Control device, control method, and recording medium

A control method by a computer, the control method comprising:

• acquiring work information including information on work performed by a robot arm and information on an article as a target of the work;
• causing the robot arm to perform an operation of lifting up a predetermined unit of articles based on the work information;
• acquiring sensor data obtained while the robot arm is performing the operation of lifting up the predetermined unit of articles by a force sensor or a weight sensor included in the robot arm and an image captured by a camera;
• determining that there is a possibility that a plurality of articles are packaged together based on the sensor data;
• determining whether the robot arm has lifted the predetermined unit of articles based on the sensor data;
• when the robot arm has lifted articles, determining whether a weight of the lifted articles is twice or more a weight of one article;
• when the weight of the lifted articles is twice or more the weight of one article, estimating a number of the plurality of articles packaged together based on the sensor data;
• comparing the estimated number of the plurality of articles packaged together with a number of articles that are targets of the work included in the work information;
• when the estimated number of the plurality of articles packaged together is larger than the number of articles that are targets of the work included in the work information:
• identifying, based on the image, a packaged surface covered with a packaging material or an unpackaged surface not covered with the packaging material of the plurality of articles in a packaging state, wherein the packaging material comprises a film or paper, and wherein the packaging state includes a state where an entire surface of the plurality of articles is covered with the packaging material and a state where only some surfaces of the plurality of articles are covered with the packaging material;
• based on a determination that there is an unpackaged surface and the packaging state allows taking out articles from a side surface or an upper surface, determining to cause the robot arm to execute an operation of gripping or sucking the side surface of the articles to extract the articles in a lateral direction and then lift up the predetermined unit of articles;
• determining whether packaging of the plurality of articles can be removed by the robot arm based on sensor data obtained when an operation of removing the packaging is performed followed by an operation of lifting the predetermined unit of articles;
• and
• based on a determination that the packaging can be removed, determining to cause the robot arm to execute an operation of removing the packaging by cutting a part of the packaging or by gripping and pulling a part of the packaging, and then execute an operation of taking out the predetermined unit of articles;
• and
• causing the robot arm to perform a determined handling method for the article.

A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium that records a program for causing a computer to execute:

• acquiring work information including information on work performed by a robot arm and information on an article as a target of the work;
• causing the robot arm to perform an operation of lifting up a predetermined unit of articles based on the work information;
• acquiring sensor data obtained while the robot arm is performing the operation of lifting up the predetermined unit of articles by a force sensor or a weight sensor included in the robot arm and an image captured by a camera;
• determining that there is a possibility that a plurality of articles are packaged together based on the sensor data;
• determining whether the robot arm has lifted the predetermined unit of articles based on the sensor data;
• when the robot arm has lifted articles, determining whether a weight of the lifted articles is twice or more a weight of one article;
• when the weight of the lifted articles is twice or more the weight of one article, estimating a number of the plurality of articles packaged together based on the sensor data;
• comparing the estimated number of the plurality of articles packaged together with a number of articles that are targets of the work included in the work information;
• when the estimated number of the plurality of articles packaged together is larger than the number of articles that are targets of the work included in the work information:
• identifying, based on the image, a packaged surface covered with a packaging material or an unpackaged surface not covered with the packaging material of the plurality of articles in a packaging state, wherein the packaging material comprises a film or paper, and wherein the packaging state includes a state where an entire surface of the plurality of articles is covered with the packaging material and a state where only some surfaces of the plurality of articles are covered with the packaging material;
• based on a determination that there is an unpackaged surface and the packaging state allows taking out articles from a side surface or an upper surface, determining to cause the robot arm to execute an operation of gripping or sucking the side surface of the articles to extract the articles in a lateral direction and then lift up the predetermined unit of articles;
• determining whether packaging of the plurality of articles can be removed by the robot arm based on sensor data obtained when an operation of removing the packaging is performed followed by an operation of lifting the predetermined unit of articles;
• based on a determination that the packaging can be removed, determining to cause the robot arm to execute an operation of removing the packaging by cutting a part of the packaging or by gripping and pulling a part of the packaging, and then execute an operation of taking out the predetermined unit of articles;
• and
• causing the robot arm to perform a determined handling method for the article.