3D Sensor Control for Robotic Sheet Bundle Unwrapping
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Solution Overview
Problem
In humid regions, removing sheets from wrapping paper without damaging them and without the intervention of a skilled operator is challenging due to the bending nature of paper and the risk of damage during unwrapping.
Innovation Solution
A control system using a 3D sensor to detect the shape and inclination of wrapping paper, identifying side surfaces, and controlling robotic arms to grip and cut the wrapping paper along the sheets' outlines, allowing the sheets to be removed without manual intervention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If manual unwrapping is performed by skilled operators, then sheets can be removed from wrapping paper, but the process requires skilled intervention and is time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical unwrapping with an automated system combining 3D sensors for detection, computer vision for processing, and robotic arms for execution. The system detects wrapping paper geometry and inclination, processes the information to identify side surfaces, and controls robotic arms to perform cutting and sheet removal operations automatically, eliminating the need for skilled manual intervention.
2Reliability
If sheets are handled manually, then they can be removed from wrapping paper, but sheets may bend or get damaged during the process
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection and planning before actual sheet removal. The 3D sensor detects the wrapping paper and sheets' position and shape, the computer vision processor identifies the side surface location, and the robotic arm plans the cutting path along the sheet outlines. This preliminary analysis ensures precise, damage-free removal while maintaining efficient automation.
3Manufacturing precision
If automated cutting is performed along sheet outlines, then sheets can be precisely separated from wrapping paper, but the system requires complex detection and control mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a computer vision processor as an intermediary between the 3D sensor and the robotic arm. The sensor captures raw three-dimensional coordinate data, the processor analyzes this data to identify side surfaces and calculate cutting paths along sheet outlines, and the robotic arm executes the predetermined paths. This intermediary processing layer simplifies the overall system architecture while achieving high precision separation.
Data Source
AI summary
A control system includes a processor configured to: detect, by using a three-dimensional sensor that measures a shape of an object, three-dimensional coordinate values and an inclination of wrapping paper wrapping a sheet bundle constituted by sheets, the three-dimensional coordinate values and the inclination representing a position and a shape of the wrapping paper, the inclination of the wrapping paper being an inclination with respect to a reference line; identify, by using the three-dimensional coordinate values and the inclination of the wrapping paper, a location of a side surface of the wrapping paper, the side surface being a surface of the wrapping paper which intersects with image forming surfaces of the sheets wrapped in the wrapping paper; control an arm to be used for gripping an object so that a cutting device attached to the arm moves along outlines of the sheets on the identified side surface of the wrapping paper and opens the side surface of the wrapping paper; and remove the sheet bundle from the opened wrapping paper by causing the arm to grip the sheet bundle exposed outside the opened wrapping paper.