Method and system for optimizing pose of a picking tool with respect to an item to be picked from a transport structure
AssigneeLiberty Robotics Inc.
InventorsG. Neil Haven, John Henry Walters
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and system for optimizing the pose of a picking tool with respect to at least one previously selected item in a topmost layer of target items to be picked from a transport structure are provided. The method includes the step of generating all legal poses of the picking tool with respect to the configuration of items on the topmost layer in which the picking tool subtends the at least one previously selected item. The method also includes selecting the picking tool pose for picking the at least one previously selected item based on the generated legal poses.
Claims19
A method of optimizing the pose of a picking tool with respect to at least one previously selected item in a topmost layer of target items to be picked from a transport structure, the method comprising the steps of:
- illuminating top surfaces of the items to obtain reflected, backscattered illumination;
- providing a 3-D or depth sensor having a field of view to sense the reflected, backscattered illumination to obtain depth and grayscale images of the top surfaces of the items in the field of view;
- determining potential items to be picked in the field of view of the sensor based on an area of the depth image;
- determining depth information which is based on changes in depth in the depth image;
- determining grayscale information which is based on changes in brightness in the grayscale image;
- for each possible pixel location in the depth and grayscale images and each possible item orientation, generating a hypothesis that the potential items in the field of view appear at that pixel location with that item orientation to obtain a plurality of hypotheses;
- ranking the plurality of hypotheses, wherein the step of ranking includes calculating depth and grayscale surprisals from the depth and grayscale information, respectively, for each of the hypotheses to obtain a plurality of surprisals and wherein the step of ranking is based on the surprisals;
- generating all possible legal poses of the picking tool with respect to the configuration of items in the topmost layer in which the picking tool subtends the at least one previously selected item;
- and
- selecting the picking tool pose for picking the at least one previously selected item based on the generated legal poses.
A system for optimizing the pose of a picking tool with respect to at least previously selected item to be picked from a transport structure, the system comprising:
- a light source configured to illuminate top surfaces of the items to obtain reflected, backscattered illumination;
- a volumetric sensor having a field of view and configured to sense the reflected, backscattered illumination to obtain depth and grayscale images of the top surfaces of the items in the field of view;
- and
- at least one processor configured to determine potential items to be picked in the field of view based on an area of the depth image, configured to determine depth information which is based on changes in depth in the depth image and configured to determine grayscale information which is based on changes in brightness in the grayscale image wherein, for each possible pixel location in the depth and grayscale images and each possible item orientation, the at least one processor being configured to generate a hypothesis that the potential items in the field of view appear at that pixel location with that item orientation to obtain a plurality of hypotheses and to rank the plurality of hypotheses;
- the at least one processor being configured to calculate depth and grayscale surprisals from the depth and grayscale information, respectively, for each of the hypotheses to obtain a plurality of surprisals, the at least one processor being configured to rank the hypotheses based on the surprisals and to generate all possible legal poses of the picking tool with respect to the configuration of items on the uppermost layer in which the picking tool subtends the at least one previously selected item;
- the at least one processor being configured to select the picking tool pose for picking the at least one previously selected item based on the generated legal poses.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.