Automated Palletizing Robot with Vision-Guided Parcel Selection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current palletizing methods in distribution centers face challenges with random parcel dimensions and orientations, leading to inefficient manual handling and errors in automated systems, particularly when parcels are received in bulk and have similar sizes or markings, causing difficulties in discernment and resulting in saturation and conveyor stoppages.
Innovation Solution
An automated palletizing method using a handling robot with a rotating gripping head and vision system, including a camera and laser scanner, to calculate and align parcel dimensions and orientations, and a control algorithm to select and place parcels optimally on a pallet, while also incorporating a parcel stirring mechanism to improve discernment and efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If manual palletizing is used with operator decision-making, then flexibility in parcel selection and placement is improved, but physical workload and stress on the operator increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the manual mechanical system of lifting and placing parcels with an automated robotic system. The robot equipped with a gripper head automatically picks up parcels from the accumulation bin and places them on the pallet according to the optimized plan, eliminating the physical workload while maintaining the flexibility of adaptive selection through algorithmic control
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables self-service by allowing the robot to autonomously select parcels based on real-time space analysis and automatically position them on the pallet. The control algorithm independently manages the entire palletizing process without human intervention in the physical handling, while humans only provide supervisory control
2Ease of operation
If automated palletizing with robot is used, then physical workload is reduced, but difficulty in discerning similar parcels increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by capturing images of all parcels in the accumulation bin before the robot begins picking. The control algorithm analyzes these images to identify and distinguish all parcels, calculate their dimensions, and plan the entire palletizing sequence in advance, ensuring accurate discrimination before physical handling begins
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback from image analysis to continuously monitor parcel positions and orientations in the accumulation bin. The control algorithm adjusts its selection and placement decisions based on real-time visual feedback, ensuring accurate discrimination and adaptation to changing parcel configurations
3Adaptability or versatility
If parcels are accumulated in bulk in the same layer, then large choice for selection is improved, but errors in discernment by vision device increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system addresses the discernment difficulty by utilizing multiple dimensions of information: it analyzes not only the horizontal positions but also the vertical layer information, parcel orientations, and spatial relationships between adjacent parcels. This multi-dimensional analysis enables accurate identification and discrimination of parcels even when they are densely packed in bulk
4Productivity
If robot places parcels at high pallet levels, then pallet height utilization is improved, but difficulty in placement increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual placement operations with a robotic system that can easily reach high pallet levels. The robot's articulated arm and gripper head are designed to access all positions on the pallet including the highest levels, eliminating the physical difficulty that operators would face when placing parcels at heights of 2.4 meters or more
Data Source
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AI summary
The method concerns rectangular parallelepiped packages (1) that are received in bulk in a single layer in an accumulation container (2), the packages (1) being lifted from the accumulation container and moved onto a pallet (3). The method involves following, at all times, the position and angular orientation of each package (1) in the accumulation container (2), calculating the three dimensions of each package arriving in the container, selecting a next package (1) to be moved from the accumulation chamber on the basis of the dimensions thereof and the available space remaining on a current palletising level, determining the location to provide on the pallet (3) for the selected package, lifting the package and depositing same on the pallet using a rotatable gripping head (4) of a robot (5), arranging it parallel to the longitudinal or transverse axis of the pallet and, to the greatest extent possible, substantially aligning one of the sides of the package with one of the sides of the pallet.