Method of treating objects according to their individual weights
AssigneeArbor Company LLP
InventorGilles Nignon
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of distributing objects, having a random distribution of weights, according to their weights. In the method, the presence of one of the objects is detected, the detected object is grasped by a robot, and the object grasped is weighed by a sensor. The weight measured is associated with the object and stored. The process is repeated for the objects. The weight distribution obtained from the weights measured is used in filling containers with objects so that containers are optimally filled.
Claims8
A method for distributing objects having a random weight distribution, the method comprising:
- cyclically
- detecting presence of one of a plurality of objects,
- grasping the object detected with a gripper mounted on a robot,
- measuring, with a sensor mounted on the robot, weight of the object grasped,
- associating the weight that has been measured with the object grasped, and
- repeating the detecting, grasping, measuring, and associating steps for other objects of the plurality of objects;
- filling containers with objects of the plurality of objects that have been weighed until a minimum weight is accumulated in each container, wherein filling the containers comprises
- searching in a collection of containers for an optimal container in which to deposit one of the objects using a sorting algorithm employing a statistical distribution of the weights of the objects,
- depositing one of the objects with an associated weight in the optimal container identified using the sorting algorithm,
- increasing the collection of containers by adding a container within an accessibility field of the robot, and
- reducing the collection of containers by removing a container from the accessibility field of the robot;
- and
- conveying one of the objects on a first conveyor into the accessibility field of the robot;
- conveying one of the containers on a second conveyor into the accessibility field of the robot a first time;
- and
- conveying the container on a third conveyor into the accessibility field of the robot a second time if the container has left the accessibility field of the robot without having been completely filled.
A method of filling containers with objects selected from a plurality of objects having a random distribution of weights until a minimum weight is accumulated in each container, the method comprising, cyclically:
- conveying some of the plurality of objects on a first conveyor in a first direction;
- conveying one of the objects on the first conveyor into an accessibility field of a robot, and detecting the presence of the object in the accessibility field on the first conveyor;
- grasping the object detected with a gripper mounted on the robot;
- measuring, with a sensor mounted on the robot, weight of the object grasped;
- associating the weight that has been measured with the object grasped:
- repeating the detecting, grasping, measuring, and associating steps for other objects of the plurality of objects on the first conveyor and conveyed into the accessibility field of the robot;
- conveying a plurality of containers on a second conveyor, next to the first conveyor, in the first direction;
- conveying some of the plurality containers on the second conveyor into the accessibility field of the robot a first time;
- searching amongst the containers on the second conveyor and in the accessibility field of the robot for an optimal container in which to deposit one of the objects, using a sorting algorithm employing a statistical distribution of the weights of the objects, wherein the optimal container maximizes probability, calculated using the statistical distribution, of accumulating the minimum weight in the container with the objects that are subsequently placed in the container identified;
- depositing one of the objects with an associated weight in the optimal container identified using the sorting algorithm;
- and
- diverting to a third conveyor, adjacent the second conveyor, a container that has left the accessibility field of the robot on the second conveyor without having been completely filled, conveying the container diverted to the third conveyor, on the third conveyor in a second direction, opposite the first direction, and back into the accessibility field of the robot on the second conveyor a second time for adding at least one object to the container.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.