Object stacking order determination program, object stacking order determination method, object stacking order determination device, and palletizing robot

Abstract

To provide an article stacking order determination device for determining an article stacking order based on a pre-generated stacking position plan so that a multi-joint robot device can properly perform the stacking operation.SOLUTION: A stacking order determination section 22 serving as a device for determining stacking order of articles includes: a stacking position planning information acquisition unit 221; an item information acquiring unit 222; and a whole stacking order determination unit 226. The stacking position planning information acquiring unit 221 acquires stacking position planning information indicating stacking positions of articles in a container by assigning a plurality pieces of item information corresponding to a plurality of articles to be stacked at predetermined positions in container information corresponding to a stacking destination container. The item information acquiring unit 222 acquires the position information in the container information of the item information in the stacking position planning information. The whole stacking order determination unit 226 determines the stacking order of each article with respect to the container by determining the stacking order of each piece of the item information in the stacking position planning information based on the acquired information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This disclosure relates to a program for determining the stacking order of objects, a method for determining the stacking order of objects, a device for determining the stacking order of objects, and a palletizing robot. [Background technology]

[0002] In logistics systems, goods are efficiently transported by stacking multiple items on containers such as pallets. However, this isn't always done by stacking only one type of goods on a pallet; sometimes, multiple types of goods are stacked. For single-item stacking, a suitable loading pattern can be predetermined, allowing for efficient stacking across multiple pallets. However, for mixed loading, the optimal loading pattern varies depending on the type and quantity of goods, requiring a separate loading plan for each pallet.

[0003] Mixed cargo loading operations are mainly carried out by workers recognizing the types and quantities of cargo and using trial and error, which has several problems: (1) the quality of loading location plans and the time required vary from worker to worker, (2) there is a risk of cargo deterioration or damage due to the trial-and-error nature of the work, and (3) workers have to hold heavy objects and work in a bent-over position, which places a heavy burden on the workers' bodies.

[0004] As a technology to solve some of the above problems (1) and (2), a technology for automatically generating a loading position plan for goods on a pallet has been disclosed. This technology calculates the loading position of each item when loading multiple types of goods together on a pallet, based on the type of goods to be loaded. By using this technology, loading work can be performed efficiently when loading multiple types of goods together on a pallet. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6012943 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0006] As a technical means to solve the above problem (3), it is conceivable to perform the stacking work automatically using a robotic device. A typical robotic device used for stacking work is a multi-joint robotic device. A multi-joint robotic device consists of an arm with multiple joints mounted on a base.

[0007] Articulated robotic devices of this configuration have significant operational limitations due to characteristics such as (i) interference between the arm and already loaded cargo is likely to occur during loading operations because the base at the bottom is fixed, and (ii) the range of motion of the arm is limited.

[0008] Therefore, when a multi-joint robotic device performs stacking work based on a pre-generated stacking position plan, there was a problem that some items could not be stacked depending on the stacking order. Since the automatically generated stacking position plan is generated to stack items at a high density in order to improve the stacking rate, this problem is more likely to occur.

[0009] This disclosure is made in view of the above circumstances and aims to provide an object stacking order determination program, an object stacking order determination method, an object stacking order determination device, and a palletizing robot that determine the stacking order so that a multi-joint robot device can perform stacking work properly based on a pre-generated stacking position plan. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] The object stacking order determination program according to this disclosure causes a computer to execute: a stacking position plan information acquisition function that acquires stacking position plan information indicating the stacking position of the objects in a container by assigning multiple item information corresponding to multiple objects to be stacked to predetermined positions in container information corresponding to the container to be stacked; an item information acquisition function that acquires position information in the width direction, depth direction, and height direction of the item information in the stacking position plan information in the container information; and an overall stacking order determination function that determines the stacking order for each item information in the stacking position plan information based on the information acquired by the item information acquisition function, thereby determining the stacking order for each object in the container.

[0011] The object stacking order determination program further includes a layer classification information acquisition function that acquires information classifying the item information in the stacking position planning information into layers, which are groups of horizontally adjacent items of the same shape; a layer stacking order determination function that determines the stacking order for each layer in the stacking position planning information based on the information acquired by the item information acquisition function; and an item stacking order determination function that determines the stacking order for each item within each layer based on the information acquired by the item information acquisition function. The overall stacking order determination function may determine the stacking order for each item within the stacking position planning information based on the stacking order for each layer determined by the layer stacking order determination function and the stacking order for each item within each layer determined by the item stacking order determination function.

[0012] In the layer stacking order determination function, the stacking order for each layer may be determined by prioritizing the front or back side of the container, and in the item stacking order determination function, the stacking order for each item information may be determined by prioritizing the front or back side of the container.

[0013] In the layer stacking order determination function, for layers with a height less than a predetermined height, the stacking order is determined by prioritizing the front side of the container, and for layers with a height greater than or equal to the predetermined height, the stacking order is determined by prioritizing the back side of the container. In the item stacking order determination function, for item information with a height less than a predetermined height, the stacking order may be determined by prioritizing the front side of the container, and for item information with a height greater than or equal to the predetermined height, the stacking order may be determined by prioritizing the back side of the container.

[0014] Also, in the method for determining the stacking order of objects according to the present disclosure, by allocating a plurality of item information corresponding to a plurality of objects to be stacked to a predetermined position in container information corresponding to the container for stacking, stacking position planning information indicating the stacking positions of the objects in the container is obtained. The position information in the width direction, depth direction, and height direction of the item information in the container information within the stacking position planning information is obtained. Based on the obtained stacking position planning information and the position information of the item information in the stacking position planning information, the stacking order for each item information in the stacking position planning information is determined, thereby determining the stacking order of each object with respect to the container.

[0015] Also, the apparatus for determining the stacking order of objects according to the present disclosure includes a stacking position planning information acquisition unit that obtains stacking position planning information indicating the stacking positions of the objects in the container by allocating a plurality of item information corresponding to a plurality of objects to be stacked to a predetermined position in container information corresponding to the container for stacking, an item information acquisition unit that obtains the position information in the width direction, depth direction, and height direction of the item information in the container information within the stacking position planning information, and an overall stacking order determination unit that determines the stacking order of each object with respect to the container by determining the stacking order for each item information in the stacking position planning information based on the information obtained by the item information acquisition unit.

[0016] Also, the palletizing robot according to the present disclosure includes an operation mechanism that stacks the corresponding objects at the positions indicated by the stacking position planning information in the container based on the stacking order determined by the above-described apparatus for determining the stacking order of objects.

Advantages of the Invention

[0017] According to the stacking order determination program, stacking order determination method, stacking order determination device, and palletizing robot of the object of the present disclosure, the stacking order can be determined so that the multi-joint robot device can properly perform the stacking operation based on the pre-generated stacking position plan.

Brief Description of Drawings

[0018] [Figure 1] It is a block diagram showing the configuration of a stacking position planning device according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] It is a flowchart showing the flow of the stacking order determination process executed by the stacking order determination unit of the stacking position planning device according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] (a) and (b) are examples of layers generated by the layer classification unit of the stacking position planning device according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] It is an example of the stacking position planning information for which the stacking position planning device according to an embodiment targets the stacking order determination process. [Figure 5] It is an explanatory diagram showing the state when the robot device tries to stack a new load behind after stacking a load with a higher height on the front side first. [Figure 6] (a) is an explanatory diagram showing the state when the robot device tries to perform an operation of moving a load from the front side to the back direction at a low position, and (b) is an explanatory diagram showing the state when the robot device tries to perform an operation of moving a load from the back side to the front direction at a high position. [Figure 7] (a) and (b) are diagrams showing an example of the stacking order determined by the stacking position planning device according to an embodiment. [Figure 8] It is an example of the stacking position planning information for which the stacking position planning device according to an embodiment targets the stacking order determination process. [Figure 9] It is a diagram showing the base point P in the stacking position planning information generated by the stacking position planning device according to an embodiment. [Figure 10]This flowchart shows the flow of the process for determining the stacking order for each layer, which is performed by the layer stacking order determination unit of a stacking position planning device according to one embodiment. [Figure 11] (a) is an explanatory diagram relating to the stacking order of a group of layers whose coordinate reference point is less than the reference value zchange, as determined by the layer stacking order determination unit of the stacking position planning device according to one embodiment, and (b) is an explanatory diagram relating to the stacking order of a group of layers whose coordinate reference point is greater than or equal to the reference value zchange, as determined by the layer stacking order determination unit of the stacking position planning device according to one embodiment. [Figure 12] This flowchart shows the flow of the process for determining the stacking order for each layer, which is performed by the item stacking order determination unit of a stacking position planning device according to one embodiment. [Figure 13] This is an explanatory diagram relating to the stacking order for each item information of the entire stacking position planning information determined by the overall stacking order determination unit of a stacking position planning device according to one embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0019] The following embodiment describes a stacking position information generation device that generates stacking position information for cargo when transporting multiple rectangular cargo such as cardboard boxes stacked on a container such as a pallet. In this embodiment, the cargo such as cardboard boxes are the objects to be processed for stacking position determination, and the pallet is the container to which the cargo is stacked.

[0020] <Configuration of a stacking position planning device according to one embodiment> The configuration of a stacking position planning device according to one embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 1. The stacking position planning device 1 according to this embodiment comprises an input unit 10, a CPU 20, and an output unit 30.

[0021] The input unit 10 consists of, for example, a mouse and keyboard operated by the user, or a communication means for communicating with a higher-level system that oversees the entire logistics system. The input unit 10 inputs information about multiple packages to be loaded and information about the pallets to be loaded onto, based on user operation information or information transmitted from the higher-level system, as conditions for generating planning information for the loading locations of packages. Specifically, the input unit 10 inputs information about the quantity and shape of each type of package as information about the packages to be loaded and information about the pallets to be loaded onto.

[0022] The CPU 20 operates by executing a pre-installed program and includes a stacking position planning information generation unit 21 and a stacking order determination unit 22. The stacking position planning information generation unit 21 generates stacking position planning information that indicates the stacking position of goods within the pallet based on the information input from the input unit 10. Specifically, the stacking position planning information generation unit 21 generates stacking position planning information by assigning item information corresponding to the objects to be stacked to predetermined positions in the pallet information corresponding to the pallet to which the items will be stacked.

[0023] The stacking order determination unit 22 determines the stacking order for each item information corresponding to the cargo to be stacked, based on the stacking position plan information generated by the stacking position plan information generation unit 21. The stacking order for each item information determined by the stacking order determination unit 22 is an order suitable for stacking work by a palletizing robot device having a multi-jointed arm.

[0024] The stacking order determination unit 22 includes a stacking position planning information acquisition unit 221, an item information acquisition unit 222, a layer classification unit 223 as a layer classification information acquisition unit, a layer stacking order determination unit 224, an item stacking order determination unit 225, and a total volume order determination unit 226 as an item volume order determination unit.

[0025] The stacking position plan information acquisition unit 221 acquires the stacking position plan information generated by the stacking position plan information generation unit 21. The item information acquisition unit 222 acquires position information and shape information within the pallet information for each item in the stacking position plan information acquired by the stacking position plan information acquisition unit 221. The layer classification unit 223 classifies the item information in the stacking position plan information into layers, which are groups of horizontally adjacent items of the same shape, based on the information acquired by the item information acquisition unit 222.

[0026] The layer stacking order determination unit 224 determines the stacking order for each layer within the stacking position planning information, that is, the stacking order for each cargo block, which is a group of cargo corresponding to each layer, onto the pallet. The item stacking order determination unit 225 determines the stacking order for each item within each layer.

[0027] The overall stacking order determination unit 226 acquires the stacking order for each layer determined by the layer stacking order determination unit 224, and the stacking order for each item within each layer determined by the item stacking order determination unit 225. Based on the acquired information, the overall stacking order determination unit 226 determines the stacking order for each item in the stacking position planning information, thereby determining the stacking order for each package on the pallet.

[0028] The output unit 30 outputs the stacking position plan information generated by the stacking position plan information generation unit 21, and the stacking order information for each item determined by the stacking order determination unit 22. The output unit 30 outputs this information by means of, for example, printing by a printer, displaying on a display screen, displaying on an AR (Augmented Reality) display, or transmitting data to a higher-level system.

[0029] <Operation of a stacking position planning device according to one embodiment> Next, the operation of the stacking position planning device 1 according to this embodiment will be described. First, when a user inputs information about the cargo to be stacked and information about the pallet to be stacked from the input unit 10 and performs an operation to instruct the generation of stacking position planning information, the stacking position planning information generation unit 21 starts generating the stacking position planning information.

[0030] The stacking position planning information generation unit 21 determines the stacking position of the cargo within the pallet information by assigning item information corresponding to multiple cargo items to be stacked to predetermined positions within the pallet information based on the input information. The stacking position planning information generation unit 21 then generates stacking position planning information that indicates the determined stacking position of each cargo item.

[0031] When the stacking position planning information generation unit 21 generates stacking position planning information, the stacking order determination unit 22 determines the stacking order for each item information within the generated stacking position planning information.

[0032] Figure 2 is a flowchart showing the flow of the stacking order determination process performed by the stacking order determination unit 22. First, the stacking position plan information acquisition unit 221 acquires the stacking position plan information generated by the stacking position plan information generation unit 21 (S1).

[0033] Next, the item information acquisition unit 222 acquires the position information and shape information within the pallet information for each item in the stacking position plan information acquired by the stacking position plan information acquisition unit 221. The shape information for each item includes information on width, depth, and height.

[0034] Next, the layer classification unit 223 classifies the item information in the stacking position planning information into layers L1, L2, L3, etc., based on the information acquired by the item information acquisition unit 222, for groups of horizontally adjacent items of the same shape (S3). In this embodiment, a layer may also consist of a single item.

[0035] Figures 3(a) and (b) show examples of layers generated by the layer classification unit 223. Figure 3(a) is a layer La of a rod-shaped pattern, where item information of the same shape is arranged adjacently in the same direction. Figure 3(b) is a layer Lb of a pinhole pattern, where item information of the same shape is combined in a ring shape so that they are orthogonal to each other on a plane.

[0036] The layer classification unit 223 does not recognize a group of item information where item information of the same shape is stacked vertically as a layer, as shown in Figure 3(c). The layer classification unit 223 recognizes these item information as separate layers Lc, Ld, and Le.

[0037] Next, the layer stacking order determination unit 224 determines the stacking order for each layer L1, L2, L3, etc. in the stacking position planning information, that is, the stacking order of each cargo block, which is a group of cargo corresponding to each layer, onto the pallet (S4). In addition, the item stacking order determination unit 225 determines the stacking order for each item information within each layer L1, L2, L3, etc., that is, the stacking order of each cargo corresponding to each item information onto the pallet (S5). The following constraints regarding cargo stacking should be considered when the layer stacking order determination unit 224 and the item stacking order determination unit 225 determine the stacking order.

[0038] Constraint (1) All cargo to be stacked must have its bottom supported by a pallet or the top surface of another cargo. Based on this, when determining the stacking order, if the object supporting the bottom of a newly stacked cargo is the top surface of another cargo, the stacking order is determined so that the supporting cargo is stacked first, and then the cargo on top of it is stacked. For example, when determining the stacking order for stacking position planning information where cargoes C2 and C3 are stacked on top of cargo C1 as shown in Figure 4, the stacking order is determined so that cargo C1 is stacked first, and then cargoes C2 and C3 are stacked. Here, the stacking order for cargoes C2 and C3 is arbitrary under this constraint (a).

[0039] Constraint (2) The stacking order is determined so that the robot device does not interfere with the already stacked cargo when performing the stacking operation. For example, as shown in Figure 5, if the taller cargo C4 is stacked first on the near side from the robot device D, and then a new cargo C5 is to be stacked at the dotted line position behind it, interference will occur between the arm E of the robot device D and the already stacked cargo C4. To avoid this, the procedure should be to stack the cargo C5 at the back first, or a constraint should be placed on the height of the cargo stacked on the near side to determine the stacking order.

[0040] Constraint (3) When the robot device performs the stacking operation, the stacking order is determined so that stacking is possible within the range of motion of the robot device's arm. For example, depending on the robot device D, due to the range of motion of the arm E, it may not be possible to (i) move loads from the front to the back at a low position (see Figure 6(a)) and (ii) move loads from the back to the front at a high position (see Figure 6(b)). To avoid such operations, the stacking order is determined assuming that loads will be moved from the back to the front at a low position and that loads will be moved from the front to the back at a high position.

[0041] Constraint (4) Determine the stacking order in a way that does not violate constraints (1) to (3) and that the stacking position of the newly determined load is not in a space that is too narrow. Specifically, determine the stacking order so that the stacking position of the newly determined load is not sandwiched between two or more other adjacent loads that have already been stacked, or sandwiched between adjacent loads that have already been stacked and the wall of the pallet. For example, as shown in Figure 7(a), with respect to the stacking position planning information for adjacent loads C6, C7, and C8 in that order, if the procedure is to stack loads C6 and C8 first, and then load C7, load C7 will be squeezed into the narrow space between C6 and C8.

[0042] In this case, depending on the control accuracy and the accuracy of the cargo dimensions, cargo C7 may interfere with cargo C6 or C8, causing the cargo to collapse. In contrast, if the loading procedure is as shown in Figure 7(b), either cargo C6 → C7 → C8, or cargo C7 → C6 → C8, it becomes possible to align each cargo with ample margin when loading, and the risk of cargo collapse can also be reduced.

[0043] Constraint (5) Determine the stacking order so as not to violate constraints (1) to (3) and so as to stack items of the same type consecutively as possible. By making such a determination, the work of retrieving goods from the warehouse becomes efficient and simple. For example, as shown in Figure 8, consider the case of a stacking position plan where items of the same type C9 and C10 and items of the same type but different C11 and C12 are adjacent in the width direction. In this case, items C9 and C11 are lined up on the back side of the pallet, and C10 and C12 are lined up on the front side of the pallet, so a stacking order of C9 → C11 → C10 → C12 is also possible. However, since items C9 and C11 are of different types, and items C10 and C12 are of different types, it is preferable to consider the types of items and stack them in the order C9 → C10 → C11 → C12.

[0044] The layer stacking order determination unit 224 determines the stacking order of each layer L1, L2, L3, etc., taking into consideration the constraints (1) to (5) described above. The following describes the process by which the layer stacking order determination unit 224 determines the stacking order of each layer L1, L2, L3, etc., taking into consideration the constraint (3) described above.

[0045] Here, the corner of each layer L1, L2, L3, etc. that is closest to a predetermined base point in the stacking position planning information is used as the coordinate reference point for that layer. In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 9, the point at the back left of the pallet information F to be stacked is used as the base point P, and the coordinate reference points LP1, LP2, LP3, etc. for each layer L1, L2, L3, etc. are determined based on this base point P.

[0046] Figure 10 is a flowchart showing the process of determining the stacking order for each layer executed by the layer stacking order determination unit 224. The layer stacking order determination unit 224 first determines, for each of the layers L1, L2, L3..., the position in the height direction of the corresponding coordinate reference points LP1, LP2, LP3... and a preset reference value z change and compares them. The reference value z change depends on the specifications and installation conditions of the robot device that performs the stacking operation. For example, 1000 mm is set.

[0047] Then, the layer stacking order determination unit 224 classifies the layers L1, L2, L3... into a group of layers where the coordinate reference point is less than the reference value z change and a group of layers where the reference value z change or more (S41).

[0048] For each layer where the coordinate reference point is less than the reference value z change , the layer stacking order determination unit 224 calculates an index f1 of the reference coordinate point based on the following formula (1).

Equation

[0049] Also, for each layer where the coordinate reference point is greater than or equal to the reference value z change , the layer stacking order determination unit 224 calculates an index f2 of the reference coordinate point based on the following formula (2) (S42).

Equation

[0050] In formulas (1) and (2), w high , w middle , w [[ID=4**5]] low are all weights taking positive values, and w high > w middle > w low is set. These values are, for example, w high = 10<00*********014>, w middle = 10 4 、wlow = 1.0. In other words, indices f1 and f2 are calculated with the highest priority given to the height, depth, and width directions of the reference coordinate point.

[0051] The index f1 is calculated as a smaller value the lower the height of the coordinate reference point of the corresponding layer, and the closer it is to the front left. Similarly, the index f2 is calculated as a smaller value the lower the height of the coordinate reference point of the corresponding layer, and the closer it is to the back left.

[0052] Next, the layer stacking order determination unit 224 determines that the coordinate reference point is the reference value z change For layers less than a certain value, the stacking order is determined by the smallest value of the coordinate reference point index f1. As shown in Figure 11(a), the coordinate reference point is the reference value z change This section describes the case where the layer stacking order determination unit 224 determines the stacking order for a stacking position plan in which six layers L1 to L6 are arranged.

[0053] In Figure 11(a), layer L3, the front left layer with the smallest index f1 value of the coordinate reference point, is the first layer to be stacked. Also in Figure 11(a), the front left corner of layer L3, which has the smallest index f1 value, is used as the base point H3, and contour lines connecting the positions that are identical to the [width direction position of the coordinate reference point - depth direction position of the coordinate reference point] value for each layer L1 to L6 are shown as dotted lines.

[0054] Between layers L1 to L6, the order in which the layers overlap sequentially as the contour lines move away from the base point H3 in the direction of arrow G1 becomes the stacking order. As a result, the layer stacking order determination unit 224 determines the stacking order of layers L1 to L6 as "L3→L2→L6→L1→L5→L4".

[0055] Furthermore, the layer stacking order determination unit 224 determines the coordinate reference point when the reference value z change For the above group of layers, the stacking order is determined in ascending order of the value of the coordinate reference point index f2 (S43). As shown in Figure 11(b), the coordinate reference point is the reference value z changeRegarding the stacking position plan in which the above six layers L7 to L12 are arranged, we will now explain the case in which the layer stacking order determination unit 224 determines the stacking order.

[0056] In Figure 11(b), layer L7, located in the back left and having the smallest index f2 value of the coordinate reference point, is the first layer to be stacked. Also in Figure 11(b), the back left corner of layer L7, which has the smallest index f2 value, is used as the base point H1. Contour lines are shown as dotted lines connecting the positions that are identical to the (width direction position of the coordinate reference point + depth direction position of the coordinate reference point) value for each layer L7 to L12.

[0057] Between layers L7 and L12, the order in which the layers overlap sequentially as the contour lines move away from the base point H1 in the direction of arrow G2 becomes the stacking order. As a result, the layer stacking order determination unit 224 determines the stacking order of layers L7 to L12 as "L7→L8→L10→L9→L11→L12".

[0058] Next, the layer stacking order determination unit 224 determines that the coordinate reference point is the reference value z change After a group of layers less than the reference point, the coordinate reference point is the reference value z change By arranging the above group of layers, the stacking order of the corresponding stacking location plan information is determined (S44). In other words, for the entire stacking location plan information, the stacking order for each layer, "L3→L2→L6→L1→L5→L4→L7→L8→L10→L9→L11→L12", is determined.

[0059] On the other hand, the item stacking order determination unit 225 determines the stacking order of the corresponding item information for each layer, taking into consideration the constraints (1) to (5) described above. The following describes the process by which the item stacking order determination unit 225 determines the stacking order of item information K1-1, K1-2, K1-3, etc. of a predetermined layer, for example, layer L1, taking into consideration the constraint (3) described above.

[0060] Here, among the corners possessed by each of the item information K1-1, K1-2, K1-3, etc., the corner closest to the base point P at the back left of the pallet information F in the stacking position planning information is used as the coordinate reference point for the corresponding item information.

[0061] Figure 12 is a flowchart showing the flow of the stacking order determination process performed by the item stacking order determination unit 225. For the layer L1 to be processed, the item stacking order determination unit 225 determines that the coordinate reference point LP1 is the reference value z change Determine whether the layer is less than or equal to (S51).

[0062] Here, the coordinate reference point LP1 of layer L1 is the reference value z change If it is determined that the value is less than (YES in S51), the item stacking order determination unit 225 calculates the index f3 of the reference coordinate point based on the following formula (3) with respect to the corresponding item information (S52).

number

[0063] Since all item information within the same layer has the same height position, there is no need to consider the height position for metric f3.

[0064] Next, the item stacking order determination unit 225 determines the stacking order for the items in layer L1 in the same way as when determining the stacking order of layers, by ordering them in ascending order of the coordinate reference point index f3 (S53).

[0065] Furthermore, the item stacking order determination unit 225 determines that in step S51, the coordinate reference point LP1 of the layer L1 to be processed is the reference value z change If it is determined that the above is true (NO in S51), the process proceeds to step S54. In step S54, the item stacking order determination unit 225 calculates the index f4 of the reference coordinate point for each of the corresponding item information based on the following formula (4) (S54).

number

[0066] Here too, since the height position of all item information is the same within the same layer, there is no need to consider the height position for index f4.

[0067] Next, the item stacking order determination unit 225 determines the stacking order for the items in layer L1 in the same way as when determining the stacking order of layers, by ordering them in ascending order of the value of the coordinate reference point index f4 (S55).

[0068] The item stacking order determination unit 225 performs the processing in steps S51 to S55 for all layers in the stacking position planning information and determines the stacking order for each corresponding item information.

[0069] Returning to the flowchart in Figure 2, the overall stacking order determination unit 226 obtains the stacking order for each layer determined by the layer stacking order determination unit 224, and the stacking order for each item within each layer determined by the item stacking order determination unit 225. Then, based on the obtained information, the overall stacking order determination unit 226 determines the stacking order for each item in the overall stacking position plan information as the stacking order for the corresponding package (S6).

[0070] Specifically, the overall stacking order determination unit 226 determines the stacking order for each item information in the following order of priority: (1) stacking order for each layer, and (2) stacking order for each item information within each layer. By determining the stacking order in this way, all packages belonging to the same layer will be stacked consecutively.

[0071] For example, as shown in Figure 13, suppose the layer stacking order determination unit 224 determines the stacking order of layers L1 → L2 → L3 → L4 for the four layers L1, L2, L3, and L4 in the generated stacking position planning information. Also, suppose the item stacking order determination unit 225 determines the stacking order for layer L1 in the order of item information K1-1 → K1-2, for layer L3 in the order of item information K3-1, K3-2, and for layer L4 in the order of item information K4-1 → K4-2.

[0072] In this case, the overall stacking order determination unit 226 determines the stacking order for each item information in the overall stacking position planning information as follows: item information K1-1 → K1-2 → K2-1 → K3-1, K3-2 → K4-1 → K4-2.

[0073] By performing this stacking order determination process, the stacking order can be determined by considering the characteristics of the robotic device, assuming that at lower positions the loads will be moved from the back to the front, and at higher positions the loads will be moved from the front to the back.

[0074] The stacking order information for each item in the overall stacking position plan information determined by the overall stacking position plan unit 226 is output from the output unit 30. In addition, the stacking position plan information generated by the stacking position plan information generation unit 21, the stacking order information determined by the layer stacking order plan determination unit 224, the stacking order information determined by the item stacking order plan determination unit 225, etc., may also be output from the output unit 30.

[0075] The palletizing robot device acquires information on the stacking order for each item within the overall stacking position planning information output from the output unit 30, and performs the task of stacking the corresponding cargo in a predetermined position on the pallet based on the stacking order indicated by the acquired information.

[0076] According to the above embodiment, the stacking order can be determined based on a pre-generated stacking position plan so that a palletizing robot device having a multi-jointed arm can perform the stacking work properly.

[0077] In the embodiment described above, the stacking order determination unit 22 generated a stacking order in which stacking begins from the front left of the pallet for layers whose coordinate reference point is less than a predetermined value, and from the back left of the pallet for layers whose coordinate reference point is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. However, it is not limited to this, and a stacking order may be generated in which stacking begins from the front right of the pallet for layers whose coordinate reference point is less than a predetermined value, and from the back right of the pallet for layers whose coordinate reference point is equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

[0078] Furthermore, while the above-described embodiment explained the case of determining the stacking order of stacking position plan information for a single pallet, the stacking order of stacking position plan information for multiple pallets may also be determined. In this case, the stacking order should be determined for each pallet according to the corresponding stacking position plan information as described above.

[0079] Furthermore, in the embodiments described above, the case where the corner closest to the left rear base point of the palette information is used as the coordinate reference point for each layer was explained. However, the invention is not limited to this, and the geometric center point or centroid point of each layer may be used as the coordinate reference point for the corresponding layer. Furthermore, in the embodiments described above, the case where the corner closest to the left rear base point of the palette information is used as the coordinate reference point for each item information was explained. However, the invention is not limited to this, and the geometric center point or centroid point of each item information may be used as the coordinate reference point for the corresponding layer.

[0080] Furthermore, the layer stacking order determination unit 224 calculates the coordinate reference point, which is the reference value z. change The index of the reference coordinate point for each layer less than is not limited to the index f1 in equation (1) above. Similarly, the coordinate reference point calculated by the layer stacking order determination unit 224 is the reference value z change The index of the reference coordinate point for each of the above layers is not limited to the index f2 in equation (2) above. Similarly, the coordinate reference point is not limited to the reference value z changeThe index of the reference coordinate point for each item information less than is not limited to the index f3 in equation (3) above. Similarly, the coordinate reference point calculated by the layer stacking order determination unit 224 is the reference value z change The index of the reference coordinate point for each of the above item information is not limited to the index f4 in equation (4) above.

[0081] For example, the layer stacking order determination unit 224 may calculate an index f'2 shown in the following equation (5) instead of index f2.

number

[0082] If the above f'2 is adopted, the stacking order is determined so that the layers are stacked in a fan shape starting from the back left of the pallet. Although this stacking order is somewhat complicated in terms of procedure, it allows the robotic device to operate in a wider area for stacking.

[0083] Alternatively, the layer stacking order determination unit 224 may calculate an index f'4 shown in the following equation (6) instead of index f4.

number

[0084] Similarly, when using the above f'4 method, the stacking order is determined so that item information is stacked in a fan shape starting from the back left of the pallet, allowing the robotic device to operate in a wider area for stacking.

[0085] In the embodiments described above, the case in which the objects stacked in the container are cardboard boxes was explained, but it is not limited to this, and any object that can be approximated as a rectangular parallelepiped can be used, such as storage boxes for individual products, building materials, bags such as rice bags and cement bags.

[0086] Furthermore, although the above-described embodiment described the case where the destination container is a pallet, it is not limited to this, and may also be a cage cart, folding container, truck, construction material storage area, etc.

[0087] By programming the functional configuration of the stacking position planning device described above and incorporating it into a computer, it is also possible to construct a stacking position planning program that allows the computer to function as a stacking position planning device.

[0088] Although several embodiments have been described, it is possible to modify or transform the embodiments based on the above disclosure. All components of the above embodiments, and all features described in the claims, may be taken individually and combined, provided that they do not conflict with each other. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0089] 1. Stacking position planning device 10 Input section 21. Stacking Position Planning Information Generation Unit 22 Stacking Order Determination Unit 30 Output section 221 Stacking Position Planning Information Acquisition Unit 222 Item Information Acquisition Unit 223 Layer Classification Section 224 Layer stacking order determination unit 225 Item stacking order determination unit 226 Total volume order determination unit

Claims

1. On the computer, A stacking location planning information acquisition function acquires stacking location planning information indicating the stacking location of multiple objects within a container by assigning multiple item information corresponding to multiple objects to be stacked to predetermined positions within container information corresponding to the container to be stacked, An item information acquisition function that acquires the position information in the width direction, depth direction, and height direction of the item information in the aforementioned stacking position planning information within the aforementioned container information, A layer classification information acquisition function that acquires information by classifying the item information in the aforementioned stacking position planning information into layers, which are groups of items of the same shape that are adjacent horizontally. A layer stacking order determination function determines the stacking order for each layer within the stacking position planning information based on the information obtained by the item information acquisition function, Based on the information obtained by the aforementioned item information acquisition function, an item stacking order determination function determines the stacking order for each corresponding item information within each layer. A total stacking order determination function determines the stacking order for each object relative to the container by determining the stacking order for each layer determined by the layer stacking order determination function and the stacking order for each item information within each layer determined by the item stacking order determination function, thereby determining the stacking order for each item information in the stacking position planning information. A program for determining the stacking order of objects in order to execute the following.

2. The layer stacking order determination function determines the stacking order for each layer, prioritizing either the front or back side of the container. The item stacking order determination function prioritizes the front or back of the container when determining the stacking order for each item. A program for determining the stacking order of objects as described in claim 1.

3. In the aforementioned layer stacking order determination function, for layers below a predetermined height, the stacking order is determined by prioritizing the front side of the container, and for layers above a predetermined height, the stacking order is determined by prioritizing the back side of the container. In the item stacking order determination function, for items below a predetermined height, the stacking order is determined by prioritizing the front side of the container, and for items above a predetermined height, the stacking order is determined by prioritizing the back side of the container. A program for determining the stacking order of objects according to claim 2.

4. By assigning multiple item information corresponding to multiple objects to be stacked to predetermined positions within container information corresponding to the container to which they will be stacked, stacking position planning information indicating the stacking positions of the objects within the container is obtained. The position information in the width direction, depth direction, and height direction of the item information in the stacking position planning information within the container information is obtained. The item information within the aforementioned stacking position planning information is classified into layers, which are groups of items of the same shape that are adjacent horizontally, and this information is obtained. Based on the acquired information, the stacking order for each layer within the stacking position planning information is determined, and the stacking order for each corresponding item information within each layer is determined. Based on the determined stacking order for each layer and the stacking order for each item within each layer, the stacking order for each item in the stacking position planning information is determined, thereby determining the stacking order for each object in the container. A method for determining the stacking order of objects.

5. A stacking position planning information acquisition unit acquires stacking position planning information indicating the stacking position of multiple objects within a container by assigning multiple item information corresponding to multiple objects to be stacked to predetermined positions within container information corresponding to the container to be stacked. An item information acquisition unit acquires the position information in the width direction, depth direction, and height direction of the item information in the stacking position planning information within the container information, A layer classification information acquisition unit acquires information by classifying the item information in the aforementioned stacking position planning information into layers, which are groups of items of the same shape that are adjacent horizontally. A layer stacking order determination unit determines the stacking order for each layer within the stacking position planning information based on the information acquired by the item information acquisition unit, Based on the information acquired by the item information acquisition unit, an item stacking order determination unit determines the stacking order for each corresponding item information within each layer. An overall stacking order determination unit determines the stacking order for each object relative to the container by determining the stacking order for each item in the stacking position planning information based on the stacking order for each layer determined by the layer stacking order determination unit and the stacking order for each item within each layer determined by the item stacking order determination unit, A device for determining the stacking order of objects, comprising the following:

6. An operating mechanism that stacks the corresponding objects in the container at the positions indicated by the stacking position planning information, based on the stacking order determined by the object stacking order determination device described in claim 5. A palletizing robot equipped with [a specific feature / tool].

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