Robotic Inliner Handling Using 3D Vision and Force Feedback
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Solution Overview
Problem
The chemical-pharmaceutical industry faces challenges in automating the manipulation of bending flaw primary packaging, specifically opening and closing polyethylene inliners within cardboard drums, due to their physical behavior changes during manipulation, which has been manually handled, necessitating a safe and automated solution to separate people from hazardous substances.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a two-armed robot with power-moment sensors, stereo cameras for 3D image recording, and a control module for surface reconstruction and movement calculation, enabling autonomous opening, loading, and closing of the primary packaging by calculating the gripping position and movement sequence to manage torque and tension effectively.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If manual manipulation of flexible primary packaging is used, then ease of operation is maintained, but health and safety risks increase due to exposure to hazardous substances
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical manipulation with a robotic system equipped with force-controlled grippers. The robot autonomously performs opening, closing, and manipulation of flexible primary packaging within secondary containers, eliminating direct human contact with hazardous substances while maintaining precise mechanical control through force sensing and adaptive gripping.
2Productivity
If flexible primary packaging is frequently handled, then productivity increases, but physical behavior becomes inconsistent making automation difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a dynamic control system that adapts to the changing physical state of flexible packaging during frequent handling. Force-controlled grippers continuously adjust gripping forces based on real-time feedback, and the robot learns from each manipulation task to improve performance. This dynamic adaptation maintains consistent and reliable behavior even after numerous handling operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates force-torque sensors and vision systems that provide continuous feedback during manipulation tasks. This feedback loop allows the robot to detect changes in packaging physical behavior and adjust its actions accordingly, ensuring consistent and reliable operation across multiple handling cycles while maintaining high productivity.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If automated manipulation system is implemented, then health and safety are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs a universal robotic system capable of performing multiple manipulation tasks including opening, closing, sampling, and transferring flexible packaging within various secondary container types. The force-controlled gripper and vision system provide multi-functional capabilities that reduce the need for specialized equipment for each task, thereby managing overall system complexity while comprehensively addressing health and safety requirements.
Data Source
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AI summary
System for the automated manipulation of a primary package within a secondary package, comprising a robot with two robot arms, each with a clamping gripper mounted at a tool center point, each tool center point having a force-torque sensor, an image acquisition module for capturing images of at least the upper segment of the primary package, comprising at least two stereo cameras for 3D image capture and one or more processors for providing a 3-dimensional point cloud, control of the image acquisition module and control of the robot based on the analysis of the 3-dimensional point cloud and the measurements from the force-torque sensors: