Method for operating a picking device for medicaments and a picking device for carrying out said method
AssigneeBecton Dickinson Rowa Germany GmbH
InventorDennis Holzhäuser
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system having a picking device for medicaments are provided. The system including a picking device that includes a movement space, an optical detection device and a control device. The system also includes a memory and a processor configured to create an image of the movement space, compare predefined areas of the image of the movement space with corresponding areas of a reference image, determine that an obstacle is present in a detected portion of the movement space based on the image comparison and provide corresponding signals for responding to the obstacle. A machine-readable medium for operating picking devices for medicaments is also provided.
Claims14
A system for handling medicament packages, comprising:
- a picking device;
- a movement space between parallel rows of multiple levels of shelves;
- a horizontal guide disposed on only one side of the movement space along a bottom of one of the parallel rows of multiple levels of shelves;
- a vertical guide disposed to move along the horizontal guide;
- an optical detection device;
- and
- a control device, comprising:
- a memory storing instructions;
- and
- at least one processor configured to execute the instructions to:
- create an image of the movement space;
- compare predefined areas of the image of the movement space with corresponding areas of a reference image;
- determine that an obstacle is present in a detected portion of the movement space based on the image comparison;
- provide corresponding signals for responding to the obstacle;
- determine a storage area on one or more of the parallel rows of shelves is blocked by an obstacle based on a determined position and size of the obstacle;
- mark one or more storage spaces of the determined storage area that are blocked by the obstacle as not accessible;
- and
- operate the picking device such that medicament packages stored at the marked one or more storage spaces cannot be removed when the obstacle is bypassed by an operating device within the picking device.
A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium comprising instructions thereon that, when executed by a machine, causes the machine to perform operations comprising:
- creating an image of a movement space between parallel rows of multiple levels of shelves of a system having a picking device, a horizontal guide disposed on only one side of the movement space along a bottom of one of the parallel rows of multiple levels of shelves and a vertical guide moveably disposed on the horizontal guide;
- comparing predefined areas of the image of the movement space with corresponding areas of a reference image;
- determining that an obstacle is present in a detected portion of the movement space based on the image comparison;
- providing corresponding signals for responding to the obstacle;
- determining a storage area on one or more of the parallel rows of shelves is blocked by an obstacle based on a determined position and size of the obstacle;
- marking one or more storage spaces of the determined storage area that are blocked by the obstacle as not accessible;
- and
- operating the picking device such that medicament packages stored at the marked one or more storage spaces cannot be removed when the obstacle is bypassed by an operating device within the picking device.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.