BECTON DICKINSON ROWA GERMANY GMBH

A system for storing and handling small piece goods is provided. The system includes a plurality of horizontal storage surfaces for storing the small piece goods and a gripper. The gripper includes a delivery table, a gripping jaw guide assembly having two gripping jaws extending over the delivery table, wherein at least one of the gripping jaws is movable in a first direction and a drive unit coupled to the gripping jaw guide assembly and configured to move the gripping jaw guide assembly in a second direction. One of the gripping jaws includes a suction device having a suction surface and an adhesive element adjacent to the suction surface, the adhesive element having an increased adhesive friction coefficient compared to a surface of the gripping jaw, wherein the suction device is configured to apply a vacuum. A picking device for small piece goods is also provided.

A method for operating a gripper includes determining a first transport attachment of a plurality of transport attachments to use for moving a piece good and determining whether the first transport attachment is fixed in a first gripping jaw of the gripper, wherein the gripper includes a drop table having at least one storage and dispensing end face; the first gripping jaw and a second gripping jaw each arranged above the drop table and fastened to a gripping jaw guide arrangement, wherein the first gripping jaw has a gripper coupler at an end portion opposite the gripping jaw guide arrangement; and a transport attachment of the plurality of transport attachments with an attachment coupler, wherein the gripper coupler and the attachment coupler interact with one another so that the transport attachment is releasably fixed at the end portion of the first gripping jaw. Grippers and transport systems are also provided.

Grippers for a picking device for drug packages and methods for operating the picking device are provided. The gripper includes a tray, a transport device arranged above the tray and configured for moving drug packages from a storage surface onto the tray, and a sensor assembly having an arcuate side surface and at least one sensor arranged below the surface of the sensor assembly. Systems and methods of a gripper are also provided.

A storage container for a storage and dispensing station for pharmaceuticals is provided. The storage container includes a housing, which encloses a receptacle chamber having a guide section, wherein an inner wall of the guide section defines a circular-cylindrical guide chamber. A singulating unit is arranged in the guide section of the housing having a central axis of rotation. The singulating unit has a main section and multiple projections, wherein each projection has two end sections and a middle section. One pharmaceutical duct is formed between each two end sections of adjacent projections, wherein the middle sections of the projections are recessed and one or both end sections of each projection bear on the wall of the guide section. Gaps between the singulating unit and the inner wall allow pharmaceutical dust to fall through to avoid pharmaceutical dust formed during singulation causing increased friction between the singulating unit and the wall of the storage container.

The present invention relates to a method and to an order-picking apparatus for assembling consumable materials in the form of portions and packages on the basis of assembly orders in a target container. Known methods and order-picking apparatuses cannot be used for order-picking assembly orders comprising portions and packages. According to the invention, a) an assembly order is analyzed, and b) a package is picked up at a storage location and fed to a target container. In a step c1), a storage container is picked up using the operating device and fed to a provision location, where a defined quantity of portions is removed from the storage container using a gripper. The gripper is then moved to the target container, and a portion is fed to the target container. The storage container is then fed back to a storage location by means of the control unit.

A method of operating a storage and dispensing station for drug portions includes rotatably disposing a singulating device in a storage container, providing, with a conductor device, an electrically conductive coupling between the singulating device and a contact, and dissipating an electrical charge from the singulating device.

Separating devices for a blister tube include a blister tube feed device comprising a first transport means and an associated first transport means bearing, a blister discharging device arranged downstream of the blister tube feed device and comprising a second transport means and an associated second transport means bearing, a first drive coupled to the first transport means, and a second drive coupled to the second transport means, and a control device coupled to the first and second drives, the control device configured to temporarily exert a tensile force on the second portion of the blister tube in the transport direction with the aid of the second transport means, the tensile force being dimensioned in such a way that the second portion of the blister tube is separated from the first portion of the blister pouch at a separation aid. Methods and packaging devices using separating devices are also provided.

A packaging apparatus for small piece goods, the use of the packaging apparatus, and a method for producing a blister tube are provided. The packaging apparatus includes a packaging material guiding device for providing a shaped packaging material web suitable for receiving small piece goods, a longitudinal joining device which is arranged downstream of the packaging material guiding device and a transverse joining device which is arranged downstream of the packaging material guiding device. The transverse joining device joins the shaped packaging material web together at predetermined intervals transversely to the direction of travel to form a transverse joining area. The transverse joining device includes two joiners, a first joiner having a plurality of embossers that are individually movable transversely to the direction of travel and are arranged so that they can be extended from the first joiner and retracted into the first joiner.

Grippers for a picking device for drug packages and methods for operating the picking device are provided. The gripper has a tray having an end portion with an arcuate front, the end portion forming a loading and unloading front. The gripper further includes a transport device arranged above the tray and configured for moving drug packages from a storage surface onto the tray, and at least one sensor arranged in the end portion of the tray and configured to determine a presence of a drug package in a detection area of the at least one sensor.

Separating devices for a blister tube include a blister tube feed device comprising a first transport means and an associated first transport means bearing, a blister discharging device arranged downstream of the blister tube feed device and comprising a second transport means and an associated second transport means bearing, a first drive coupled to the first transport means, and a second drive coupled to the second transport means, and a control device coupled to the first and second drives, the control device configured to temporarily exert a tensile force on the second portion of the blister tube in the transport direction with the aid of the second transport means, the tensile force being dimensioned in such a way that the second portion of the blister tube is separated from the first portion of the blister pouch at a separation aid. Methods and packaging devices using separating devices are also provided.