Article Picking Order Control for Overlapped Downstream Items
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing article picking systems face inefficiencies when handling overlapping articles, as they often prioritize picking from the highest positioned article, leading to incomplete processing of articles at the downstream side due to complex determination of picking order and regions.
Innovation Solution
An article picking system that includes a detection device to create work data with position, operation, and quality-related data, and a control unit to determine a determination region and picking order based on height, operation difficulty, and quality scores, allowing for efficient sequential picking from the most downstream articles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If articles are picked starting from the highest positioned article, then the robot can access articles that are overlapped, but the picking order determination becomes complex and articles at the downstream side may be incompletely processed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the article picking process into distinct phases: detection phase (capturing article positions), determination phase (calculating picking order based on downstream position and overlap relationships), and execution phase (sequential picking). This segmentation simplifies the overall complexity by breaking down the complex determination problem into manageable computational steps, where the control unit systematically evaluates article positions and establishes picking sequences without requiring complex real-time decision-making.
2Reliability
If the robot picks articles from the highest position, then overlapping articles can be accessed, but processing completeness of downstream articles deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional picking approach by prioritizing downstream articles over upstream articles when articles are overlapped. Instead of always picking from the highest position (upstream), the control unit determines picking order based on downstream position, selecting articles that are lower in the transfer direction first. This inversion ensures that articles at the downstream side are completely processed while maintaining operational simplicity through systematic position-based determination.
3Measurement precision
If conventional picking order determination is used, then high position articles are prioritized, but operational accuracy and certainty for downstream articles decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the control unit continuously monitors article positions detected by the detection device and adjusts the picking order determination accordingly. The system uses the detected position information as feedback to systematically determine which articles should be picked next, ensuring that downstream articles are prioritized when overlapped. This feedback loop maintains operational certainty by base.ing decisions on actual detected positions rather than predetermined sequences.
Data Source
AI summary
An article picking system includes a detection device which detects a position of a plurality of articles which are moved, and a control unit, and the control unit performs work data creation processing which creates work data having position data of each of the articles, work data storage processing which stores the plurality of the created work data, region determination processing which determines determination region on the periphery of watching-target work data, which should be paid attention to, among the stored work data, and order determination processing which determines picking order of the articles by using the watching-target work data and the peripheral work data, which are within the determination region.