Systems and methods for providing dynamic vacuum pressure at an end effector using a single vacuum source

A method of processing objects comprising:

• providing a programmable motion device including an end effector with a vacuum cup that is coupled via a valve to a high flow vacuum source;
• providing a plurality of heterogenous objects to be grasped by the vacuum cup, each object being associated with a quality of a vacuum seal that the vacuum cup is known to form with the vacuum cup;
• actuating a valve disposed inline between a vacuum source and the vacuum cup to provide a vacuum at the vacuum cup;
• and
• selecting a sequence of the plurality of heterogenous objects to be grasped by the end effector based on the quality of the vacuum seal formed between the vacuum cup and each of the plurality of heterogenous objects such that objects known to form a good seal with the vacuum cup are not chosen for processing successively.

A method of processing objects comprising:

• providing a programmable motion device including an end effector with a vacuum cup that is coupled via a valve to a high flow vacuum source;
• providing a plurality of heterogenous objects to be grasped by the vacuum cup, each object being associated with a quality of a vacuum seal that the vacuum cup is known to form with the vacuum cup;
• actuating a valve disposed inline between a vacuum source and the vacuum cup to provide a vacuum at the vacuum cup;
• choosing a first object of the plurality of heterogenous objects for processing with programmable motion device that is known to form a good seal with the vacuum cup;
• and
• subsequently choosing a second object of the plurality of heterogenous objects for processing with the programmable motion device that is known to form a poor seal with the vacuum cup.

An object processing system comprising:

• a programmable motion device including an end effector with a vacuum cup that is coupled via a valve to a high flow vacuum source;
• a plurality of heterogenous objects to be grasped by the vacuum cup, each object being associated with a quality of a vacuum seal that the vacuum cup is known to form with the vacuum cup;
• a valve disposed inline between a vacuum source and the vacuum cup to provide a vacuum at the vacuum cup;
• and
• a control system for reducing effects of dead-heading on the high flow vacuum source by selecting a sequence of the plurality of heterogenous objects to be grasped by the end effector based on the quality of the vacuum seal formed between the vacuum cup and each of the plurality of heterogenous objects such that objects known to form a good seal with the vacuum cup are not chosen for processing successively.