Patent ID: 11912511
Assignee: BECTON DICKINSON ROWA GERMANY GMBH
Field: Handling (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC B | IPC B

Claim 19:
20. A method for operating a transport system, the method comprising:
analyzing characteristics of a small piece good to be transported;
determining which type of transport attachment of a plurality of transport attachments with different contact surfaces to use for moving the small piece good;
selecting the determined transport attachment;
checking whether the selected transport attachment is fixed in at least one of two elongated gripping jaws of a gripper comprising:
a drop table extending in a first horizontal direction and a second horizontal direction orthogonal to the first horizontal direction, the drop table having at least one storage and dispensing end face;
the two elongated gripping jaws arranged above the drop table extending in the first horizontal direction and fastened to a gripping jaw guide arrangement, wherein at least one elongated gripping jaw is movable in the second horizontal direction, and wherein at least one elongated gripping jaw has a gripper coupler at an end portion opposite the gripping jaw guide arrangement; and
at least one transport attachment with an attachment coupler, wherein the gripper coupler and the attachment coupler interact with one another so that a transport attachment is releasably fixed at the end portion of the at least one elongated gripping jaw with the gripper coupler; and

when the selected transport attachment is determined not to be fixed in at least one of the gripping jaws of the gripper:
placing a transport attachment currently fixed to a first gripping jaw on a storage floor of a storage device having a plurality of storage floors configured to receive the plurality of transport attachments;
retrieving the selected transport attachment from the storage device; and
fixing the selected transport attachment on the first gripping jaw.