Package single piece separation system, method and electronic equipment

Abstract

The present invention discloses a system, method and electronic device for separating individual packages. The present invention includes a diffusion unit, an individual package separation unit, a collection unit, an industrial control unit and a control unit. The diffusion unit is used to evacuate packages to the left and right sides to increase the lateral distance between packages. The individual package separation unit is arranged at the rear end of the diffusion unit. The individual package separation unit is used to receive packages conveyed by the diffusion unit and separate the packages into individual packages. The collection unit is installed above the individual package separation unit. The collection unit is used to collect image information of the individual package separation unit and the package. The industrial control unit is used to receive image information of the individual package separation unit and the package and analyze the distribution information of the package in the individual package separation unit. The present invention can shoot packages from multiple angles, and the packages do not need to be manually placed in a standardized manner. It has the performance of saving time and labor, high efficiency, strong flexibility and high precision recognition.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of logistics sorting, and in particular to a package single piece separation system, method and electronic equipment. Background Art

[0002] The evolution of logistics towards smart logistics aligns with the development trend of modern logistics. Logistics robots have emerged as a result. Driven by the innovative development needs of new business models such as e-commerce and new retail, guided by development concepts such as intelligent manufacturing and smart logistics, and driven by new technologies such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, big data, and cloud computing, the logistics robot industry has been rapidly advancing, with related companies springing up like mushrooms after rain, and the industry is booming.

[0003] In recent years, with the rapid development of e-commerce, consumer demands have become increasingly diversified and personalized, and businesses' order processing has also taken on the characteristics of "multi-variety, small batches, and multiple batches." In particular, the introduction of the "new retail" concept has placed higher demands on the intelligence of warehousing systems. For businesses to fulfill orders efficiently and cost-effectively, an automated and intelligent warehousing system is crucial. Logistics robotic solutions offer extreme flexibility and can be deployed across multiple warehouses based on business volume, a feature that traditional sorting methods cannot replace. Therefore, logistics robots have become an ideal choice for e-commerce companies to build smart warehousing.

[0004] The rapid development of the express logistics industry requires higher efficiency to meet its needs. The currently popular overhead scanning equipment requires staff to manually place the parcels with the waybill facing up. The barcode position of special-shaped parcels in the e-commerce industry is not fixed, and the recognition rate is reduced when using overhead scanning equipment, so it needs to be improved. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of the shortcomings of the prior art described above, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a package single piece separation system, method and electronic equipment to solve the problem that the overhead scanning equipment in the prior art requires staff to manually place the package with the face sheet facing up, and the barcode position of special-shaped packages in the e-commerce industry is not fixed, resulting in a reduced recognition rate when using the overhead scanning equipment.

[0006] To achieve the above and other related objectives, the present invention provides a package single piece separation system, comprising:

[0007] A diffusion unit is used to evacuate packages to the left and right sides to increase the lateral distance between packages;

[0008] a single piece separation unit, which is arranged at the rear end of the diffusion unit, and is used to receive the packages conveyed by the diffusion unit and separate the packages into single pieces;

[0009] a collection unit installed above the single-piece separation unit, the collection unit being used to collect image information of the single-piece separation unit and the package;

[0010] an industrial control unit, configured to receive image information of the single-piece separation unit and the package, and analyze distribution information of the package within the single-piece separation unit;

[0011] The control unit is used to receive the distribution information of the packages in the single-piece separation unit to perform single-piece separation processing on adjacent packages.

[0012] In one embodiment of the present invention, the diffusion unit includes:

[0013] a plurality of diffusion lines, the plurality of diffusion lines being diffused outwardly near one end of the single-piece separation unit;

[0014] The diffusion line belt is used to evacuate the packages placed on the diffusion line to the left and right sides to increase the lateral distance between the packages.

[0015] In one embodiment of the present invention, the single-piece separation unit includes:

[0016] A plurality of array single-piece separation modules, each of which is equipped with two belts and two servo motors;

[0017] The belts operate independently of each other, and the servo motors operate independently of each other.

[0018] In one embodiment of the present invention, the acquisition unit includes a 2D smart camera and an area array 3D camera.

[0019] In one embodiment of the present invention, the industrial control unit includes an industrial computer, which is used to receive image information of the single-piece separation unit and the package sent by the acquisition unit, and control the operation of the array single-piece separation module through a visual algorithm.

[0020] In one embodiment of the present invention, the control unit includes a PLC controller.

[0021] The present invention further provides a method for separating individual packages, comprising the above-mentioned system for separating individual packages. The method comprises:

[0022] S1. Evacuate the packages to the left and right sides through the diffusion unit to increase the lateral distance between the packages;

[0023] S2. The parcels conveyed by the diffusion unit are received by the single-piece separation unit, and the parcels are separated into individual pieces;

[0024] S3. Collecting image information of the single separation unit and the package by a collection unit;

[0025] S4. Receive, through the industrial control unit, image information of the single-piece separation unit and the package, and analyze distribution information of the package within the single-piece separation unit;

[0026] S5. The control unit receives distribution information of the packages in the single-piece separation unit to perform single-piece separation processing on adjacent packages.

[0027] In one embodiment of the present invention, receiving the image information of the single-piece separation unit and the package by the industrial control unit and analyzing the distribution information of the package in the single-piece separation unit includes:

[0028] S41. Segment and locate the outer contour of the package using a deep learning algorithm to obtain a grayscale value change of the package at the joint to determine and segment the package contour;

[0029] S42. Obtain the real-time location and volume of the package;

[0030] S43. Obtain distribution information of the package in the single-piece separation unit based on the real-time position, volume, and front-to-back relationship of the package.

[0031] The present invention also provides an electronic device, including a processor and a memory, wherein the memory stores program instructions, and the processor executes the program instructions to implement the above-mentioned method for separating individual packages.

[0032] As described above, the system, method, and electronic device for separating individual packages of the present invention have the following beneficial effects:

[0033] The single-piece parcel separation system of the present invention can photograph parcels from multiple angles, obtain the parcel's barcode information, weight information, and volume information, and transmit it to the express delivery system. The parcels of the present invention do not need to be manually placed in a standardized manner, and have the performance of saving time and labor, high efficiency, strong flexibility, and high-precision identification.

[0034] The present invention can eliminate parallax and accurately segment the package outline through the complementarity of 2D smart cameras and area array 3D cameras, and then output the speed of different execution units according to the real-time position and front-to-back relationship of the package. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0035] Figure 1 A block diagram of a diffusion unit and a single-piece separation unit of a package single-piece separation system provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0036] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of system connections for a package single piece separation system provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0037] Figure 3 A workflow diagram of a method for separating individual packages provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0038] Figure 4 This is a workflow diagram of step S4 of a method for separating individual packages provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0039] Figure 5 This is a block diagram of the structural principles of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0040] Figure 6 A block diagram of the structural principles of a computer-readable storage medium provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0041] Component number description

[0042] 1 diffusion unit

[0043] 2 single-piece separation units

[0044] 3. Acquisition unit

[0045] 4 Industrial Control Unit

[0046] 5 Control Unit

[0047] 6 packages

[0048] 10 processors

[0049] 20 Memory

[0050] 30 Computer-readable storage medium

[0051] 40 Computer Instructions DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0052] The following describes the embodiments of the present invention through specific examples. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of the present invention from the content disclosed in this specification. The present invention can also be implemented or applied through other different specific embodiments. The details in this specification can also be modified or changed based on different viewpoints and applications without departing from the spirit of the present invention. It should be noted that the following embodiments and features in the embodiments can be combined with each other unless they conflict.

[0053] It should be noted that the illustrations provided in the following embodiments are merely schematic illustrations of the basic concept of the present invention. Therefore, the illustrations only show components related to the present invention and are not drawn according to the number, shape, and size of components in actual implementation. In actual implementation, the type, quantity, and proportion of each component may be changed arbitrarily, and the component layout may also be more complex.

[0054] See also Figure 1 、 Figure 2 , Figure 1 A block diagram of a diffusion unit and a single-piece separation unit of a package single-piece separation system provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 2 A system connection diagram of a parcel separation system provided in an embodiment of the present application. The present invention provides a parcel separation system that can obtain barcode information, weight information, and volume information of a parcel and transmit it to an express delivery system. The parcels of the present invention do not need to be manually placed in a standardized manner, and have the performance of saving time and labor, high efficiency, strong flexibility, and high precision identification. A parcel separation system, including but not limited to a diffusion unit 1, a single separation unit 2, a collection unit 3, an industrial control unit 4, and a control unit 5. The diffusion unit 1 is used to evacuate parcels to the left and right sides to increase the lateral distance between parcels. The single separation unit 2 is arranged at the rear end of the diffusion unit 1. The single separation unit 2 is used to receive parcels conveyed by the diffusion unit 1 and separate the parcels into individual pieces. The collection unit 3 is installed above the single separation unit 2. The collection unit 3 is used to collect image information of the single separation unit 2 and the parcel. The industrial control unit 4 is used to receive image information of the single separation unit 2 and the parcel, analyze the distribution information of the parcel in the single separation unit 2, and the control unit 5 is used to receive the distribution information of the parcel in the single separation unit 2 to separate adjacent parcels into individual pieces.

[0055] Specifically, the diffusion unit 1 includes a plurality of diffusion lines and diffusion line belts, and the plurality of diffusion lines diffuse outward near one end of the single-piece separation unit 2, and the diffusion line belts are used to evacuate the packages placed on the diffusion lines to the left and right sides to increase the lateral distance between the packages. The single-piece separation unit 2 includes a plurality of array single-piece separation modules, each of which is equipped with two belts and two servo motors, and the belts operate independently of each other, and the servo motors operate independently of each other. Specifically, the array single-piece separation modules can be set to, but not limited to, 24 groups, each group of array single-piece separation modules is driven by an independent servo motor, each group of array single-piece separation modules is equipped with two belts and two servo motors, each belt can operate independently, and each group of array single-piece separation modules can be individually installed and replaced with a single-piece separation structure.

[0056] Specifically, the acquisition unit 3 includes a 2D smart camera and a 3D array camera. The industrial control unit 4 includes an industrial computer, which is used to receive image information of the single-piece separation unit 2 and the package sent by the acquisition unit 3 and control the operation of the array single-piece separation module through a visual algorithm. The control unit 5 includes a PLC controller. Specifically, the 2D smart camera and the 3D array camera transmit images of the single-piece separator to the software system of the industrial computer in real time, and the algorithm determines the working timing of the control array single-piece separation module. Before entering the single-piece separation, there is a diffusion unit 1. The diffusion unit 1 is composed of an independent motor drive and multiple narrow bands at different angles. It supports separation mode and assembly line mode, which can be switched by the knob on the operation panel.

[0057] The parcel separation system operates in separation mode. When a parcel enters the evacuation separator area (spreader unit 1), the spreader belt disperses the parcel to the left and right, increasing the lateral distance between parcels. When the parcel enters the single-piece separation equipment area, the depth camera captures the parcel image in real time. The vision system analyzes the distribution of the parcel within the single-piece separation area and controls the belt speed of each single-piece separation module according to the set separation strategy to complete the single-piece separation of adjacent parcels. The parcel separation system operates in assembly line mode, with no upstream and downstream linkage control and no separation function. Goods can pass quickly in any state, regardless of separation distance and accuracy.

[0058] The present invention further provides a method for separating individual packages, comprising the above-mentioned system for separating individual packages. The method comprises:

[0059] S1. Evacuate the packages to the left and right sides through the diffusion unit 1 to increase the lateral distance between the packages.

[0060] S2. The single-piece separation unit 2 receives the package delivered by the diffusion unit 1 and separates the package into single pieces.

[0061] S3. Image information of the single-piece separation unit 2 and the package is collected through the acquisition unit 3. Specifically, before the acquisition unit 3 collects image information, it first unifies the camera coordinate system and the platform coordinate system through calibration (calibration between multiple cameras and calibration between the camera and the platform). Using the binocular 3D detection algorithm, based on the binocular 3D imaging principle and algorithm, static and dynamic package volume measurement, package positioning and other functions are achieved, and the real-time position of each package (including the bottom package) is output. The acquisition unit 3 consists of two 1200W high-resolution 2D smart cameras, one area array 3D camera, and two integrated high-brightness fill light sources.

[0062] Advantages of 2D smart cameras: 25 frames per second high frame rate capture, deep learning algorithms for package segmentation and location. Even for closely spaced packages, high-resolution images can detect grayscale changes at the joint, allowing for the determination and segmentation of the package's outline. Disadvantages: Due to parallax in 2D imaging (appearing larger when closer and smaller when farther away), it is difficult to determine the actual number and position of packages on the underlying module belt. Advantages of 3D area array cameras: 3D point cloud imaging can accurately measure the actual position and volume of packages. Disadvantages: When two packages are closely spaced, the accuracy of the 3D camera is insufficient to ensure that the 3D algorithm can properly segment the package outline. Therefore, the complementary use of 2D smart cameras and 3D area array cameras eliminates parallax and accurately segments the package outline. The speeds of different actuators are then output based on the real-time position and front-to-back relationship of the packages. The separation algorithm outputs the actuator speeds, and the speed differences between the actuators are then used to separate the individual items.

[0063] S4. Receive the image information of the single-piece separation unit 2 and the package through the industrial control unit 4, and analyze the distribution information of the package in the single-piece separation unit 2.

[0064] S5. The control unit 5 receives the distribution information of the packages in the single-piece separation unit 2 to perform single-piece separation processing on adjacent packages.

[0065] The receiving of the image information of the single-piece separation unit 2 and the package by the industrial control unit 4 and the analysis of the distribution information of the package in the single-piece separation unit 2 include:

[0066] S41. Segment and locate the outer contour of the package through a deep learning algorithm to obtain the grayscale value change of the package at the fitting point to determine and segment the package contour.

[0067] S42. Obtain the real-time location and volume of the package.

[0068] S43. Obtain distribution information of the package in the single-piece separation unit 2 based on the real-time position, volume, and front-to-back relationship of the package.

[0069] For example, when a large pile of packages is delivered to the front of the single-piece separation device, the device first unifies the camera coordinate system and the platform coordinate system through calibration of the 2D smart camera and the 3D binocular camera (calibration between multiple cameras and calibration between the camera and the platform). Then, when the pile appears in front of the device and reaches the imaging range of the camera, the 2D smart camera uses a deep learning algorithm to segment and locate the outer contours of the packages. It then cooperates with the 3D camera to output the real-time position and front-to-back relationship of each package (including the bottom package), thereby outputting the speed of different execution units, and finally achieving the purpose of allowing piles of packages to pass through one by one.

[0070] See also Figure 5 , Figure 5A block diagram of the structural principle of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of the present application. The present invention also proposes an electronic device, which includes a processor 10 and a memory 20, wherein the memory 20 stores program instructions, and the processor 10 runs the program instructions to implement the above-mentioned method for separating individual packages. The processor 10 can be a general-purpose processor, including a central processing unit (CPU), a network processor (NP), etc.; it can also be a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components; the memory 20 may include random access memory (RAM), and may also include non-volatile memory (Non-Volatile Memory), such as at least one disk storage. The memory 20 can also be an internal memory of the random access memory (RAM) type, and the processor 10 and the memory 20 can be integrated into one or more independent circuits or hardware, such as an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). It should be noted that the computer program in the aforementioned memory 20 can be implemented in the form of a software functional unit and, when sold or used as an independent product, can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present invention, or the portion that contributes to the prior art, or the portion of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes a number of instructions for causing a computer device (which can be a personal computer, electronic device, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods of various embodiments of the present invention.

[0071] See also Figure 6 , Figure 6A block diagram of the structural principle of a computer-readable storage medium provided in an embodiment of the present application. The present invention also proposes a computer-readable storage medium 30, wherein the computer-readable storage medium 30 stores computer instructions 40, and the computer instructions 40 are used to enable the computer to execute the above-mentioned package single piece separation method. The computer-readable storage medium 30 can be an electronic medium, a magnetic medium, an optical medium, an electromagnetic medium, an infrared medium or a semiconductor system or a propagation medium. The computer-readable storage medium 30 can also include a semiconductor or solid-state memory, a magnetic tape, a removable computer disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), a hard disk and an optical disk. The optical disk can include a compact disk - read-only memory (CD-ROM), a compact disk - read / write (CD-RW) and a DVD.

[0072] In summary, the parcel separation system of the present invention can photograph parcels from multiple angles, obtain the parcel's barcode information, weight information, and volume information, and transmit it to the express delivery system. The parcels of the present invention do not need to be manually placed in a standardized manner, and have the performance of saving time and labor, high efficiency, strong flexibility, and high-precision identification.

[0073] The above embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles and effects of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Anyone skilled in the art may modify or alter the above embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, all equivalent modifications or alterations made by one of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and technical principles disclosed herein are intended to be covered by the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A package single piece separation system, characterized in that: include: A diffusion unit is used to evacuate packages to the left and right sides to increase the lateral distance between packages; a single piece separation unit, which is arranged at the rear end of the diffusion unit, and is used to receive the packages conveyed by the diffusion unit and separate the packages into single pieces; a collection unit installed above the single-piece separation unit, the collection unit being used to collect image information of the single-piece separation unit and the package; an industrial control unit, configured to receive image information of the single-piece separation unit and the package, and analyze distribution information of the package within the single-piece separation unit; A control unit, configured to receive distribution information of packages in the single-piece separation unit to perform single-piece separation processing on adjacent packages; The single-piece separation unit comprises: A plurality of array single-piece separation modules, each of which is equipped with two belts and two servo motors; The belts operate independently of each other, and the servo motors operate independently of each other; The acquisition unit includes a 2D smart camera and an array 3D camera; The industrial control unit uses a deep learning algorithm to segment and locate the outer contour of the package based on the image information of the single separation unit and the package sent by the 2D smart camera. For packages that are stuck together, the package contour is determined and segmented based on the grayscale value changes at the corresponding sticking points. Furthermore, based on the image information of the single piece separation unit and the package sent by the area array 3D camera, the number and position of the array single piece separation modules corresponding to each package are determined.

2. A package single piece separation system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The diffusion unit comprises: a plurality of diffusion lines, the plurality of diffusion lines being diffused outwardly near one end of the single-piece separation unit; The diffusion line belt is used to evacuate the packages placed on the diffusion line to the left and right sides to increase the lateral distance between the packages.

3. The package separation system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The industrial control unit includes an industrial computer, which is used to receive image information of the single-piece separation unit and the package sent by the acquisition unit, and control the operation of the array single-piece separation module through a visual algorithm.

4. The package separation system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The control unit includes a PLC controller.

5. A method for separating individual packages, characterized in that: The system for separating individual packages according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the method for separating individual packages comprises: S1. Evacuate the packages to the left and right sides through the diffusion unit to increase the lateral distance between the packages; S2. The parcels conveyed by the diffusion unit are received by the single-piece separation unit, and the parcels are separated into individual pieces; S3. Collecting image information of the single separation unit and the package by a collection unit; S4. Receive, through the industrial control unit, image information of the single-piece separation unit and the package, and analyze distribution information of the package within the single-piece separation unit; S5. The control unit receives distribution information of the packages in the single-piece separation unit to perform single-piece separation processing on adjacent packages.

6. A method for separating individual packages according to claim 5, characterized in that: The receiving, by the industrial control unit, image information of the single-piece separation unit and the package, and analyzing distribution information of the package in the single-piece separation unit includes: S41. Segment and locate the outer contour of the package using a deep learning algorithm to obtain a grayscale value change of the package at the joint to determine and segment the package contour; S42. Obtain the real-time location and volume of the package; S43. Obtain distribution information of the package in the single-piece separation unit based on the real-time position, volume, and front-to-back relationship of the package.

7. An electronic device comprising a processor and a memory, wherein the memory stores program instructions, wherein: The processor runs program instructions to implement the method for separating individual packages as claimed in claim 6.

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