EP3340197A1 - Goods dispensing system and automatic goods dispensing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a goods issue system for storing and automatically dispensing goods having the following features: a) the goods issue system has at least one automatic pay station, which has a plurality of storage compartments, b) the goods issue system has at least one control device for controlling the goods issue from the goods issue machine, which may comprise a computer, c) the goods issue system has at least one manual code reader which is set up for reading machine-readable identification codes into the control device, d) the control device is set up to uniquely identify a particular storage compartment or a category of storage compartments containing the particular storage compartment when storing goods in a specific storage compartment via the code reader, in relation to other storage compartments or categories of storage compartments Store assignment to an additional code and / or transfer it by means of a data transmission device to an enterprise resource planning system, e) the goods issue system has at least one input means for inputting a goods request code for requesting the goods stored in the specific storage compartment by a collector, f) the control device is set up to recognize a correct association between a goods request code entered via the input device and the additional code and, if correctly assigned, to make the goods stored in the specific storage compartment or in a storage compartment coupled thereto accessible to a collector.

Description

The invention relates to a goods issue system for storing and automatically dispensing goods according to claim 1 and 2. The invention further relates to an automatic dispensing machine for storing and automatically dispensing goods according to claim 15. The goods may have items of all kinds. The invention is particularly suitable as a merchandise dispensing system for pharmacy articles, e.g. Medications.

A system for automated output of goods is from the DE 20 2009 011 994 U1 known. In such systems, the storage of goods in a vending machine for the user, eg an employee of a shop, in which the goods issue system is used, relatively complex, since the system must be communicated in various steps, which goods are stored in which storage bins, and a link must be established with associated pickup codes.

The invention has for its object to simplify the storage of goods for the user.

This object is achieved by the invention defined in claim 1. The invention has the advantage that the user does not have to enter the various data which are required for the storage of goods in storage compartments and their correct data-related assignment as before on different operating elements or operating devices. Instead, when storing goods in a particular storage compartment, a machine-readable identification code uniquely identifying the storage compartment can be read in via a code reader. In this way, the information about the particular storage compartment in connection with the goods stored therein can be communicated to the goods issue system, without the user having a must use separate keyboard or similar. In addition, a link with an additional code, which has an assignment to a goods request code for picking up the stored goods, can be produced automatically via the goods issue system. The additional code can also be read in via the code reader, eg by scanning the goods request code. This also requires this sub-step of the goods storage no operation of separate control devices.

The issue machine can e.g. be trained as a picker. In this case, no personal pickup code is required for the issue or collection of a stored product, only a different goods issue code specifying the desired goods must be entered.

Depending on the type of vending machine or other features of the dispensing system, e.g. when used as order picker, the manually inserted goods can also be re-sorted internally. Such an automatic re-sorting of the goods is then automatically noted by the control device, so that a correct assignment to the goods request code can be made when the goods are picked up.

For the purposes of the invention, therefore, in features e) and f) of claim 1, the issue or making available of the goods requested by the goods request code does not necessarily have to be effected by outsourcing from the same particular storage compartment used for the storage of the goods. Rather, even with temporary re-sorting of the stored in the particular storage compartment goods in another, used for permanent storage storage the outsourcing of goods from this other storage compartment done.

The object mentioned above is therefore achieved by the invention defined in claim 2. Here, too, the advantages explained above are realized. In this case, the goods issue system has at least two possible storage positions at which transport devices or movable storage compartments of the goods issue system are located. At such storage positions, the goods can be stored. When reading the storage position codes on the code reader thus the filler of the goods issue system can manually at least one of scan at least two possible storage locations where there are transport or moving storage bins. In such a system, the requesting of stored goods can take place, for example, via a merchandise management system which transfers the goods requisition code to the goods issue system. In this case, it is not the pickup, ie a person, who enters the goods requisition code, but the merchandise management system.

On the other hand, in the invention according to claim 1, the person to be picked up as a person can directly receive the goods request code, e.g. a personal pickup code. The goods are then automatically provided so that the collector can remove them.

The manual code reader is a manually manageable element of the system according to the invention. In this way, the code reader can be manually aligned to different goods and different storage positions or storage compartments to read each of their identification codes. The code reader may e.g. be designed as a scanner, e.g. as a manual portable scanner (hand scanner). For example, the code reader may be implemented as an optical code reader, e.g. as a barcode reader. In this way, further steps in the storage of goods can be carried out with one and the same code reader, such as e.g. the scanning of a barcode attached to the goods. Thus, no change of the operating device is required for this purpose. The user can thus perform a plurality of steps with one and the same code reader.

The code reader may have further functionalities, eg a display device for displaying data, eg in the form of a display or a screen. The code reader may also have an operating means or a plurality of operating means. About the or the control means can make a user of the code reader certain accompanying inputs, eg tell the goods issue system for which storage compartments allocations to goods or reservations should be made, or to change or delete such storage compartment allocations and / or reservations.

The storage position code read in via the code reader can e.g. that identify a particular storage bin and in this case be a storage bin code. The storage location code may also be an identification for a category of storage compartments containing the particular storage compartment. As such category of storage compartments, e.g. a certain level when viewed in several levels one above the other or side by side storage bins are considered. A category of storage compartments may also be formed by storage compartments having another common storage compartment feature, such as storage compartments. a common bin size feature, e.g. same height, width and / or depth of the storage compartment.

The storage location code may be any machine-readable identification code, e.g. a bar code, a plain text label or the code of an electronic identification device. The storage position code may e.g. be arranged directly on a storage compartment or it may be arranged on each storage compartment a separate storage position code, e.g. in the form of a bar code sticker, machine readable label or electronic identification means, e.g. an RFID transponder. The storage location code may also be separate, i. be kept away from the respective storage compartments. If categories of storage compartments are selected, for example, via a common storage compartment size feature, a template can be provided to the user with whose help the user can select a suitable storage compartment size by creating an article to be stored and accordingly determine the desired category of storage compartments. The controller then selects a suitable free storage compartment of the vending machine.

The commodity request code may be a code specifying the desired commodity in some way, eg a commodity identification code. The commodity request code may be or include a personal fetch code. The personal pickup code for picking up the stored goods can be, for example, a personal identification code (pin code). In particular, the personal pickup code for each individual pickup operation can be clearly determined from other pickup codes, so that a high level of security can be ensured when assigning the correct goods to the pickup code.

The goods request code or additional code, which in a certain way has an association with the goods requisition code, can be set and stored at the same time as goods are being stored in a specific storage compartment or transmitted to a merchandise management system. The corresponding goods request code can accordingly be transmitted to the collector, e.g. by data transmission e.g. in the form of an e-mail, SMS or similar electronic transmission. The commodity request code can also be obtained in a conventional manner e.g. be provided as a paper printout.

As mentioned above, a clear assignment exists between the goods request code and the additional code, which allows the control device to check the correctness of the assignment when a stored product is retrieved by a pickup by means of the goods request code. The assignment rule may be more or less complex, depending on the design, e.g. by an error-detecting coding. In the simplest case, the goods request code can be the same as the additional code.

The cash dispenser can in particular have protected against unauthorized access storage compartments. This can e.g. be realized in that a storage compartment or a category of storage compartments has an automatic unlockable closure door and unlocks this closure door automatically only if the correct association between the commodity request code and the additional code is detected. It can also be provided that the goods issue system has a special goods issue, e.g. a central pick-up compartment, and the goods stored in a specific storage compartment goods is transported to the goods receiving point accessible by the collector only if the correct association between the goods request code and the additional code has been recognized.

For this purpose, for example, for one, several or all automatically identifiable storage compartments or categories of storage compartments, the goods issuing machine can have a front automatically unlockable closing door which is directed to the outside of a shop in which the goods issuing system is operated.

The goods issue system can be designed such that all or a part of the storage compartments of the goods issuing machine are arranged movably within the goods issue system, in particular within the goods issue machine. This can e.g. be realized in that the movably arranged storage compartments are part of a rotatably mounted bearing, e.g. in the form of a storage drum.

A scanner can also read in a code for the collection and making available of the goods stored in the specific storage compartment. For this purpose, e.g. the code reader mentioned in the beginning, or a separate scanner, e.g. a scanner attached to the outside of the store.

The goods issue system may have a reservation function for storage compartments, categories of storage compartments and / or for reserving a total number of storage compartments. In this way, it is possible in advance, i. Before the actual storage of goods, certain areas of the vending machine will be reserved for later storage. The reservation can also be made by means of a remote data transmission.

The object mentioned above is further achieved by a vending machine according to claim 15. Due to the fact that the dividing walls of different storage levels have different staggered end positions on the outer circumference of the rotatably mounted bearing, for a user when storing goods also without additional aids, such as e.g. Illuminate, intuitively recognizable, in which storage compartment or in which storage level the goods should be stored. The control of the vending machine then ensures that only for the storage compartment into which the storage of the goods should take place, no end side of a partition obstructs this storage process. The other storage compartments in the other storage levels are not accessible or difficult for filling by the access at least partially obstructing end sides of the partitions.

The invention will be explained in more detail by means of embodiments using drawings.

The drawings show in

FIG. 1

- A goods issue system in a schematic representation and

FIG. 2

- A rotatably mounted bearing with several superimposed storage levels and

FIG. 3

- A storage level of the warehouse according to FIG. 2 in plan view and

FIG. 4

- A front view of a vending machine and

FIG. 5

- A rotatably mounted bearing with staggered storage levels.

The FIG. 1 shows an output system for the automated dispensing of goods in a shop, namely a pharmacy. The goods are, for example, medicines. The output system has an operator terminal 10, a merchandise management system 30 and a vending machine 15. The illustrated elements with the reference numerals 100 to 112 may in particular be parts of the operating terminal 10, the elements with the reference numerals 150 to 152 may be elements of the merchandise dispenser 15 and the elements with the reference numerals 300 to 305 may be elements of the merchandise management system 30. Depending on the embodiment of the invention, individual ones of these elements may also be missing in the operating terminal, in the merchandise management system and / or in the merchandise dispenser or assigned to another subsystem.

As far as the term "computer" has previously been used, in a practical implementation it may be designed in particular as a computer, e.g. as a personal computer, microcomputer or other software controlled unit.

In the area of the shop, there is a control computer 150 coupled to a control computer 100 for controlling an automated warehouse 151, for example in the form of a shelf warehouse. In the embodiment shown schematically in the drawing, the warehouse 151 can store the outsourced goods on a conveyor belt 152, wherein the conveyor belt 152 transports the outsourced goods to a goods issue point 107, which is accessible to a customer.

In the schematic representation of the drawing, 151 items of a control terminal 10 are shown above the automated warehouse, at which a customer resides to order a desired product by means of a series of predetermined inputs in appropriate input devices and receive at the goods issue 107. The operator terminal 10 has a control computer 1, to which further elements of the operator terminal 10 are coupled. These include a control console with a screen 102 or touch screen and additional input keys 101, coin acceptor / bill acceptor, credit / debit card reader and change and payment slips, a printer 111 coupled to the output bin, a video camera 104 for Monitoring of customer activities, a recipe scanner 105 and the goods issue 107.

In the drawing, a schematic arrangement of these elements and their coupling to the control computer 100 are shown. The actual arrangement of the elements results from the spatial design of the control terminal 10, which is located for example in an anteroom of the pharmacy. All customer input devices, the output devices and the goods delivery point 107 are made easily accessible to the customer and designed to be easy to use. The operator console 101, 102 may be designed, for example, like the operating unit of an ATM. The screen is advantageously designed as a touch screen or contains a representation from which the functions can be easily seen from below the screen buttons. Immediately next to the operator console, the pay machine 110 with coin slot and banknote feeder and credit card or cash card reader is arranged. The credit card reader may also be trained to be able to read insurance cards or electronically encoded recipes from corresponding cards. The payment machine also includes an output tray, such as for change, payment slips and other printouts generated by the printer 7. For example, the printouts may contain additional information about the desired drug, such as usage instructions. In the immediate vicinity of the operator console 101, 102 and the recipe scanner 105 is arranged. The recipe scanner 105 is used to capture conventional recipe printouts as well as other documents that a customer in a pharmacy usually present. The scanner 105 can also be used to scan a goods request code, for example a personal pickup code. The operator terminal is monitored by the video camera 104. All input elements of the operator terminal provide corresponding electronic signals to the control computer 100, which can further process the data. All output devices and controls are also coupled to the control computer 100 so that it can programmatically generate desired outputs. The goods issuing office is, for example, a pickup bin that is closed by a door 107 that can be operated by a controller that opens when released by the control computer 100. The goods issue can also be equipped with a disposal function 112, which can dispose of a product access the customer.

The output system further comprises the merchandise management system 30. The merchandise management system 30 has a computer 300 which is coupled to a monitor 301, a keyboard 302, a mouse 305 and a CD drive 303. With the merchandise management system 30, the user manages the goods stored in the warehouse 151 goods. The user may contact the merchandise management system 30, e.g. inform at any time about the stock of individual goods in the warehouse 151 and reorder goods if necessary. The operation of the merchandise management system 30 via computer control systems usual means of operation, namely it can be made inputs via the keyboard 302 and the mouse 305. If the monitor 301 is designed as a touchscreen, this can also be used for inputs. Incidentally, the desired data is displayed on the monitor 301, e.g. the stock of certain goods or later delivery times.

The computer 300 of the merchandise management system 30 is connected to the computer 150 of the automated warehouse 15. By transmitting certain commands from the computer 300 to the computer 150, according to inputs to the merchandise management system 30, desired goods can be transported from the warehouse 151 on the conveyor belt 152 and brought to the removal point 107 about it.

For the storage of goods in the warehouse 151, a code reader 500 is connected to the merchandise management system 30. By means of the code reader 500, machine-readable identification codes used as storage position codes e.g. are arranged on the individual storage compartments of the warehouse 151, read and supplied to the computer 300 and / or the computer 150.

The FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of a part of a vending machine, which has a rotatably mounted bearing 1 as a central storage element for the article. The bearing 1 has a rotation axis 2, via which it is rotatably mounted. The bearing 1 has a plurality of superimposed storage levels 3, in this case, five storage levels are exemplified. In each storage level 3, a plurality of storage compartments 4 is provided for the articles to be stored. The rotatably mounted bearing 1 can be rotated automatically via a drive motor 13. The drive motor 13 is coupled to the bearing 1 via a mechanical coupling, eg a chain 14, a belt or a transmission. The drive motor 13 is connected to an electronic control device 150. The control device 150 is used to control the drive motor 13 and to carry out further automatic recognition, detection and control functions of the vending machine. For this purpose, the control device 150 may, in particular, comprise a computer and / or computer on which software is executed, ie, a merchandise dispenser control software.

It can also be seen that the storage compartments 4 are separated from each other by partitions 5. The partitions 5 end at least approximately on the outer circumference of the rotatably mounted bearing. In the embodiment of the FIG. 2 all storage levels are formed with mutually aligned partitions 5. It is also possible to design the individual storage levels with mutually rotated arrangements of the partitions 5, as described below with reference to the FIG. 5 is explained.

The FIG. 3 shows an example of an advantageous division of a storage level of the bearing 1 by partitions 5 in a variety of storage compartments 4. As can be seen, is deliberately deviated from the classic "pie" division. It will Storage compartments provided with different depths, ie at different distances from the outer periphery of the bearing 1 to the rear end of the storage compartment. In this way, different sized storage compartments 4 are provided without the peripheral portions of the circular outer periphery, each defining a storage compartment, must be configured differently. This has the advantage that a removal opening 19, through which an article can be removed manually from a storage compartment 4, is suitable for all storage compartments 4. In particular, it is not necessary to work with differently sized or variable removal openings or closure doors. As can be seen, the respective partitions 5 end approximately at the outer periphery of the rotatable bearing 1 at end positions 7.

By way of example, it is shown that an article is stored in a storage compartment 4, e.g. a pickup 6. The camp 1 is located behind a front panel 8 of the automatic dispenser. For a manual removal, a removal opening 19 is provided, which is normally closed by a closure door 9. If pick-up of the pick-up item 6 has been authorized by a user correctly, e.g. by entering a commodity request code, the shutter door 9 is unlocked. The user can open the closure door 9 via a handle 11 and remove the collection article 6 through the removal opening 19.

To the inside, i. To the interior of the shop, in which the automatic teller machine is operated, the bearing 1 may be covered by a rear plate 20. In this, a slot-like filling opening 21 for filling the bearing 1 is present.

The FIG. 4 shows the goods dispenser with the bearing 1 in a plan view of a front panel 8. The front panel 8 can be mounted, for example, on the outside facade of a pharmacy or other store.

The cash dispenser is designed as a combined vending machine and automatic pickup. For the sales function, it has a payment terminal 16, which is arranged on the front panel 8. The payment terminal 16 may, for example, a keyboard 18 and have a card reader 17 for magnetic cards. On the front panel 8 five closure doors 9 are arranged one above the other, one for each storage level 3. The arranged behind the front panel 8 bearing 1 is in the FIG. 3 indicated by dashed lines, because it is not visible in itself. The closure doors can each have, for example, a handle 11 and a light indicator 12. Via the illuminated display 12, the user can be shown which closing door 9 is to be opened in order to remove the desired article. In the case of the second closing door from above, it is shown that it is open and thus the view of the storage compartment 4 is released. This is, for example, a sales item 7.

In FIG. 5 the merchandise dispenser is shown with respect to the rear panel 20 located inside the store. On the rear side, ie inside the shop, the cash dispenser can be filled with goods via a filling access. In order to indicate to the user in an automatic selection of a storage compartment in a simple way, in which storage compartment, ie, in which level, a product is to be stored, are in the goods dispenser according to FIG. 5 the partitions 5 of the individual storage levels rotated against each other, so that on the outer circumference of the rotatably mounted bearing staggered end positions 7 of the partitions 5 are present. The partitions 5 of a storage compartment located in the region of the filling opening 21 of each storage level are in the FIG. 5 represented by vertical continuous lines (at a located in the region of the filling opening 21 partition 5) and by vertical dotted lines (at a located behind the rear plate 20 partition wall 5). For the user, for example, when configuring in FIG. 5 easily recognizable that a goods to be stored should be stored in the storage compartment in the second level from above. In all other levels, a partition wall 5 at least partially blocks access to the storage compartment 4.

It can also be seen that identification means 22 for identifying the storage compartments or storage levels, for example, are provided at the goods issuing machine in the vicinity of the storage compartments 4, or in this case in the vicinity of a storage level. in the form of a barcode label. These can be detected by means of the code reader 500 and read into the goods issue system.

Claims (15)

Goods issue system for storing and automatically dispensing goods with the following characteristics: a) the goods issue system has at least one automatic pay station, which has a plurality of storage compartments, b) the goods issue system has at least one control device for controlling the goods issue from the goods issue machine, which may comprise a computer, c) the goods issue system has at least one manual code reader which is set up for reading machine-readable identification codes into the control device, d) the controller is arranged to uniquely identify a particular storage compartment or a category of storage compartments containing the particular storage compartment in storage bin goods or storage bin categories when storing goods in a particular storage compartment via the code reader; Store assignment to an additional code and / or transfer it by means of a data transmission device to an enterprise resource planning system, e) the goods issue system has at least one input means for inputting a goods request code for requesting the goods stored in the specific storage compartment by a collector, f) the control device is set up to recognize a correct association between a goods request code entered via the input device and the additional code and, if correctly assigned, to make the goods stored in the specific storage compartment or in a storage compartment coupled thereto accessible to a collector. Goods issue system for storing and automatically dispensing goods with the following characteristics: a) the goods issue system has at least one automatic pay station, which has a plurality of storage compartments, b) the goods issue system has at least one control device for controlling the goods issue from the goods issue machine, which may comprise a computer, c) the goods issue system has at least one manual code reader which is set up for reading machine-readable identification codes into the control device, d) the control device is adapted to a stored on the code reader storage item code when storing goods in a specific storage position of at least two possible storage positions in which the transport storage or movable storage compartments of the goods issue system, the particular storage compartment or a category of storage compartments, those containing the particular storage compartment, clearly identified with respect to other storage compartments or categories of storage compartments, stored in association with an additional code and / or transferred by means of a data transmission device to an enterprise resource planning system, e) the goods issue system has at least one input means for inputting a goods request code for requesting the goods stored at the specific storage position, f) the control device is set up to recognize a correct association between a goods request code entered via the input device and the additional code and, if correctly assigned, to make available the goods associated with the goods request code Goods dispensing system according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the stored in the particular storage compartment or at the specific storage position and made available to a collector goods are either outsourced directly from the specific storage compartment and made accessible or, if a transfer of this product has been made to another storage compartment, is outsourced from the other storage compartment and made accessible. Goods dispensing system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the control device is adapted to determine and output the goods code associated with the additional code. Goods issue system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that - the goods request code is equal to the additional code and / or - The additional code is an identification feature of the goods to be stored or that the additional code is the storage position code itself
and or - the goods request code is a personal pickup code or has this
and or - The storage location code identifies a category of storage compartments that correspond to one of these levels in multi-level, stacked or side-by-side storage bins
and or the stock item code identifies a category of storage bins having a common bin size feature
and or - An identification means having the storage position code at the goods issuing machine in the vicinity of the storage compartment uniquely identified by the storage position code, which is uniquely identified by the storage position code category of storage compartments or any other storage position at which the goods are stored. Goods dispensing system according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the identification means is visibly attached to the outer wall of the goods dispenser facing the inside of a shop displaying the goods dispensing system. Goods issue system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that - The code reader is designed as a portable hand-held scanner unit or has such.
and or - The code reader is set up to automatically read in the additional code
and or - The code reader is adapted to perform an automatic data communication with a merchandise management system of a shop in which the goods issuing machine is operated, and read in via the automatic data communication, the additional code. Goods dispensing system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that all or part of the storage compartments of the goods issuing machine are arranged movably within the goods issue system. Goods issue system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that also for the collection and accessibility of the stored goods, a scanner can read a code. Goods issue system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the goods issue system has a reservation function for storage compartments, categories of storage compartments and / or for reserving a total number of storage compartments. Goods issue system according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the reservation function can also be activated by means of a data transmission device from a location removed from the goods issue system. Goods issue system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the goods issue system has a function for deleting occupancies and / or made by means of the reservation function reservations of storage compartments. Goods dispensing system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the code reader in the structural unit has a display device, for example a display or a screen, wherein the goods issue system is adapted to display the occupancy state of the goods vending machine and / or the additional code on the display device of the code reader , Goods dispensing system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the code reader in structural unit having an operating means, wherein the goods issuing system is adapted to perform depending on an operation of the operating means by a user assignments and / or reservations of storage compartments, change or delete , A dispensing machine for storing and automatically dispensing goods having a plurality of storage compartments, in particular a dispensing machine of a goods dispensing system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the dispensing machine has as a central storage element for the goods a rotatably mounted storage with several superposed storage levels, wherein in each storage level a plurality of storage compartments are provided for the articles to be stored therein, wherein the individual storage compartments of a storage level are separated by partitions, characterized in that the partitions of different storage levels have different staggered end positions of the partitions on the outer periphery of the rotatably mounted bearing.

Images