METHOD FOR DETECTING INCORRECT STORAGE OF MEDICATION PACKAGES

• US 20150012293A1
• Filed: 01/24/2013
• Published: 01/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CareFusion Germany 326 GmbH
• Original Assignee: CareFusion Germany 326 GmbH
• Inventors: Hellenbrand, Christoph, Reif, Dennis, Klapperich, Andreas
• Granted Patent: US 9,984,353 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/2
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/0407 using stacker cranes constructional features of stacker cranes B66F9/06
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/0421 with control for stacker crane operations
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/1371 with data records
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 2203/041 Camera
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 47/90 Devices for picking-up and depositing articles or materials
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/203 Inventory monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/10 relating to drugs or medications, e.g. for ensuring correct administration to patients
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/13 delivered from dispensers

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for detecting incorrect storage of medicament packages in a pharmacy order-picking device. Such incorrect storage can occur in the event that manual removal of medicament packages becomes necessary due to a malfunction. The pharmacy order-picking device comprises a series of shelves comprising a plurality of shelf compartments and at least one movable operating device in front of the row of shelves, wherein the operating device has a gripping device as well as a sensor. In order to detect incorrect storage, shelf compartments with potential incorrect storage of medicament packages are detected; the operating device is moved to a prescribed shelf position if a shelf compartment is detected; with the sensor switched on, the operating device moves across a detected shelf compartment in a horizontal direction, detects the storage depths at various X positions using the sensor and creates a virtual image of the actual situation on the basis of the detected storage depths; the image of the actual situation is then compared with a target image of the shelf compartment.

Claims

1. A method for detecting incorrect storage of medication packages in a pharmacy order-picking device, the method comprising:

providing a pharmacy order-picking device comprising;

at least one row of shelves having in each case a plurality of shelf bases extending in a horizontal direction (X axis) and a plurality of shelf walls extending in a vertical direction, wherein the shelf bases and the shelf walls form a plurality of shelf compartments,

at least one operating device, which is movable horizontally and vertically in front of the row of shelves, wherein the operating device comprises;

a gripping device for the storage and/or retrieval of medication packages on or from the shelf bases,

a sensor, and

a control unit coupled to the operating device,

ascertaining shelf compartments having possible incorrect storage of medication packages,

moving the operating device to a predefined shelf position at an ascertained shelf compartment,

moving an ascertained shelf compartment in the horizontal direction (X axis) using the operating device, and

ascertaining the storage depth at various X positions using the sensor,

preparing a virtual actual image of an ascertained shelf compartment based on the ascertained storage depths,

comparing the prepared actual image (AB_I) to a target image (AB_S) of the shelf compartment, and

analyzing deviations between the target image and the actual image.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein ascertaining the shelf compartments having possible incorrect storage comprises marking by a user or automatically marking after a manual retrieval of medication packages as shelf compartments having possible incorrect storage.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein ascertaining the shelf compartments having possible incorrect storage comprises, after a disturbance of the pharmacy order-picking device, marking affected shelf compartments as shelf compartments having possible incorrect storage.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the target image of the shelf compartment for the comparison to the prepared actual image is calculated on the basis of a target occupation of the shelf compartment.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the target image of the shelf compartment is prepared or updated during the storage and retrieval of medication packages in or from the shelf compartment and is loaded from a memory of the control unit for the comparison.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising, if the analysis of the deviations between the target image and the actual image has the result that a medication package is missing in the shelf compartment, the medication package is erased from the theoretical inventory stored in the control unit.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising, if the analysis of the deviations between the target image and the actual image has the result that a medication package which is not recorded in the theoretical inventory is stored in the shelf compartment, it is retrieved or identified and stored again.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising, if the analysis of the deviations between the target image and the actual image has the result that a medication package is shifted,

determining, based on the incorrect storage of the medication package, whether the shifted medication package can be retrieved using the gripping device, and

if a retrieval is possible using the gripping device, retrieving the medication package such that the package can be stored again.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising, if a retrieval is not possible using the gripping device,

determining, whether the medication package can be unambiguously assigned to a theoretically present medication package, and,

if the medication package can be unambiguously assigned to a theoretically present medication package, retrieving surrounding medication packages and then retrieving the remaining medication package such that it can be stored again.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising, if the medication package cannot be unambiguously assigned to a theoretically present medication package,

ascertaining which adjacent medication packages can be assigned to theoretically present medication packages;

retrieving all medication packages which can be assigned to theoretically present medication packages,

retrieving the remaining medication packages, identifying the remaining medication packages, and storing the remaining medication packages.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising, if medication packages cannot be retrieved using the gripping device, informing a user accordingly and prompted to perform manual retrieval.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising, after a correction of a shelf compartment having possible incorrect storage, the ascertained shelf compartment is completely traveled once again in the horizontal direction (X axis) with activated sensor and the storage depth is ascertained at various X positions using the sensor, a virtual actual image of an ascertained shelf compartment is prepared on the basis of the ascertained storage depth per X position, the prepared actual image is compared to a target image of the shelf compartment, and deviations between the target image and the actual image are analyzed.

13. A method for detecting incorrect storage of medication packages in a pharmacy order-picking device, the method comprising:

identifying a shelf compartment having possible incorrect storage of medication packages;

moving an operating device in the pharmacy order-picking device to a predefined shelf position at the identified shelf compartment;

moving the operating device, using a sensor, along a horizontal direction along the shelf compartment;

determining, using the sensor, a storage depth at a plurality of positions along the shelf compartment;

preparing a virtual actual image of the shelf compartment, based on the storage depth at the plurality of positions along the shelf compartment;

comparing the virtual actual image to a target image of the shelf compartment; and

determining deviations between the target image and the virtual actual image based on the comparison.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein identifying the shelf compartment having possible incorrect storage of medication packages comprises marking, by a user, the shelf compartment as having possible incorrect storage of medication packages.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein identifying the shelf compartment having possible incorrect storage of medication packages comprises automatically marking, after a manual retrieval of medication packages, the shelf compartment as having possible incorrect storage of medication packages.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the target image is prepared or updated during the storage and retrieval of medication packages in or from the shelf compartment and is loaded from a memory of a control unit.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

determining that a medication package is missing from the shelf compartment based on the deviations between the target image and the virtual actual image; and

erasing the medication package from a theoretical inventory stored in a control unit.

18. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

determining that a medication package which is not recorded in a theoretical inventory is stored in the shelf compartment;

retrieving the medication package or identifying the medication package; and

storing the medication package.

19. A method for detecting incorrect storage of medication packages in a pharmacy order-picking device, the method comprising:

moving an operating device, using a sensor, along a horizontal direction along a shelf compartment, the shelf compartment having possible incorrect storage of medication packages;

determining, using the sensor, a storage depth at a plurality of positions along the shelf compartment;

preparing a virtual actual image of the shelf compartment, based on the storage depth at the plurality of positions along the shelf compartment;

comparing the virtual actual image to a target image of the shelf compartment; and

determining deviations between the target image and the virtual actual image based on the comparison.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

determining that a medication package has shifted;

determining whether the shifted medication package can be retrieved using a gripping device of the pharmacy order-picking device; and

if the shifted medication package can be retrieved, retrieving the shifted medication package and storing the medication package.