System and process for picking tires in an unknown arrangement

A computer-implemented process for directing the movement of a robot incorporating a gripper that picks a target tire from an arrangement of tires, the process comprising the following steps:

• a step of providing a system for picking one or more tires stored in the arrangement of tires, the robot forming part of the system;
• a step of determining one or more parameters of the target tire in the arrangement of tires, during which step the system obtains one or more digital images of the stored tires to identify the tire that becomes a candidate for picking, and in which the parameters of the imaged target tire comprise at least one of the following parameters:
• an inner boundary and an outer boundary that together define the boundaries of the sidewall of the target tire,
• a rim radius defined as being a distance between a central point of the target tire and the inner boundary of the sidewall,
• an inner sidewall diameter defined as being twice the rim radius,
• a tire radius defined as being a distance between the central point and the outer boundary of the sidewall, or
• a tire diameter defined as being twice the tire radius;
• a step of determining a diameter of the target tire;
• a step of determining a tire radius and a rim radius of the target tire;
• an approaching step whereby the robot approaches the target tire identified for picking;
• a picking step whereby the target tire is picked by the gripper;
• and
• a step of extracting the target tire from the arrangement of tires in order to place it in a target location,
• wherein the gripper comprises:
• a platform with a predetermined length between an attachment end, at which the platform is detachably attached to the robot, and an opposite free end, the platform comprising:
• a substantially planar outer face with an exterior side that protects the platform and an opposite interior side;
• and
• a substantially planar inner face with an exterior side and an opposite interior side, the inner face incorporating a path from the free end to a stop of the platform,
• with each substantially planar outer face and each substantially planar inner face having a predetermined width and a predetermined length that extends between the attachment end and the free end of the platform, and the two faces being separated by a predetermined distance between the interior side of the substantially planar outer face and the opposite interior side of the substantially planar inner face;
• and
• an internal finger and an external finger housed in the platform, each of the internal finger and the external finger comprising a pivotable and retractable member of predetermined length that extends between an actuation end and an opposite engagement end,
• with each finger being movable along the path of the inner face of the platform between a standby position, in which each finger is folded into a position substantially parallel to the plane of the inner face, and an engagement position, in which each finger is unfolded into an angular position with respect to the plane of the inner face so that it is ready to engage the target tire along the inner boundary of the sidewall of the selected target tire.