System and method for automatic storage and withdrawal of products with security restrictions

• US 9,260,245 B2
• Filed: 02/24/2012
• Issued: 02/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Swisslog Italia SPA (Midea Group Co., Ltd)
• Original Assignee: Swisslog Italia SPA (Midea Group Co., Ltd)
• Inventors: Este, Flavio, Vecchi, Roberto, Spagna, Lorenzo
• Primary Examiner(s): CUMBESS, YOLANDA RENEE
• Application Number:
  US14/372,132
• Publication Number:
  US 20150073585A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,453 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/137 with arrangements or automatic control means for selecting which articles are to be removed
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/1373 for fulfilling orders in warehouses
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/165 using xyz-picker or multi-dimensional article picking arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/1657 the picking arrangements using suction
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0092 for assembling and dispensing of pharmaceutical articles medical dispensers for private use, A61J7/00

Abstract

A system for automatic storage and withdrawal of products, including a storage facility with a plurality of storage locations arranged in rows and columns. A picking arrangement is selectively movable between the plurality of storage locations and a delivery location to pick one or more products contained in selected storage locations and deliver the product(s) to the delivery location according to a selected order. A computer is provided to control movement of the movable picking arrangement according to an order sequence. A number of adjacent storage locations are enclosed in an armored module having armored back, side, and top wall and a front access opening closed by a movable closure which is normally closed and which is selectively opened when the picking arrangement is to pick one or more products contained in any one of the adjacent storage locations within the armored module.

Claims

1. A system for automatic storage and withdrawal of products, comprising a storage facility, the storage facility comprising a plurality of storage locations arranged in rows and columns and at least one delivery location, a picking arrangement being selectively movable between any one of the plurality of storage locations and the at least one delivery location so as to pick one or more products contained in one or more selected storage locations and deliver said one or more products to the delivery location according to a received order, a computer for controlling the movement of said picking arrangement according to an order sequence available to the computer, said plurality of storage locations comprising a number of adjacent storage locations enclosed in an armored module having an armored back wall, armored side walls, an armored top wall and a movable armored closure, wherein said movable armored closure is normally closed and is selectively opened at the moment the picking arrangement is to pick one or more products contained in any one of said number of adjacent storage locations within the armored module, wherein each of the adjacent storage locations includes one or more adjacent shelves arranged in one or more vertical stacks, said one or more adjacent shelves having a common front access opening which is commonly closed by said movable armored closure.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein said movable armored closure is a roller shutter.

3. A system according to claim 2, wherein said roller shutter comprises an upper drum operatively connected to a motor, wherein said motor selectively rotates the upper drum in one of two rotating directions, wherein the roller shutter is attached at one end to the upper drum so that the roller shutter is selectively rolled up onto the upper drum and lifted when the picking arrangement picks one or more products contained in any one of said shelves in the armored module.

4. A system according to claim 2, further comprising an elongated guide arrangement for guiding sides of said roller shutter, said guide arrangement comprising a bulkhead arrangement disposed along a length of said guide arrangement.

5. A system according to claim 3, further comprising a locking arrangement in a lower part of said common front access opening to selectively lock a lower part of said roller shutter when the roller shutter is in a closed position, so as to prevent break-in from a bottom part of said common front access opening.

6. A system according to claim 5, wherein said locking arrangement comprises an engagement member connected to an actuator, wherein the engagement member is adapted to engage a portion of said lower part of said roller shutter, wherein the actuator is operatively connected to said computer such that the actuator is selectively actuated to release the engagement member and allow opening of said roller shutter.

9. A method for the automatic storage and withdrawal of products, according to a received order, the products being contained in a system according to claim 1, said method comprising the retrieval of products with security restrictions contained in said armored module of the storage facility, wherein the received order is available to the computer, the method comprising the steps of:

a) identifying the location position of a first one of said one or more products within the storage facility,

b) directing the picking arrangement to the identified location position,

c) if the location position is one of the adjacent location positions enclosed in the armored module, opening the movable armored closure,

d) picking the product with the picking arrangement,

e) if step c) was effected, closing the movable armored closure,

f) repeating steps (a) to (e) for each subsequent product in the received order, and

g) delivering the one or more products to the delivery location.

10. A method according to claim 9, wherein the received order contains the prescription of two or more products with security restrictions enclosed in the armored module, the method comprising a preliminary phase of rearranging the sequence of retrieval operations so as to group the retrieval of products with security restrictions from the armored module, in order to open the armored module only once during the processing of the received order, and close the armored module only just after the group of products with security restrictions has been retrieved from the armored module.

11. A method according to claim 9, wherein the step of opening the movable armored closure is performed to the extent and for the time strictly necessary for the picking arrangement to pick the product or group of products from within the armored module.

12. A method according to claim 9, comprising a preliminary step of authenticating a user, the method further comprising the steps of, for each of the products comprised in the received order:

checking whether the authenticated user is authorized to retrieve said product; and

enabling or denying the picking of the product with the picking arrangement according to the result of said checking step.

13. A method according to claim 12, wherein each product stored in the armored module has an access level code which is higher than access level codes of products stored outside the armored module.

7. A system for automatic storage and withdrawal of products, comprising a storage facility, the storage facility comprising a plurality of storage locations arranged in rows and columns and at least one delivery location, a picking arrangement being selectively movable between any one of the plurality of storage locations and the at least one delivery location so as to pick one or more products contained in one or more selected storage locations and deliver said one or more products to the delivery location according to a received order, a computer for controlling the movement of said picking arrangement according to an order sequence available to the computer, said plurality of storage locations comprising a number of adjacent storage locations enclosed in an armored module having an armored back wall, armored side walls, an armored top wall and an access front opening closed by a movable armored closure, wherein said movable armored closure is normally closed and is selectively opened at the moment the picking arrangement is to pick one or more products contained in any one of said number of adjacent storage locations within the armored module, wherein at least one of said armored back wall, said armored side walls and said armored top wall comprises:

a removable panel and a sensor operatively connected to said removable panel to detect an unauthorized panel removal.

8. A system for automatic storage and withdrawal of products, comprising a storage facility, the storage facility comprising a plurality of storage locations arranged in rows and columns and at least one delivery location, a picking arrangement being selectively movable between any one of the plurality of storage locations and the at least one delivery location so as to pick one or more products contained in one or more selected storage locations and deliver said one or more products to the delivery location according to a received order, a computer for controlling the movement of said picking arrangement according to an order sequence available to the computer, said plurality of storage locations comprising a number of adjacent storage locations enclosed in an armored module having an armored back wall, armored side walls, an armored top wall and an access front opening closed by a movable armored closure, wherein said movable armored closure is normally closed and is selectively opened at the moment the picking arrangement is to pick one or more products contained in any one of said number of adjacent storage locations within the armored module, wherein the armored back wall comprises an armored door with an anti-burglar door lock.