Foreign Material Removal Prioritization for Waste Picking
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing robot systems struggle to efficiently remove foreign materials from waste due to difficulties in grasping specific objects, especially when multiple objects are close together, leading to inefficient removal processes.
Innovation Solution
A foreign material removal system that includes a conveyance device, detection devices, and a removal device capable of determining the possibility and priority of picking up foreign materials based on their features and surrounding situations, allowing for selective and efficient removal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the robot hand attempts to take out specific objects from waste material, then the removal process can be performed, but the probability of successfully picking up foreign material decreases when multiple objects are located close to each other
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection and evaluation of foreign materials before pickup. The evaluation unit assesses the pickup possibility of each detected foreign material based on its characteristics and surrounding situation, allowing the control unit to prioritize which materials to attempt pickup first, thereby increasing overall pickup success probability
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of attempting to pick up all detected foreign materials equally, the system selectively focuses on a subset of materials with high pickup possibility. By concentrating resources on the most removable materials first, the system achieves higher overall effectiveness without wasting attempts on materials that are difficult or impossible to remove
2Reliability
If the robot hand picks up foreign materials one by one, then individual removal can be controlled, but the time required for removal increases significantly when multiple objects are present
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges multiple pickup operations into a single action. When multiple foreign materials are detected and evaluated to have high pickup possibility, the control unit commands the robot hand to pick up multiple materials simultaneously in one movement, dramatically reducing the total time required compared to sequential pickup of each material individually
3Productivity
If all detected foreign materials are attempted to be picked up, then comprehensive removal is achieved, but the system complexity and processing load increase
Solution Approach 1:
The evaluation unit filters the detected foreign materials by assessing pickup possibility based on characteristics and surrounding situation. The control unit then generates pickup commands only for materials with high pickup possibility, creating a manageable subset of target objects. This selective approach maintains high removal effectiveness while significantly reducing control processing complexity compared to managing all detected materials equally
Data Source
AI summary
A foreign material removal system includes a conveyance device to convey a waste material, in which a target object and a foreign material are mixed, in a conveyance direction, a foreign material detection device to detect the foreign material, and a foreign material removal device to pick up the foreign material, carry the foreign material to a predetermined disposal place, and discard the foreign material. In the foreign material removal system, the foreign material removal device determines a possibility of pickup of the foreign material based on at least one of a feature or a surrounding situation of the foreign material detected by the foreign material detection device, and determines whether to pick up the foreign material or determines a priority of picking up the foreign material, based on the possibility of pickup.