A method for anti-collision control and assignment of missions to picking devices of a packaging line, the method comprising:
- providing the packaging line including:
- at least a first linear conveyor for inlet of items;
- at least a second linear conveyor for outlet of items;
- a plurality of picking devices, each of the picking devices being suitable to perform missions for picking items from the first linear conveyor and missions for delivery items in predetermined locations on the second linear conveyor or inside containers transported by the second linear conveyor;
- wherein each of the picking devices has a respective working area comprising a region of the first linear conveyor and a region of the second linear conveyor accessible to the respective picking device;
- wherein the picking devices are arranged to operate with shared working areas so that there is at least one region of the first and/or second linear conveyor belonging to the working areas of at least two of the picking devices;
- wherein the first linear conveyor and the second linear conveyor has a substantially linear extension along a respective direction, and having an orientation defined by a conveying direction, thus defining an upstream-downstream oriented direction;
- and
- wherein the picking devices and the respective picking or delivery locations on the first and second linear conveyors being identifiable by a control system as organized according to the oriented direction;
- assigning, via an algorithm, a pickup location or a delivery location to a generic first picking device including:
- a) verifying the existence of a pickup or delivery location already assigned to a generic second picking device and in a working area shared between the second picking device and the first picking device and, in the affirmative case, dynamically redefining the working area of the first device obtaining a new working area accessible to the first device, such that the location assigned to the second device is outside of the new and redefined working area;
- b) if necessary, repeating the acts of verifying for every one of the picking devices sharing a working area with the first picking device, and obtaining a dynamically redefined accessible working area for the first picking device;
- and
- c) assigning to the first picking device a respective pickup or delivery location belonging to the accessible working area, if there is at least one pickup location or delivery location in the area that can be assigned to the first picking device.