Method for operating a picking device for medicaments and a picking device for carrying out said method

1 . A system for handling medicament packages, comprising:

a picking device;

a movement space between parallel rows of multiple levels of shelves;

a horizontal guide disposed on only one side of the movement space along a bottom of one of the parallel rows of multiple levels of shelves;

a vertical guide disposed to move along the horizontal guide;

an optical detection device; and

a control device, comprising:

a memory storing instructions; and

at least one processor configured to execute the instructions to:

create an image of the movement space;

compare predefined areas of the image of the movement space with corresponding areas of a reference image;

determine that an obstacle is present in a detected portion of the movement space based on the image comparison;

provide corresponding signals for responding to the obstacle;

determine a storage area on one or more of the parallel rows of shelves is blocked by an obstacle based on a determined position and size of the obstacle;

mark one or more storage spaces of the determined storage area that are blocked by the obstacle as not accessible; and

operate the picking device such that medicament packages stored at the marked one or more storage spaces cannot be removed when the obstacle is bypassed by an operating device within the picking device.

2 . The system of claim 1 , the at least one processor configured to execute the instructions to:

determine whether the obstacle can be bypassed by an operating device of the picking device based on the determined position and size of the obstacle.

3 . The system of claim 1 , the at least one processor configured to execute the instructions to:

determine whether the obstacle can be moved by an operating device of the picking device based on the determined position and size of the obstacle.

4 . The system of claim 1 , the at least one processor configured to execute the instructions to:

prevent movement of an operating device of the picking device based on the provided corresponding signals.

5 . The system of claim 1 , the at least one processor configured to execute the instructions to:

compose the image of the movement space and the reference image from a plurality of individual images.

6 . The system of claim 1 , the at least one processor configured to execute the instructions to:

compare the image of the movement space and the reference image based on partial images.

7 . The system of claim 1 , the at least one processor configured to execute the instructions to:

move an operating device horizontally in an X-direction and vertically in a Z-direction in the movement space.

8 . The system of claim 1 , the at least one processor configured to execute the instructions to:

create the image of the movement space after a predetermined event.

9 . The system of claim 1 , the at least one processor configured to execute the instructions to:

move, by a storage device, a medicament packaging into the picking device; and

take, by an operating device, the medicament packaging from the storage device.

10 . The system of claim 1 , the at least one processor configured to execute the instructions to:

transfer, by an operating device, medicament packaging to an unloading device for removal from the picking device.

11 . A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium comprising instructions thereon that, when executed by a machine, causes the machine to perform operations comprising:

creating an image of a movement space between parallel rows of multiple levels of shelves of a system having a picking device, a horizontal guide disposed on only one side of the movement space along a bottom of one of the parallel rows of multiple levels of shelves and a vertical guide moveably disposed on the horizontal guide;

comparing predefined areas of the image of the movement space with corresponding areas of a reference image;

determining that an obstacle is present in a detected portion of the movement space based on the image comparison;

providing corresponding signals for responding to the obstacle;

determining a storage area on one or more of the parallel rows of shelves is blocked by an obstacle based on a determined position and size of the obstacle;

marking one or more storage spaces of the determined storage area that are blocked by the obstacle as not accessible; and

operating the picking device such that medicament packages stored at the marked one or more storage spaces cannot be removed when the obstacle is bypassed by an operating device within the picking device.

12 . The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 11 , the operations further comprising:

determining whether the obstacle can be one of bypassed and moved by an operating device of the picking device based on the determined position and size of the obstacle.

13 . The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 11 , the operations further comprising:

preventing movement of an operating device of the picking device based on the provided corresponding signals.

14 . The system of claim 1 , the at least one processor configured to execute the instructions to:

identify medicament packaging within the picking device.