Cascaded Pick-and-Place Robots for Moving Sorter Induction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sorter systems face challenges in handling randomly sized and shaped objects in 3D bulk efficiently, particularly in high-throughput scenarios, often requiring manual induction and lacking reliable robotic solutions for accurate pick and place operations.
Innovation Solution
A sorter system utilizing a cascade of Cartesian or gantry configured pick and place robots, equipped with image sensors, that can process 3D bulk objects at high speed by distributing picking and placing tasks, eliminating the need for traditional inductions, and ensuring a high rate of success and throughput.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual induction is used to load objects onto the sorter, then the system can handle various objects, but the productivity is reduced and the operation becomes unpleasant for workers
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses automated pick and place robots that can independently select, grasp, and transfer objects from the bulk pile to the sorter without human intervention. The robots self-coordinate their movements and timing to maintain high throughput while eliminating manual induction tasks
Solution Approach 2:
Manual mechanical induction operations are replaced with automated robotic systems equipped with sensors and control algorithms. The robots use vision systems to locate objects and robotic manipulators to grasp and place them, substituting human labor with automated mechanical systems
2Reliability
If traditional inductions are used between feeder and sorter, then objects can be accelerated to sorter velocity, but the device complexity increases and space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the traditional induction elements from the system architecture. Instead of using separate induction mechanisms to accelerate objects, the pick and place robots directly transfer objects from the feeder to the moving sorter, extracting the velocity-matching function from dedicated induction devices and integrating it into the robotic placement operation
Solution Approach 2:
The pick and place robots perform multiple functions: they locate objects in the bulk pile, grasp them, transfer them to the moving sorter, and place them in correct positions. This multi-functional approach eliminates the need for separate induction elements, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining velocity matching capability
3Extent of automation
If pick and place robots are used to handle objects from bulk, then automation is improved, but the difficulty of detecting and measuring object positions increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs vision systems and sensors that continuously monitor the positions of objects in the bulk pile and on the sorter. This feedback information is fed back to the control system, which adjusts the robot movements and timing in real-time to account for object position variations, enabling accurate automated pick and place operations despite the challenging unstructured environment
Solution Approach 2:
The vision system performs preliminary detection and measurement of object positions, sizes, and orientations before the robots attempt to grasp them. This advance information allows the control system to plan optimal pick and place trajectories, adjust gripper positions, and coordinate robot movements to accommodate the random arrangement of objects in the bulk pile
Data Source
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AI summary
A sorter system with a cascade of pick and place robots picking randomly shaped and sized object from a continuously moving stream of objects in 3D bulk being transported on a feeder. The pick and place robots place objects directly on an empty space on the sorter, while the sorter is running. A control system processes images of objects upstream of a position of the pick and place robots and selects which object to grip for each of the pick and place robots. The pick and place robots may have Cartesian or gantry type robotic actuators, especially arranged with their main axes at an oblique angle with a transport direction of the sorter so as to facilitate acceleration of objects to the transporting speed of the sorter for release of the object on the sorter. The sorter and feeder may be parallel, e.g. placed close to each other and transporting objects in the same or opposite directions. The control system controls each of the robotic actuators to move the gripper to a position for gripping the selected object, and to move the gripper with the gripped object to a target position to release grip of the object and thus place the object directly on an empty space on the sorter.