Autonomous Piece-Goods Picking With Sensor-Guided Packing Placement
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Solution Overview
Problem
In the context of autonomous industrial trucks, the challenge lies in achieving high-accuracy automated picking and depositing of piece goods onto target load carriers, where movement can cause items to slip or fall, necessitating continuous status checks and stabilization to ensure stability and compact packing.
Innovation Solution
The method involves precalculating an optimized packing pattern based on the picking order, using sensor-supported localization and free space detection to determine the current target position and ensure collision-free movement, employing a handling device with integrated sensors for precise placement and stabilization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If automated picking and depositing is performed using autonomous industrial trucks, then productivity is improved, but manufacturing precision deteriorates due to movement causing items to slip or fall
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-calculates an optimized packing pattern before the autonomous industrial truck begins its operation. This preliminary planning includes determining the exact target positions for all piece goods on the target load carrier, considering stability requirements and compact packing arrangements. By having the complete placement plan ready before movement starts, the system can execute deposits with high precision even during autonomous operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors the actual positions of piece goods during the depositing process and compares them with the pre-calculated target positions. Sensor data provides real-time feedback on placement accuracy, allowing the control system to make immediate corrections to compensate for any slipping or positioning deviations that occur during movement, thereby maintaining high manufacturing precision throughout the automated picking and depositing operation.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the target load carrier is continuously monitored to prevent item shifting or falling, then stability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor system on the autonomous industrial truck serves multiple functions: it detects piece goods during picking, determines target positions during depositing, monitors the packing state on the target load carrier, and detects collisions. By making the sensor system multi-functional, the system achieves continuous monitoring for stability without adding separate dedicated monitoring devices, thus improving stability while limiting the increase in device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system automatically adjusts the packing pattern and target positions based on real-time sensor feedback about the packing state. When items are detected to be shifting or improperly positioned, the control system autonomously recalculates and executes corrective placement actions without human intervention. This self-service capability maintains stability through continuous monitoring while avoiding the need for complex manual monitoring and adjustment mechanisms.
3Manufacturing precision
If sensor-based localization and free space detection are implemented, then manufacturing precision is improved, but use of energy increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor-based localization and free space detection are performed at critical intervals during the picking and depositing cycle rather than continuously. The system activates sensors to scan for piece goods before picking, determines target positions at key decision points, and performs collision detection at strategically timed moments during movement. This periodic operation of sensor systems maintains the necessary manufacturing precision for accurate placement while significantly reducing energy consumption compared to continuous sensing.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a method for picking individual items (P) which are stored on at least one source load carrier and are individually placed on at least one target load carrier (Z), wherein the individual items (P) are picked up from the source load carrier (Q) by means of a handling device (R) arranged on an autonomous industrial truck (1) and equipped with a picking tool (G) and placed on the target load carrier (Z) in a depositing process.It is proposed that the placement process comprises several steps, wherein in a first step an optimized packing pattern is pre-calculated based on a picking order, according to which the individual items (P) are stacked on the target load carrier (Z), in a second step sensor-based localization of the target load carrier is performed, and in a third step sensor-based free space detection is performed, in which a current target position of the item (P) to be placed on the target load carrier (Z) and a collision-free placement movement of the handling device (R) are determined. The invention further relates to a system for carrying out the method.