Vibrating Intermediate Support for Complete Loose Product Picking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing automated systems struggle to completely empty containers of loose, disordered products due to issues like bulky grippers, container geometry, and products getting stuck together, making it difficult to define successful pick-up trajectories.
Innovation Solution
An automatic machine with a control method that includes a collecting station with a vibrating system, a pick and place system, and sensors to detect product position and orientation, allowing for the separation and orderly placement of loose products using actuators and a robotic arm.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If traditional robotic grippers are used for bin-picking, then the system can perform automated product retrieval, but the bulky grippers and container geometry prevent complete emptying of the container
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies vibration to the container or picking system to prevent products from getting stuck together and to facilitate complete container emptying. The vibrational motion helps dislodge products that are difficult to reach or stuck in tight spaces, enabling the robotic system to retrieve 100% of products from the container.
2Device complexity
If products are allowed to get stuck together in the container, then the system structure remains simple, but pick-up trajectories cannot be defined and container emptying is incomplete
Solution Approach 1:
Vibration is applied to the container or product pile to prevent products from getting stuck together or to break up stuck clusters. This maintains simple system structure while enabling complete container emptying by keeping products in a state suitable for robotic pickup.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts the vibration parameters or container orientation during the picking process to adapt to changing product configurations, ensuring that products remain accessible throughout the emptying process without requiring complex mechanical structures.
3Ease of manufacture
If the container geometry is standard parallelepiped-shaped, then manufacturing is simple, but certain product positions do not allow successful pick-up
Solution Approach 1:
Vibration is applied to products in hard-to-reach corners or positions within the parallelepiped container to dislodge them and make them accessible to the robotic gripper, maintaining simple container manufacturing while improving pick-up success rate for all product positions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces vibrational motion as an additional dimension of control to access products in difficult positions within the fixed container geometry, effectively adding a temporal/dynamic dimension to overcome spatial constraints of the parallelepiped shape.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Ensures 100% emptying of containers by separating stuck products and optimizing pick-up trajectories, enhancing efficiency and safety by eliminating the need for manual handling.
Implementation Method 1
at least one sensor arranged to detect a position and an orientation in three-dimensional space of at least some of the products
Implementation Method 2
transferring, at the loading station, a first portion of the loose products from the container to the intermediate support element
Implementation Method 3
a shaking or vibrating system comprising at least one actuator arranged to move, shake or vibrate the intermediate support element
Data Source
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AI summary
An automatic machine (1) for picking up loose products (2) from a container (3) to be emptied comprising: a collecting station (5) comprising in turn an intermediate support element (6), which is configured to receive and support a portion (7) of loose products (2) transferred from the container (3); an unloading station (8); a control system (9) with at least one sensor element (10) to detect the three-dimensional position of at least some of the products (2); a pick and place system (11) to pick, individually or in groups, loose products (2) from the intermediate support element (6) and to place them at the unloading station (8); a system (12) for shaking or vibrating to move, shake or vibrate the intermediate support element (6); wherein the control system (9) is configured to selectively control the first actuator device (13) as a function of what is detected by the at least one sensor element (10).