Robot Gripping Area Control for Interference-Free Article Picking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing robot systems face challenges in efficiently picking up articles when multiple items are closely positioned, as they struggle to avoid interference between the gripping device and other articles, leading to incorrect path corrections and potential failures in picking up target items.
Innovation Solution
A robot system equipped with a sensor for detecting article shapes, a gripping device, and a controller that sets a gripping area for each article, determines interference with other articles, stores interference information, and updates this information after each pick-up operation to ensure the gripping device can pick up articles without interference.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If path correction is applied to avoid interference between gripping device and other articles, then collision prevention is improved, but picking up accuracy deteriorates due to incorrect path corrections
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary determination of interference between gripping areas and other articles before the robot executes pickup operations. By pre-calculating which articles can be picked up without interference and storing this information, the system avoids incorrect real-time path corrections that would degrade picking accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The system divides the workspace into individual gripping areas for each detected article and evaluates interference independently for each article. This segmentation allows the robot to identify specific pickable articles among multiple articles without incorrect path corrections affecting overall picking accuracy.
2Productivity
If the robot attempts to pick up articles in densely packed environments, then productivity is improved, but interference with other articles increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system determines interference relationships between all articles and the gripping device before pickup operations begin. By pre-identifying which articles are pickable without interference, the robot can efficiently select and execute pickups in densely packed environments without causing interference to other articles.
Solution Approach 2:
The system stores interference determination results and updates them based on completed pickup operations. This feedback mechanism allows the robot to adapt to changing article configurations after each pickup, maintaining high productivity while avoiding interference in densely packed environments.
3Productivity
If multiple articles are detected and picked up sequentially, then productivity is improved, but time for determining interference for each article increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs interference determination for all detected articles in advance and stores the results. This preliminary processing allows the robot to quickly select and execute pickup operations for multiple articles without repeatedly calculating interference, thereby improving productivity while minimizing determination time.
Solution Approach 2:
The system combines interference determination for multiple articles into a single processing step, evaluating all articles simultaneously rather than sequentially. This merging of determination operations reduces total processing time while maintaining the ability to pick up multiple articles efficiently.
Data Source
AI summary
A robot system includes a sensor, a robot equipped with a gripping device capable of gripping a detected article, and a controller. The controller includes a gripping area setting unit that, for each article, sets a gripping area in which the gripping device is to be positioned when it grips the article, a determination unit that determines presence or absence of interference between the gripping area and other articles, a storage unit that stores a result of determination on the presence or absence of interference determined by the determination unit in association with each detected article, a robot control unit that causes the gripping device to pick up an article for which no other article interferes with the gripping area thereof, and an updating unit that updates the result of determination stored in the storage unit every time an article is picked up by the gripping device.