Robotic kitting system

A method, comprising:

• using a conveyance structure configured to impart to an item a first net resultant force substantially in a first direction, wherein the first direction is associated with a direction of flow from a source end of the conveyance structure to a destination end opposite the source end and associated with a pick-up zone from which the item is to be retrieved;
• and
• using a processor to (i) provide a control input to one or both of the conveyance structure and a disrupter device associated with the conveyance structure based at least in part on output of a sensor associated with the pick-up zone, and (ii) determine a plan for controlling a robot to retrieve a required item from the pick-up zone;
• wherein:
• the disrupter device is configured to disrupt the flow of items on the conveyance structure by applying a repositioning force to items carried by the conveyance structure while the items are flowing on the conveyance structure;
• the processor uses the sensor output to determine a density, distribution, or orientation of a plurality of items in the pick-up zone;
• determining the plan for controlling the robot to retrieve the required item from the pickup zone comprises:
• determining whether any strategies exist for using the robot to retrieve the required item;
• and
• in response to determining, based on the sensor output, that no strategies exist for using the robot to retrieve the item, determining to adjust the plurality of items in the pick-up zone;
• and
• adjusting the plurality of items in the pick-up zone comprises using the processor to provide the control input to control the disrupter device to disrupt the flow of the item from the source end to the destination end based at least in part on (i) context data pertaining to a set of requirements indicating one or more types of items to be retrieved from the pickup zone and a quantity corresponding to the one or more types of items, and (ii) the density, distribution, or orientation of the plurality of items in the pick-up zone;
• the processor iteratively determines whether any strategies exist for retrieving the item and performs an iteration of adjusting the plurality of items in the pick-up zone until an earlier of (i) the processor identifies a strategy to retrieve the required item, and (ii) a predetermined number of iterations for attempting to determine a strategy and adjust the plurality of items has been performed;
• and
• the processor is configured to initiate human intervention by teleoperation based at least in part on a determination that the predetermined number of iterations for attempting to determine a strategy and adjust the plurality of items has been performed.

A computer program product embodied in a non-transitory computer readable medium and comprising computer instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:

• control a conveyance structure configured to impart to an item a first net resultant force substantially in a first direction, wherein the first direction is associated with a direction of flow from a source end of the conveyance structure to a destination end opposite the source end and associated with a pick-up zone from which the item is to be retrieved;
• use the sensor output to determine a density, distribution, or orientation of a plurality of items in the pick-up zone;
• determine a plan for controlling a robot to retrieve a required item from the pick-up zone;
• and
• provide a control input to one or both of the conveyance structure and a disrupter device associated with the conveyance structure based at least in part on output of a sensor associated with the pick-up zone;
• and
• wherein:
• the disrupter device is configured to disrupt the flow of items on the conveyance structure by applying a repositioning force to items carried by the conveyance structure while the items are flowing on the conveyance structure;
• determining the plan for controlling the robot to retrieve the required item from the pickup zone comprises:
• determining whether any strategies exist for using the robot to retrieve the required item;
• and
• in response to determining, based on the sensor output, that no strategies exist for using the robot to retrieve the item, determining to adjust the plurality of items in the pick-up zone;
• and adjusting the plurality of items in the pick-up zone comprises providing the control input to control the disrupter device to disrupt the flow of the item from the source end to the destination end based at least in part on (i) context data pertaining to a set of requirements indicating one or more types of items to be retrieved from the pickup zone and a quantity corresponding to the one or more types of items, and (ii) the density, distribution, or orientation of the plurality of items in the pick-up zone;
• the processor iteratively determines whether any strategies exist for retrieving the item and performs an iteration of adjusting the plurality of items in the pick-up zone until an earlier of (i) the processor identifies a strategy to retrieve the required item, and (ii) a predetermined number of iterations for attempting to determine a strategy and adjust the plurality of items has been performed;
• and
• the processor is configured to initiate human intervention by teleoperation based at least in part on a determination that the predetermined number of iterations for attempting to determine a strategy and adjust the plurality of items has been performed.