of the first tray carriage 8 (first transport path) is in the first transport level and the transport path of the second tray carriage 9 (second transport path) is in the second transport level.The vertical distance between the two tray carriages must be selected such that the tray carriages can pass each other when loaded. In this case, the vertical offset or distance between the two tray carriages corresponds approximately to twice the height of the tray. This allows the system to be compactly constructed, while still maintaining sufficient safety clearance between the tray carriages to ensure reliable operation.

[0113] The staging zone 2 comprises a manipulator, here a tray lift 21. The tray lift 21 can be moved vertically (here in the z-direction) and is suitable for picking up a tray and transporting it in the vertical direction. In the exemplary embodiment shown, a tray can be positioned in an area below the transport levels on the tray lift 21. Such a tray can, for example, be placed manually on the tray lift 21 or a tray lifter of the tray lift, or it can be fed to the tray lift 21 automatically. For example, a tray which is to be loaded with contact lenses in the system module can come from an upstream cleaning system. The tray lift 21 can place the tray in the first or second transport level onto a tray holder 81, 91 of the first or second tray carriage 8, 9. Preferably, at a time when no tray carriage 8, 9 is in the staging zone 2, the tray lift 21 can move with the tray to a level which is above the first or second transport level.second transport level. A tray carriage 8, 9 can then be moved into the provision zone 2, preferably such that the first tray holder 81, 91 of the tray carriage 8, 9 is located in the provision zone 2. The tray lift 21 can then lower a tray onto the tray holder 81, 91. Thus, a tray carriage 8, 9 can be loaded with a tray in the provision zone 2 of the system module 1.

[0114] In the exemplary embodiment shown, the manipulator in the staging zone 2 is a tray lift 21. This tray lift can have a vertical guide arranged on a first side of an xz center plane of the system module 1 that can be defined parallel to the xz plane. The tray lift can preferably be moved at an angle of between 5° and 15° to the z-axis and more preferably only in a so-called transfer area can have either a slotted guide so that a vertical lift can result, or a guide in the horizontal plane so that the horizontal offset resulting from the angle can be compensated. The transfer area is preferably the area in the immediate vicinity of the tray lift / tray carriage interface. The tray carriages 8, 9 are preferably guided accordingly on the second side of the xz center plane and / or coupled to a drive.Further preferably, the preferably fork-shaped tray receptacles 81, 82, 91, 92 of the tray carriages 8, 9 are open in the direction in which the vertical guides are arranged. This allows the tray lift 21 to be moved vertically through a tray receptacle positioned in the staging zone 2, preferably in a simple manner. Nevertheless, the invention is not limited to the use of a tray lift 21, and in other embodiments, the manipulator in the staging zone 2 can also be a different type of manipulator, for example, a multi-axis manipulator, which can preferably feed a tray to a tray carriage 8, 9.

[0115] The first loading zone 3 adjoins the staging zone 2. The first loading zone 3 has a first loading station 31 and a first loading lift 32. The loading lift 32 is preferably structurally identical or similar to the tray lift 21. At the operating point shown, the loading lift 32 is activated, i.e., moved upwards, so that the first loading station 31 is loaded with a tray. The first loading station 31 can further have a pressure plate 33. A tray can then be pressed by the loading lift 32 onto the pressure plate 33 in order to load the loading station 31. The pressure plate can be designed such that deformation of the tray is minimized or prevented when the loading station 31 is loaded. The loading lift 32 is preferably designed such that it can remove a tray from a tray holder 81, 82 of a first tray carriage 8, preferably by lifting from bottom to top.Further preferably, the loading lift 32 can be moved vertically such that the loading lift 32 can assume at least two positions. In a first "active" position, the loading lift 32 is located above the first transport level; in a second "inactive" position, the loading lift 32 is located below the second transport level. Therefore, both tray carriages 8, 9 can be moved, provided the loading lift 32 is in one of the two "active" or "inactive" positions. This is advantageous for moving trays through the system module in a time-efficient, vertically aligned, and / or first-in, first-out manner, and / or for reducing the system module's susceptibility to failure.

[0116] The first loading station 31 represents an interface to a loading handling device 34. The loading handling device 34 can be part of the system module 1 according to the invention or belong to an adjacent or separate system module and preferably only interact with the system module 1 according to the invention. In any case, a tray to be loaded in the system module 1 according to the invention can be provided at a defined interface (e.g. on the pressure plate 33) in the loading station 31 and this tray can be loaded with contact lenses by the loading handling device 34. Preferably, the loading handling device 34 has one or more suction devices, wherein each suction device can suck up a contact lens and deposit it at a defined position, e.g. in or above the tray located in the loading station 31.Preferably, the loading handling 34 has as many suction devices as there are cups in a row of the tray, so that only as many suction processes are required as the tray has rows in order to load the entire tray with contact lenses.

[0117] To ensure that contact lenses are only inserted into the designated row of cups on the tray and do not end up in a cup in a different row, for example if they accidentally fall off above this row, the loading station 31 can have a shutter (not shown). The shutter can be a plate with a slot, for example. The plate can cover all of the cups on the tray and can be arranged so that it can be moved above the pressure plate or above the tray, so that the slot can always expose a row of cups that is to be loaded. The other rows of cups remain covered by the shutter and are thus protected so that no dirt or contact lenses that accidentally fall off the loading handle 34 can get into these cups.

[0118] The system module 1 further comprises the second loading zone 5. The second loading zone 5 has a second loading station 51 and a second loading lift 52. The second loading station 51 preferably has the same structural and functional features as the first loading station 31. In particular, the second loading station 51 has an interface to a second loading handling device 54. The second loading handling device 54 preferably has the same structural features as the first loading handling device 34. The model of the second loading handling device 54 can preferably correspond to that of the first loading handling device 34. The second loading lift 52 preferably has the same properties as the first loading lift 32; more preferably, both loading lifts 32, 52 are of identical design. At the operating point of the system module 1 shown in Figure 1, the second loading lift 52 is "not active", i.e. the second loading lift 52 is located at a level below the transport levels of the tray carriages 8, 9.The transport paths of the two tray carriages 8, 9 are not obstructed by the second loading lift 52.

[0119] The main difference between the first loading zone 3 and the second loading zone 5 is that the first loading station 31 represents an interface to the first loading handling device 34, which exclusively handles contact lenses from a first lot B, and the second loading station 51 represents an interface to the second loading handling device 54, which exclusively handles contact lenses from a second lot A. This distinguishing feature can preferably depend on a corresponding coupling of the system module 1 with another upstream module, which provides contact lenses from two lots. The structure of the system module 1 is preferably optimized for handling contact lenses from two lots, as described further below.

[0120] As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the system 1 can alternatively be constructed or controlled in such a way that the first loading station 31 can interact with the second tray carriage 9 or one of its tray receptacles 91, 92, and the second loading station 51 can interact with the first tray carriage 8 or one of its tray receptacles 81, 82. Preferably, all tray carriages and loading stations can be constructed identically. Consistent assignment of a tray carriage 8, 9 to a loading station 31, 51 is particularly necessary for the transport of trays loaded with contact lenses. This applies all the more if contact lenses from different lots or of different types or qualities are placed into the trays at the loading stations 31, 51.The empty, fresh trays from the tray lift 21 can in principle be transported from any of the tray carriages 8, 9 to any of the loading stations 31, 51, although control-related advantages may arise if a sophisticated sequence of operations, such as that described in the exemplary embodiment, is followed.

[0121] The transfer zone 7 has a stack handling system 71. The stack handling system 71 comprises, in particular, a locking mechanism 711 and a tray lift 712. The tray lift 712 is particularly suitable for lifting a tray from below out of a tray receptacle 81, 82, 91, 92 of a tray carriage 8, 9 and for inserting it into the locking mechanism 711 by means of a vertical upward movement. A stack 100 can thus be formed in the locking mechanism 711. During system operation, a loaded tray that reaches the transfer zone 7 first is arranged higher up in the stack 100 than a loaded tray that only reaches the transfer zone 7 later. This implements the required first-in, first-out principle for trays loaded with contact lenses. Each new stack 100 can be started preferentially by placing a tray lid, here an unloaded, i.e. empty tray L, into the transfer zone 7.This tray L then preferably overtakes at least one tray, preferably two trays, which are already located in the first and / or second loading station 31, 51 at the time the tray L is placed on a tray carriage 8, 9 in the staging zone 2. This allows the loading stations 31, 51 to be optimally utilized. The first-in, first-out principle is preferably not relevant for the empty tray L, since it does not contain any contact lenses.

[0122] In the illustrated embodiment, the system module is designed and programmed such that a stack 100, which is formed in the transfer zone 7, consists of a total of 24 trays, of which the topmost tray is empty and forms a tray lid, and the 23 trays below are loaded with contact lenses. Once a stack 100 is fully assembled in the stack handling system, it can be transferred to a subsequent system module, for example, to a wet-chemical system module, in which the contact lenses are cleaned in stacked trays. The structure of the fully stacked stacks 100 is explained in more detail below with reference to Figures 2 and 3.

[0123] A first waiting zone 6 can be defined between the transfer zone 7 and the second loading zone 5. This waiting zone 6 is characterized by the distance between the adjacent zones. The free space between the second loading zone 5 and the transfer zone 7 can therefore be referred to as the first waiting zone 6. The first waiting zone 6 is preferably large enough to fulfill two functions: On the one hand, the first waiting zone 6 should ensure that a tray located on the second (right) tray holder 92 of the second tray carriage 9 does not block the transfer zone 7 when the second tray carriage 9 is in a position in which the first (left) tray holder 91 of the tray carriage 9 is in the second loading zone 5 or below the second loading station 51. On the other hand, a tray located on the first (left) tray holder 81 of the first tray carriage 8 shouldthe second loading station 51 does not block when the first tray carriage 8 is in a position in which the second (right) tray receptacle 82 of the first tray carriage 8 is in the transfer zone 7. In other words, the first waiting zone 6 can ensure that a tray can be removed from the first tray receptacle 91 of the second tray carriage 9 in the second loading zone 5 by means of the second loading lift 52 and a tray can be removed from the second tray receptacle 82 of the first tray carriage 8 in the transfer zone 7 by means of the tray lift 712. This preferably brings process-related advantages, in particular with regard to the first-in, first-out principle, efficient passage of the tray lid and the trays through the system module, optimal utilization of the loading stations and, finally, with regard to the implementation of a robust and fail-safe system control system.

[0124] In the exemplary embodiment shown, the first loading station 3 and the second loading station 5 are also spaced apart from one another, so that a second, optional waiting zone 4 can be defined between the two loading zones 3 and 5. The purpose of this second waiting zone 4 is in particular that the first loading station 31 and the second loading station 51 can each be loaded with one tray at the same time. It is therefore preferred that the distance between the two loading stations, i.e. the area of ​​the second waiting zone 4, is selected to be large enough that the first (left) tray holder 91 of the second tray carriage 9, which is located with the second (right) tray holder 92 below the second loading station 51, does not block the first loading station 31.This should preferably also apply with regard to the first tray carriage 8, i.e. that the first tray carriage 8, which is located with the first (left) tray holder 81 below the first loading station 31, does not block the second loading station 51. Even if alternating loading of the loading stations 31, 51 is often advantageous, such an arrangement can preferably enable a simpler system control, in particular since the control system does not have to check during operation whether a loading station or a loading lift is blocked by a tray carriage located in a predefined position (e.g. in a loading zone) and accordingly does not have to prevent individual movements in the system in order to avoid a crash.

[0125] The design and the distance between the two tray holders 81, 82 and 91, 92 of a tray carriage 8, 9 and thus the width of a tray carriage 8, 9 depends on the dimensions of the trays on the one hand and individual system components on the other. Preferably, two tray holders 81, 82 and 91, 92 are arranged on each tray carriage 8 or 9 such that the tray carriage 8 or 9 can be loaded with two trays simultaneously. In addition, it is preferred that the first tray carriage 8 is designed such that the first tray holder 81 in the preparation zone 2 can be loaded with a tray and at the same time the first loading lift 32 can remove a second tray from the second tray holder 82 or deposit it on the second tray holder 82 and thus load or clear the first loading station 31.Figure 1 shows a preferred distance a, which designates both the distance between the two tray receptacles 81, 82 of the first tray carriage and the distance between the loading lift 32 in the first loading zone 3 and the tray lift 21 in the staging zone 2 (measured from center axis to center axis in each case). Furthermore, it is preferred that the first tray carriage 8 and the second tray carriage 9 are of equal width and / or that the tray receptacles 81, 82 and 91, 92 of the first and second tray carriages 8, 9 are each at the same distance from one another. Preferably, the tray carriages 8, 9 are constructed such that each of the tray carriages could serve each of the loading stations 31, 51.

[0126] The system module shown in Figure 1 extends horizontally, which means that the individual zones are defined along a horizontal direction, in this case the x-direction. This is not intended, however, to restrict the inventive concept. Likewise, a system or a system module according to an embodiment of the invention can also extend in a different direction, in particular in the vertical direction. As a rule, a horizontal system structure is preferable because such a structure can be implemented more cost-effectively. However, boundary conditions of the premises or obstacles, e.g. due to columns, storage facilities or other systems in production halls, may dictate that at least not all zones of the system module can be provided in the same horizontal plane.

[0127] Preferably, in the system module 1, trays can be filled with contact lenses from two lots A and B and assembled into a stack 100. In the first loading zone 3, preferably only contact lenses from the first lot B are handled. Trays that were loaded with contact lenses in the first loading station 31 are therefore preferably loaded exclusively with contact lenses from lot B. Therefore, these trays are marked with a B in the figures and are referred to below as "Tray B". In the second loading zone 5, preferably only contact lenses from the second lot A are handled. Trays that were loaded with contact lenses in the second loading station 51 are therefore preferably loaded exclusively with contact lenses from lot A. Therefore, these trays are marked with an A in the figures and are referred to below as "Tray A".In the respective tray markings in the figures, a number additionally indicates—separately for each lot—the point in time at which a tray A or B was passed through the system module. A tray with a lower number was passed through before a tray of the same lot with a higher number.

[0128] The trays B are preferably moved exclusively with the first tray carriage 8. It is further preferred that only the first tray carriage 8 brings an empty tray L from the provision zone 2 into the first loading zone 3 for loading the first loading station 31. It is also preferred that the trays A are moved exclusively with the second tray carriage 9 and only the second tray carriage 9 brings an empty tray L from the provision zone 2 into the second loading zone 5 for loading the second loading station 51. This preferably reduces the risk of cross-contamination of contact lenses from both lots. A tray lid (e.g. an empty tray L) which is to be transported directly from the provision zone 2 to the transfer zone 7 can preferably be transported by both the first and the second tray carriage 8, 9. Preferably, there is no risk of cross-contamination with regard to the tray lid.

[0129] A stack 100 formed in the transfer zone 7 preferably has trays from two lots, which are arranged alternately in the stack 100. Preferably, a stack 100 has a tray lid, here an empty tray L, and underneath it, trays of lot A and trays of lot B arranged alternately, as shown in Figures 2 and 3. Preferably, two different types I and II of stacks 100 can be created in the transfer zone 7, which preferably differ in terms of the lot from which the contact lenses originate that are located in the bottommost tray and / or in the tray directly beneath the tray lid. The stacks in Figures 2 and 3 are designated 100_l and 100_l I respectively, according to their type. Each stack comprises 24 trays, with the topmost tray L being empty and forming the tray lid. Alternatively, a stack can have 23 trays, all of which are filled with contact lenses and covered with a tray lid (instead of the 24th tray).In any case, the stacks 100, which are constructed from trays A and trays B, therefore have different numbers of trays of one lot. Due to the alternating arrangement of an odd number of loaded trays from the two lots in the stack 100, the bottom loaded tray is loaded with contact lenses from the same lot as the top loaded tray. Consequently, two different stack types I and II can be classified, with one stack type having one more tray from lot A and one stack type having one more tray from lot B. Stacking two different stack types in the transfer zone can preferably be advantageous because the loading stations 31 and 51 can be regularly utilized and preferably all trays can be loaded and inserted into the stack at an approximately constant time interval, regardless of the lot and whether a stack change takes place. A preferred structure of the two stack types I and II is described in detail below.

[0130] A stack 100_l is shown in Figure 2 and comprises 12 trays of lot A, 11 trays of lot B, and one empty tray L. The bottommost tray of the stack 100_l is a tray of lot A (tray A12, shaded). Above this is a tray of lot B (tray B11, hatched). The stack 100_l is constructed in such a way that trays of lots A and B are stacked alternately. Thus, the topmost tray loaded with contact lenses is again a tray of lot A (tray A1, shaded). Above this is the tray lid (e.g., an empty tray L). This is arranged on top of the stack to prevent the contact lenses from floating in the tray below and / or to cover the trays below and, if necessary, to protect them from dirt or foreign particles from above. The positions of the trays in the stack can be numbered from bottom to top with numbers 1 to 24.In stack 100J, there are trays of lot A at positions 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, 21, 23, trays of lot B at positions 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, and an empty tray or tray lid at position 24. To satisfy the first-in, first-out principle, the stack should be built from top to bottom. The tray lid should therefore be inserted into stack 100 first, then the tray from position 23, followed by the tray from position 22, etc. Therefore, the individual trays in Figure 2 are numbered separately from top to bottom according to their lots (according to the order in which they were inserted into stack 100_l).

[0131] Stack 100_ll is shown in Figure 3 and comprises 11 trays of Lot A, 12 trays of Lot B, and one empty tray, the tray lid L. The bottommost tray of Stack 100_ll is a tray of Lot B (Tray B12, shown hatched). Above it is a tray of Lot A (Tray All, shaded). Stack 100_ll is constructed in such a way that trays of Lots B and A are stacked alternately. Thus, the topmost tray loaded with contact lenses is again a tray of Lot B (Tray A1, shown hatched). Above this is the tray lid (e.g. again an empty Tray L). This is arranged on top of the stack to prevent the contact lenses from floating in the tray below and / or to cover the trays below and, if necessary, to protect them from dirt or foreign particles from above. The positions of the trays in the stack can be numbered from bottom to top with numbers 1 to 24 as shown in Figure 2.In Stack 100_ll, however, there are trays of Lot B at positions 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, 21, 23, trays of Lot A at positions 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, and an empty tray or tray lid at position 24. To satisfy the FIFO principle, the Type II stack should also be built from top to bottom, i.e., the tray lid should be inserted into the stack first, then the tray from position 23, followed by the tray from position 22, etc. Therefore, the individual trays are also numbered separately from top to bottom in Figure 3 according to their lots.

[0132] Preferably, both a loaded tray, an empty tray, and a tray lid can each be separately referred to with the term "tray unit." Even if, in the preferred embodiment shown in the figures, the tray lid is formed by an empty tray, another component can of course also be used as the tray lid, which may be different from a tray. However, the tray lid preferably has similar length and width dimensions to a tray and is more preferably suitable for covering a tray or at least preventing contact lenses located in a tray under the tray lid from floating up.

[0133] Returning to Figure 1, a snapshot of the system module 1 according to the invention is shown in operation. At the operating point shown, the first tray carriage 8 with its first tray holder 81 is located in the staging zone 2. The tray lift 21 has already placed an empty tray L on the first tray holder 81 and has already picked up a new empty tray L. A tray B2 is already located in the first loading station 31, which is being loaded with contact lenses of lot B by the first loading handler 34. As soon as the tray is completely loaded with contact lenses, it can be placed by the first loading lift 32 onto the second tray holder 82 of the first tray carriage 8, which is already located in the first loading zone 3. The second tray carriage 9 with the second tray holder 92 is located in the second loading zone 5.The second loading lift 52 has already placed a tray A1 completely loaded with contact lenses of lot A onto the second tray holder 92 of the second tray carriage 9. An empty tray L is already located on the first tray holder 91 of the second tray carriage 9, which tray L was already picked up by the second tray carriage 9 in the staging zone 2 in a previous work step (and is now located in the second waiting zone 4). In a work step following the operating point shown, the second tray carriage 9 can be moved to the right so that the first tray holder 91 of the second tray carriage 9 is located below the second loading station 51. The second loading station 51 can then be directly reloaded with the empty tray L from the first tray holder 91 using the loading lift 52. The setup time of the second loading station 51 can thus preferably be minimal.After the second loading station 51 has been set up, the second tray carriage can then be moved with the second tray holder 92 into the transfer zone 7, and the loaded tray A1 can be removed from the second tray carriage 9 by the tray lift 712 and placed in the stack handling system 71 into the stack 100_ll, directly beneath the trays already stacked there, empty tray L and tray B1. Until this point, tray B2 in the first loading station 31 is preferably fully loaded with contact lenses. The loaded tray B2 can be removed from the first loading station 31 and placed on the second tray holder 82 of the first tray carriage 8 in a manner analogous to that described above with reference to the second loading station 51, and the first loading station 31 can be reloaded with the empty tray L from the first tray holder 81 of the first tray carriage 8, preferably in the same way as already described above for the second loading station 51.

[0134] Preferably, empty trays are alternately fed into the loading stations 31, 51, and loaded trays A and B from the loading stations 31, 51 are fed into the transfer zone 7, where they are stacked in stack handling 71 to form stacks 100_l and 100_l I, respectively. Figure 1 shows a fully stacked stack 100_l on the far right, which is already being transported to an adjacent system module. At the operating point shown, a stack 100_ll is being built up in stack handling 71. Alternating the buildup of stacks 100J and 100JI can lead to optimal utilization of the loading handling systems 34, 54 and loading stations 31, 51, respectively, while adhering to the first-in, first-out principle, and can also be advantageous for handling the trays in downstream system modules. Particularly advantageous is the possibility of transporting a tray lid with each of the two tray carriages 8, 9, as this allows each stack 100 to be built up as quickly as possible.

[0135] The described system module 1 thus advantageously enables, particularly due to the arrangement of the first waiting zone 6 in the system module 1, empty trays to be loaded with contact lenses, preferably alternately, in two loading stations. During system operation, it can be ensured that contact lenses from the first loading station can be handled separately from contact lenses from the second loading station, thus effectively preventing cross-contamination between the contact lenses from the different loading stations. Furthermore, it can be ensured that the trays loaded with contact lenses can be stacked in the transfer zone 7 within a predetermined, preferably constant, time interval.In particular, a stack formed in transfer zone 7 can be transferred to an adjacent system module, and a new stack can be built in transfer zone 7, whereby first a tray lid, in this case an empty tray, is brought by one of the tray carriages directly from the provision zone 2 into the transfer zone 7. During this time, trays can be located in the loading stations so that the efficient loading of the trays with contact lenses is not interrupted by the transport of a tray lid. The system module described can ensure that a tray that was loaded with contact lenses first is arranged above a tray that was loaded with contact lenses only subsequently in the finished stack.As a result, the FIFO principle is preferably adhered to in system module 1 and the FIFO principle can be easily maintained thanks to the specifically specified sorting in the stack, even when coupled to other system modules.

Claims

Claims 1. A system with a staging zone, at least a first and a second loading zone, at least one first waiting zone, at least one transfer zone and at least two tray carriages, wherein: each loading zone has at least one loading station and at least one loading lift; each transfer zone has at least one stack handling device; and the tray carriages can be moved horizontally on vertically offset transport paths.

2. System according to claim 1, wherein the first waiting zone is arranged between the second loading zone and the transfer zone and / or wherein the staging zone is adjacent to the first loading zone.

3. System according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first and / or the second tray carriage has at least two tray receptacles, each of which is suitable for receiving a tray or tray lid, wherein the tray can be loaded in one of the loading zones.

4. System according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the tray carriages can travel to all zones of the system and / or wherein the first and / or the second tray carriage can transport a tray lid and / or a tray from the provision zone to the transfer zone.

5. System according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the first and / or second loading station is suitable for receiving a tray and has an interface to a first or second loading handling device and is preferably configured such that the first and / or the second loading handling device can operate in a horizontal loading plane which is vertically offset from a transport path, preferably wherein the loading plane lies above the transport paths.

6. System according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the first and / or the second loading station has a pressing unit, preferably, wherein the pressing unit has a pressing plate with a flat surface and / or the loading lift, wherein the pressing plate is particularly preferably located in the horizontal loading plane.

7. System according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the first and / or the second loading station have a shutter, preferably wherein the shutter is arranged above the loading level, and wherein the shutter at least partially covers an upper side of a tray located in the loading station in at least one operating point of the system.

8. Installation according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the loading lift can be moved between a horizontal base plane and the loading plane, preferably in a vertical direction, wherein the base plane is vertically offset from a transport path, preferably wherein the base plane lies below the transport paths.

9. System according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the loading lift has a plate which is arranged under a tray holder of the loading lift in such a way that the plate extends at least partially under a tray to be picked up, preferably in such a way that the plate covers an area below a tray to be picked up, which covers at least the section of the tray in which it is intended to place objects.

10. Plant according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the provision zone has a manipulator, preferably wherein the manipulator is suitable for moving a tray or a tray lid into a horizontal transport plane in which the transport path of the first or the second tray carriage is arranged, further preferably wherein the manipulator is a tray lift.

11. System according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the tray receptacles of the first tray carriage have a first distance from one another which corresponds to the horizontal distance of a tray lift in the provision zone to the first loading lift in the first loading zone and preferably wherein the tray receptacles of the second tray carriage have a second distance from one another which is less than or equal to the first distance.

12. System according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the first and the second loading lift and / or at least one tray carriage are suitable for receiving trays with a tray width and / or tray length of 200 mm to 800 mm, preferably of 300 mm to 600 mm, particularly preferably of 400 to 500 mm.

13. System according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the first loading lift and the second loading lift are spaced apart by at least one of the width and the length of a tray and / or wherein the system has a second waiting zone arranged between the first and the second loading zone.

14. System according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the first and / or the second tray carriage are coupled to a drive on a first side of a vertical plane defined by the first and / or second transport path and the tray lift and / or the first and / or the second loading lift are coupled to a drive on a second side of the vertical plane.

15. System according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the transfer zone has a stack handling device which is suitable for building up a stack of trays and tray lids.

16. Plant according to claim 15, wherein the stack handling is suitable for building a stack from top to bottom, preferably wherein the underside of the stack can remain in the same plane during the entire stack building process and / or wherein the underside of the stack is in the same plane regardless of the number of trays in the stack.

17. System according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the tray carriages and / or the transport paths are vertically offset by at least one tray height, preferably by at least 30 mm, particularly preferably by at least 50 mm, and can be moved horizontally.

18. System according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the tray which is first transferred from the provision zone to a tray carriage is also first introduced into the transfer zone and / or can also be first passed through the system.

19. Installation according to one of the preceding claims, wherein in the first loading station only objects from a first lot are handled and in the second loading station only objects from a second lot are handled, wherein the first tray carriage does not transport any trays from the second loading station and the second tray carriage does not transport any trays transported from the first loading station.

20. System according to one of the preceding claims, wherein a stack formed in the transfer zone always has a tray lid on top and, underneath, alternating trays from the first loading station and from the second loading station.

21. A method for loading trays with contact lenses and stacking the trays for further processing, comprising: (a) Positioning of a tray lid in a stack handling system of a transfer zone; (b) positioning a tray from a first loading station in the stack handling system; (c) Positioning a tray from a second loading station in the stack handling system.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein trays from the first loading station are loaded with contact lenses from a first lot and wherein trays from the second loading station are loaded with contact lenses from a second lot.

23. Method according to one of claims 21 or 22, wherein steps (b) and (c) take place alternately, preferably wherein step (a) takes place first and / or wherein a stack which is built up in stack handling has a tray lid on top.

24. The method according to any one of claims 21 to 23, further comprising one or more of the following steps: (d) provision of a tray lid in a staging area; (e) receiving the tray lid from a first conveyor element; (f) provision of a first tray in the provisioning zone; (g) receiving the first tray from a second conveyor element; (h) positioning the first tray in the second loading station; (i) provision of a second tray in the staging area; (j) receiving the second tray from the first conveyor element; (k) Positioning the second tray in the first loading station.

25. Method according to one of claims 21 to 24, wherein the first and / or second conveying element is a tray carriage with two tray receptacles.

26. A method according to any one of claims 21 to 25, wherein the method is a method for operating a plant according to any one of claims 1 to 20.

27. The method according to any one of claims 21 to 26, wherein the trays are passed through the system according to the first-in-first-out principle and / or wherein step (f) is carried out before step (i) and wherein step (c) is carried out before step (b).

28. Method according to one of claims 21 to 27, wherein a tray is completely loaded with contact lenses in the first or the second loading handling within a time interval of 60 seconds, preferably of 50 seconds and more preferably of 40 seconds.

29. The method according to any one of claims 24 to 28, wherein steps (g), (h), and (c) and / or steps (j), (k) and (b) are carried out within a time interval of a total of 110 seconds, preferably 90 seconds, particularly preferably 65 seconds.

30. Method according to one of claims 21 to 29, wherein the first conveyor element and the second conveyor element are moved horizontally on vertically offset transport paths.

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