APPARATUS FOR THE AUTOMATIC DISPENSING AND SEMI-AUTOMATIC REPOSITIONING OF COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS

Abstract

 The invention relates to an installation for the automatic dispensing and semiautomatic replacement of commercial products, of the type of products presented in parallelepiped boxes, such as certain pharmaceutical, electronic or food products; formed by at least one inclined shelf (8) on which the products (10) to be dispensed are located, which products are separated into lanes by adjustable guides (6) and supported one after the other as they slide over the shelf (8); at least one individual dispensing element for each lane; each dispensing element being provided with autonomous control electronics, a presence detection sensor (2), an electromagnetic actuator device (1), a front light indicator (4), a stop (11) for braking the products (10) on the inclined shelf (8) and connectors for the interconnection thereof with other dispensing elements; and at least one light indicator (13) for each lane, located at the rear part of the shelf (8), linked with a bar code reader for the bar code located on each product (10); all this such that the control electronics generates the activation of the electromagnetic actuator device (1), which raises the corresponding product (10) to be dispensed above the stop (11), causing its exit from the lane and the positioning, by gravity, of a new product on the actuator device (1); whereas the rear light indicator (13), according to the information provided by the bar code reader (26), optically notifies the lack of products in a lane, the replacement thereof and/or breakdowns.

Description

Field of the Art

[0001] The present invention relates to an installation for the automatic dispensing and semiautomatic replacement of commercial products presented in the format of a parallelepiped box, with a square or rectangular base, such as certain pharmaceutical, electronic or food products, and is indicated for distribution warehouses as well as specialized stores or pharmacies, it being possible to select a set of items from a computer and obtain them at a collection point in a reduced time and replacing the material extracted with the aid of light indicators.

Background of the Invention

[0002] Currently, in certain specialized stores such as pharmacies, electronic warehouses or hardware stores, the customer requests certain products from a qualified salesman who subsequently goes through the warehouse or shop looking for the items, which are arranged in shelves or cabinets. The form of operation of many distribution warehouses is similar, the orders of the customers, which in this case are the stores, are collected and several qualified operators must go through the warehouse, looking for the requested products until completing each order.

[0003] There are robotic solutions for the automation of these product collection processes which are aimed at distribution warehouses rather than at specialized stores. Solutions of this type consist of Cartesian robots which move on horizontally and vertically located guides in front of the shelves on which the items are located. The manipulator robot performs a movement on these guides until being placed in front of the selected item, in order to extract or deposit it.

[0004] These robots can be slow for certain warehouses with a large volume of items being dispensed, since the robot can only extract products one by one, until completing the order and depositing them at the collection point. The installation of these robots in specialized stores or pharmacies is complex due to the large volume, high power consumption and weight of the Cartesian coordinate manipulator robot. Likewise, it should be emphasized that these robots require a complex and expensive maintenance, as well as a shielding, by means of windows or other means, of the operating area of the robotic manipulator, due to the risk of injuring or causing physical damage in the event of striking a person during the movements thereof. Due to the safety installation inherent to manipulator robots of this type, it is also usually necessary for the store or warehouse to have a safety stock of certain items, preventing a possible breakdown of the manipulator robot since, for safety reasons, there is no access for people to the stock manipulated by the robot.

[0005] Other technological solutions for aiding in the warehouse material dispensing and replacement process consists of using PDA-type hand-held portable computers, by means of which the operator can access a database showing information relating to where the products are located inside the warehouse.

[0006] United States patent number 5,141,128 discloses a type of vertical dispenser which can deposit products on a conveyor belt, such that multiple vertical dispensers can be operated simultaneously in an installation in order to deposit the products. This system requires a mechanism occupying a volume greater than the size of the products which are housed and the replacement must be carried out manually without the aid of indicator devices, its installation in specialized stores being very complex. Other patents with applications for dispensing products, such as European patent EP 1 357 526 A2, disclose a system in which the products of each type are housed on a horizontal shelf arranged between separators and which is operated by a mechanism which moves until operating the shelf to carry out the exit of a product. This system must dispense items of various types individually, since it has a single operating element which moves over the various horizontal shelves. Most of the dispensing systems with these features are aimed at the development of slow vending-type dispensing machines than at the automation of automatic storage processes with large product volume and speed requirements.

Technical Problem Considered

[0007] It would therefore be desirable in distribution warehouses and specialized stores to have a type of automatic installation that was capable of dispensing, simultaneously and at a high speed, all the items requested by a customer. Furthermore, this installation must be safe for operators in order to be able to always manually access the automated warehouse, without requiring safety stocks in the event of breakdowns and it must not need a large volume of space, being able to be installed in a distributed and modular manner; with a simple and cost-effective maintenance, without needing highly qualified technicians; and it must be ecological, with a low power consumption and reduced weight. This type of installation must be configurable to the dimensions and particularities of each type of product and warehouse or store. It must also have semiautomatic systems for aiding in the replacement of the items which are automatically extracted.

Description of the Invention

[0008] The present invention discloses a type of installation based on mechanical/electronic devices which are distributed along inclined shelves having adjustable lanes to locate each type of item. A light indicator for each lane is placed at the rear part of the shelf, which light indicator is used to show the location of each product in the replacement process and notifies the lack of products in a lane. The dispensing devices have control electronics allowing them to be provided with a certain degree of intelligence, each device being able to receive the complete data of each order from a computer and dispending the requested items of each type quickly and simultaneously.

[0009] Each dispensing device is provided with individual control electronics, a pushing mechanism based on an electromagnetic device, a presence detection sensor, a display LED and connectors for the interconnection to other dispensing devices by means of cables. These elements are located at the front end of a shelf which is inclined, such that all the products, with a square or rectangular shape, can slide over it by the effect of gravity. The first product introduced in the shelf slides until abutting with a supporting part arranged at the end area of the dispensing element. The rest of the products introduced in the same lane are placed one after the other. There are guides used to separate each type of product which is handled by a different dispensing device. The position of the guides and that of the dispensers can be easily adjusted to adapt to the size characteristics of the various types of products.

[0010] When the dispensing process for dispensing a product is initiated, the operating element is activated, making the product rise above the stop in order to be extracted. The following product of the same lane is located by the effect of gravity in the gap freed up by the product which has been extracted. The correct extraction of each item can be verified by means of the presence detection sensor placed in the dispensing device. It is also possible to detect breakdowns and the absence of products in the lane, which events are shown by the display LED diode of the dispenser or by the LED diode located in the rear area of the inclined shelf.

[0011] Since each dispenser has intelligent and individual control electronics integrated therein, it is not necessary to use industrial automatons or centralized control systems, facilitating the installation of the dispensers in different shelf levels or in cabinets distributed over an installation. All the types of products can be automatically extracted at the same time by the various dispensers, being deposited on a conveyor belt taking them to a collection point. The inclined shelves with the dispensers can be installed in facing cabinets so that the products fall towards one and the same conveyor belt and ramps can be arranged for braking the fall of each product from the location of the dispenser to the height of the conveyor belt.

[0012] To initiate the dispensing process, a computer sends a command which is received by all the dispensing elements simultaneously.

[0013] To replace the products on the inclined shelves, the operator identifies a product by using a bar code reader which sends the code of the product to the LED control electronics located in the rear area of each shelf and lights up the LED diode located in the lane corresponding to the product to be replaced in blinking mode. Thus, the operator directly sees in which lane that product must be replaced.

[0014] This same LED diode lights up permanently when a lane of products has been depleted and changes to blinking mode when the bar code reader detects that this product is going to be replaced.

[0015] In addition to the LED diode placed in the rear area of the shelf for aiding in the replacement, there is another LED diode per lane which is placed in the front area of the dispensing element which can also be used to indicate the location of a product to be replaced and a breakdown status of the dispenser. This LED diode can also be used for aesthetic functions when its lighting up is combined with that of the rest of the LED diodes of the dispensers of the installation. This aesthetic function is suitable for the installations of the robot in retail stores. In these installations, a TFT screen can be placed in the upper area of the cabinet with commercial images or videos.

[0016] To facilitate the installation process and the maintenance tasks, both the individual dispensers and the rear LED diodes for aiding in the replacement are placed in grooved metal structures which are independent of the shelves on which the products are located. These structures, with the dispensers or LEDs placed and interconnected, can be quickly installed on a shelf. In the case of a maintenance task, a dispenser or LED which has broken down can be individually extracted from the grooved structure, without affecting the rest of the installation during the repair.

[0017] The products in the lanes of the shelves can be replaced both through the area in which the dispensing element is located and from the rear area in which the replacement LED diode is located, the latter being the preferred option. In this replacement area of the shelf there is also a space for placing magnetic labels containing a description of the characteristics of the item in each location of the shelf.

[0018] It is also possible to initiate the dispensing process from a remote access point, directly accessible by the customers of the store by means of a touch screen. This dispensing process which is only used for items of a determined type is completed after paying the amount for the selected items with the touch screen using coin slot, bill slot or credit card type payment means.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0019] The attached drawings illustrate, by way of a nonlimiting example, a preferred embodiment of the installation for the automatic dispensing and semiautomatic replacement of commercial products object of the invention. In said drawings:

Figure 1 is a side view of the mechanical and electronic dispensing device.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the mechanical and electronic dispensing device.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the installation of dispensing devices on inclined shelves with various products.

Figure 4 is a front perspective view of the inclined shelf, showing the lanes for products and the dispensing elements installed and interconnected.

Figure 5 is a side view of the trigger and the light indicator for replacement placed on an inclined shelf.

Figure 6 is a plan view of the triggers and the light indicators for replacement on an inclined shelf.

Figure 7 is an enlarged view of detail VII indicated in Figure 5 which shows the installation process for installing the dispensing element on the inclined shelf.

Figure 8 is an enlarged view of detail VIII indicated in Figure 5 which shows the installation process for installing the light indicator for replacement on the inclined shelf.

Figure 9 is a side view of the activated trigger, dispensing a product of a lane.

Figure 10 is a diagram of the installation object of the invention.

Figure 11 is a side view of an installation with multiple shelves with dispensing and replacement elements and a conveyor belt.

Detailed Description of the Drawings

[0020] Figure 1 shows a side view of the mechanical/electronic device in charge of dispensing a type of product in the installation. Figure 2 shows a plan view of the same device. The device has control electronics (20) capable of receiving, by means of a feed and communications bus, the data of each order, to extract the products. The extraction mechanism is based on a solenoid (1) which, upon receiving an electric impulse, moves a rod (12); such that the product located above it is driven, surpassing a stop (11) for braking the products on the shelf. The rod has a spring which serves for the latter to return to its rest position when the electric impulse ends and for another product to be able to be located above the dispensing mechanism by the action of gravity. The electronics and the operating mechanism are located on an electronic card (3) having holes (19) which are used to attach the device to the structure. A presence detection sensor (2) is used to verify the correct extraction of the item, to detect the absence of products announcing the need for replacement by means of a front LED (4) and to detect possible breakdowns in the event that the product is not dispensed. A front LED (4) can be used to show breakdowns of the dispenser or a lack of products in the lane and also for aesthetic functions when its lighting up is combined with LED diodes located in other dispensers. All the control functions are carried out by the integrated electronics (20) in the dispenser and two connectors (5) located on both sides of the electronic card (3) are used to carry out the interconnection of the feed and communications bus between the dispensers on the shelves.

[0021] Figure 3 shows the installation of various dispensing devices on an inclined shelf (8). The products (10) of a different type are placed in various lanes using separators (6) between them. The position of the separators (6) and of the dispensing elements can be easily adjusted to the size particularities of each product as a result of using metal structures basically formed by grooved sections (7) on which the position of the elements is adjusted. It is possible for one and the same type of item to be located in more than one channel. In this case, the different dispensing elements in charge of handling this product are coordinated with one another by means of a communications bus (9) to complete the requested order. The dispensing devices are intercommunicated by means of a bus (9) through which the control communications and the feed signals for the electronics, the sensors and the electromagnetic triggers are transmitted. Figure 4 shows a front perspective view of an inclined shelf (8) with various dispensing elements installed and intercommunicated by means of the feed and communications bus (9).

[0022] Figure 5 shows a side view of the dispensing element and a LED diode (13) for the replacement of the products. The details of the installation of the dispenser (detail VII) and of the LED (13) for aiding in the replacement (detail VIII) are shown in an enlarged view in Figures 7 and 8. Figure 6 shows a plan view of the dispensers, the recharge LEDs (13) and various types of products (10) located on a shelf (8). Of the products (10), those identified with references A and B in this figure are at rest, abutting with the dispensing element and the first product C is being dispensed after an activation of the solenoid (1), as a result of receiving an order for product C from the main computer. The front product C has been lifted by the action of the solenoid (1) which has driven the rod (12) and surpassed the stop (11) in order to drop it to a conveyor belt carrying it to the collection point.

[0023] Figure 7 (detail VII) shows the form of installation of the dispensing elements on the inclined shelves (8). The dispensers are placed in the grooved supporting structure (7) which is attached to the shelf (8) with angle brackets (15). Each dispensing element can be adjusted in the grooved structure using sliding screws (17) which are introduced through the holes of the electronic card of the dispenser (19). A grooved structure similar to that indicated with reference number (7) is also used to fix the position of the separating element (6) between products (10) in the end area of the shelf (8). As a result of the independent grooved structure (7) of the shelf (8) which contains the interconnected dispensing elements, the installation process for installing the elements in charge of the automation of the product extraction process can be carried out after the assembly of the cabinets and the shelves in the installation.

[0024] Figure 8 (detail VIII) shows the installation of the rear LED diode (13) of the lane used to facilitate the replacement of the products and also to indicate a lane without product or a breakdown. The rear LEDs (13) are assembled in a structure (14) which, like the structure (7), is formed by a grooved section which is installed on the shelf (8) by means of angle brackets (16). The sliding screws (18) are used to adjust the LED in the grooved structure until locating it in the position of each lane of product. The flat metal part (23) is used to place magnetic labels which allow showing the name and characteristics of each product.

[0025] To replace the products, the operator takes the product (10) to be replaced and used a bar code reader (26) which identifies the product (10) and sends the code to the LED control electronics (21) located on each shelf. This LED control electronics (21) determines the LED diode (13) which must light up in blinking mode to indicate to the operator the lane corresponding to said product (10) which is to be replaced.

[0026] In the event that the LED diode (13) of the lane is permanently lit up, showing a notification of complete lack of products in the lane, an event which is detected by means of the presence sensor (2) of the dispenser, it passes to blinking mode when the bar code reader indicates a replacement operation in that lane.

[0027] In some installations in which the products cannot be replaced through the rear area of the shelf (8) due to the structure of the cabinet with the inclined shelves (8) being located against a wall, the replacement process can be carried out from the product dispensing area, i.e., from the position in which the dispensing element is located. In these installations, the LED diode (4) of the dispensing element blinks each time that the bar code reader determines that a location in which a product must be placed coincides with that of said dispensing element.

[0028] The dispensing process for dispensing a product can be observed in Figure 9. The individual control electronics (20) of the dispenser receives an order from the central computer of the installation which, in the event of containing any product (10) to be dispensed located in its lane, causes the activation of the solenoid (1) which creates an electromagnetic field causing the attraction of the rod (12). The exit of the rod through an end of the body of the solenoid causes the raising in height of the product (10) identified as (A1) above the stop (11), such that this product (A1) is released and the fall towards the conveyor belt, passing through the braking ramps, starts. The following product (10) of the lane, identified in Figure 9 as A2, moves by the action of gravity until occupying the position left by first product (A1) dispensed. Before the new product has occupied the space of the product which has been dispensed, the rod (12) has returned to its rest position as a result of the action of the spring (24).

[0029] Figure 10 shows a diagram of an automation process with the system object of the invention formed by several cabinets (36) provided with inclined shelves in which the dispensing elements and the light indicators for the replacement are placed. The products dispensed from each cabinet (36) with inclined shelves (8) fall to a conveyor belt (27) taking them to the collection point of the products (35). The dispensing commands can be made from the computer of the installation (31) which is handled by the operator of the installation or also from a remote access point controlled by means of a touch screen (33). As a result of the complementary system of the touch screen (33) and a set of payment means such as a coin slot, a bill slot or a credit card reader (34), it is possible for the customers of the stores to be able to directly access products of a certain type after paying for the items and without needing the intervention of the operator of the installation.

[0030] To replace the products in the specific locations of the inclined shelves, there is a bar code reader (26) located next to each structure of shelves (8) which is used by the operators to identify the product (10) which is to be replaced. The bar code reader (26) sends a datum with the code of the already identified product (10) to the LED control electronics (21) located on each shelf (8) which, after interpreting the datum, is in charge of activating the rear LED diode (13) which must light up in blinking mode, showing to the operator the lane of the type of product in which the product (10) to be replaced must be introduced.

[0031] The LED control electronics (21) is connected to the rear LEDs (13) by means of a data bus (22), see Figure 8. Each cabinet with shelves (8) has a cabinet unit (30) in which the connection of the data buses used for the interconnection of the dispensing elements and light indicators of the various shelves, as well as the installation of the power supplies of the system, are carried out.

[0032] A TFT screen (32) located in the upper area of each cabinet (36) serves to show the operation status of the installation and also to show commercial information, in those installations in which the robotic cabinets (36) are placed for public use.

[0033] Figure 11 shows a side view of an installation with two cabinets (36) of inclined shelves (8) placed facing one another, such that all the products (10) extracted with the dispensing elements fall to one and the same conveyor belt (27) in charge of taking the products (10) to the collection point. It is observed that the communications buses (28 and 29) in charge of communicating the feed and control signals between the dispensers and luminous LEDs located in the different shelf levels. The braking ramps (25) are used to brake the fall of the products from the highest locations to the conveyor belt. It should also be indicated that the products with the largest volume and weight of the installation are located in the shelves with a lower height and, therefore, closer to the conveyor belt (27), and they are shelves which may require less inclination due to the greater push exerted by the weight of the products (10).

Claims

1. An installation for the automatic dispensing and semiautomatic replacement of commercial products, of the type of products presented in parallelepiped boxes, such as certain pharmaceutical, electronic or food products; characterized in that it contains at least one inclined shelf (8) on which the products (10) to be dispensed are located, which products are separated into lanes by adjustable guides (6) and supported one after the other as they slide over the shelf (8); at least one individual dispensing element for each lane; each dispensing element being provided with autonomous control electronics (20), a presence detection sensor (2), a preferably electromagnetic actuator device (1), and a stop (11) for braking the products (10) on the inclined shelf (8); all this such that the control electronics (20) can generate the activation of the electromagnetic actuator device (1), which raises the corresponding product (10) to be dispensed above the stop (11), causing its exit from the lane and the positioning, by gravity, of a new product on the actuator device (1).

2. The installation for the automatic dispensing and semiautomatic replacement of commercial products according to the previous claim, characterized in that the individual dispensing element of each lane incorporates a front light indicator (4), and connectors (5) for the interconnection thereof with other dispensing elements; and in that there is at least one light indicator (13) for each lane, located in the rear area of the shelf (8), linked with at least one bar code reader (26) for the bar code located on each product (10) and with control electronics (21) of said light indicators (4 and 13), such that, preferably, the rear light indicator (13), according to the information provided by the bar code reader (26) to the control electronics (21), optically notifies the location of the lane in which said product (10) must be replaced; also notifying a breakdown of the dispensing element or a complete lack of products (10) in a lane.

3. The installation for the automatic dispensing and semiautomatic replacement of commercial products according to claim 1, characterized in that it incorporates at least one central computer (31) and/or a remote access point, preferably controlled by means of a touch screen (33), with a payment module (34); such that the automatic dispensing process can be initiated from the computer (31) handled by the operator or operators in charge of the installation, or by customers of the installation which they access through the touch screen (33) after paying the required amount through the module (34).

4. The installation for the automatic dispensing and semiautomatic replacement of commercial products according to claim 1, characterized in that the autonomous control electronics (20) of each dispensing element allows simultaneously processing the complete request for the dispensing of a series of different products (10) of an order, by means of the command supplied by the autonomous control electronics (20) of each of the different dispensing elements of the different products (10) to be dispensed.

5. The installation for the automatic dispensing and semiautomatic replacement of commercial products according to claim 1, characterized in that both the individual dispensing element of each lane and the adjustable guides (6) are assembled on an independent grooved supporting metal structure (7) allowing the installation thereof on the corresponding inclined shelf (8) and the positional adjustment of each dispensing element and of each guide (6) to the size and weight particularities of the products (10) to be dispensed.

6. The installation for the automatic dispensing and semiautomatic replacement of commercial products according to claim 1, characterized in that the rear light indicators (13) are assembled on an independent grooved supporting metal structure (14) allowing the installation thereof on the corresponding inclined shelf (8) and the positional adjustment of each rear light indicator (13) and of each guide (6) to the size and weight particularities of the products (10) to be dispensed.

7. The installation for the automatic dispensing and semiautomatic replacement of commercial products according to claim 1, characterized in that the dispensing elements of the different lanes determined on the inclined shelves (8) are intercommunicated with one another through one and the same feed and data bus (6).

8. The installation for the automatic dispensing and semiautomatic replacement of commercial products according to claim 1, characterized in that the selective incorporation of a ramp (25) for braking the products (10) when so required has been provided at the outlet of each lane.

9. The installation for the automatic dispensing and semiautomatic replacement of commercial products according to claim 1, characterized in that it has at least one conveyor belt (17) for taking the products (10) exiting the dispensing elements to a collection point (35).

10. The installation for the automatic dispensing and semiautomatic replacement of commercial products according to claim 1, characterized in that the incorporation of a screen (32) which allows displaying information about the operation status of the installation and other complementary information has been provided at the upper area of each cabinet (36), formed by a set of inclined shelves (8).

11. The installation for the automatic dispensing and semiautomatic replacement of commercial products according to claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the bar code reader (26) for the bar code of the different products (10) located in the lanes is arranged in relation to each set of inclined shelves (8), said reader (26) being linked with the control electronics (21) of the light indicators (4 and 13); such that the light indicators (4 and/or 13) indicate situations such as the location of the lane to which a product (10) to be replaced must be incorporated, which product has been previously identified with the bar code reader (26), the lack of products (10) in a lane, its depletion, failures in the dispensing processes or similar situations, it even being possible to combine the lighting up of the different light indicators (4 and 13) for aesthetic reasons.

Drawing