Picking Control for Stable Transfer of Normally Oriented Articles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional picking facilities face inefficiencies in transferring articles due to orientation changes during transport, leading to increased transfer times and instability, especially when articles are in overturned orientations, which can result in errors and reduced transfer speed.
Innovation Solution
A picking facility that preferentially selects and transfers articles in the normal orientation, using selection and transfer control to minimize orientation changes and stabilize the holding process, thereby reducing transfer time and improving stability during the transfer operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If articles are transferred in any orientation without selection, then transfer speed is maximized, but transfer accuracy and stability deteriorate due to overturned orientations
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection of article orientations using imaging devices before the transfer operation. Based on this detection, the control device pre-determines which articles are in normal orientation and prioritizes their transfer, preventing the need for mid-transfer orientation adjustments and ensuring stable holding from the outset
2Adaptability or versatility
If articles in overturned orientations are transferred, then all articles can be moved, but transfer time increases due to re-gripping operations
Solution Approach 1:
The system detects article orientations in advance and pre-plans the transfer sequence to prioritize normally oriented articles. This preliminary planning eliminates the need for time-consuming re-gripping operations during transfer, as the robot arm can directly transfer selected articles without intermediate orientation corrections
3Adaptability or versatility
If holding portion grasps upper face of overturned articles, then all articles can be held, but holding accuracy decreases due to narrow upper faces
Solution Approach 1:
The imaging device detects the orientation and dimensions of each article's upper face before transfer. The control device uses this information to identify articles with sufficiently large upper faces that can be reliably grasped, prioritizing these articles for transfer and avoiding the precision errors associated with grasping narrow upper faces of overturned articles
4Adaptability or versatility
If holding portion holds upper face of tall overturned articles, then all articles can be transferred, but transfer stability decreases due to long distance from holding point to center of gravity
Solution Approach 1:
The system detects article orientations and calculates the distance from the upper face to the center of gravity before transfer. Articles where this distance would create instability are identified and deprioritized. The control device selects articles with favorable geometry for stable holding, ensuring the holding point is close enough to the center of gravity to maintain stability during transfer
Data Source
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AI summary
A picking facility 100 is realized that can shorten the time required to transfer an article 50 from a first support body 51 to a second support body 53. Of a plurality of articles 50 supported by the first support body 51, the article 50 located at the highest position and the article 50 whose upper face T1 is present in a range of a set distance D downward from the upper face T1 of the article 50 located at the highest position are set as transfer-target articles 50A, and the control device performs a selection control to preferentially select, from the transfer-target articles 50A, a transfer-target article 50A in the normal orientation SC, and a transfer control to control the transfer device so as to transfer the transfer-target article 50A selected through the selection control from the first support body 51 to the second support body 53.