Image-Based Picking Control for Legacy Warehouse Systems
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Solution Overview
Problem
The high costs associated with replacing or modifying existing management systems to provide effective picking information for automatic warehouse systems, as seen in existing technologies, pose a significant challenge.
Innovation Solution
A control apparatus and system that generates picking information from visual instruction images, allowing a robot system to autonomously pick articles from trays in an automatic warehouse, thereby eliminating the need for system replacement or modification.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If an existing management system is replaced or modified to provide picking information for automatic warehouse systems, then the system can provide effective picking information, but high costs are incurred
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an image processing unit as an intermediary component that captures images of storage locations and articles, processes them to extract picking information, and provides this information to the robot system. This intermediary approach allows the existing management system to remain unchanged while still enabling automated picking through image-based information extraction.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses image copying technology to create visual representations of the warehouse storage areas and articles. By capturing and processing images, the system creates a digital copy of the physical warehouse state, which can be analyzed to generate picking information without physically accessing or modifying the existing management system.
2Productivity
If a robot system is introduced for automatic picking, then productivity increases, but the complexity of the overall system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The image processing unit operates autonomously to capture, process, and interpret images of storage locations and articles. It automatically generates picking information without requiring complex integration with the existing management system, thereby increasing productivity while minimizing the addition of system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces complex mechanical or electronic interfaces between the management system and robot system with an optical-based image processing approach. By using cameras and image analysis algorithms, the system substitutes complex physical integrations with a more straightforward visual information transfer mechanism.
Data Source
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AI summary
To solve the above problem, a control apparatus, a program, and a system that are capable of effectively providing picking information are provided. According to an embodiment, a control apparatus includes an image interface, a communication unit, and a processor. The image interface obtains an instruction image indicating information of articles to be picked. The communication unit transmits and receives data to and from a robot system that picks the articles. The processor generates picking information of the articles to be picked from the instruction image, and transmits the picking information to the robot system via the communication unit.