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US 8,965,563 B2Granted
High throughput parcel handling
AssigneePalo Alto Research Incorporated
InventorsCraig Eldershaw, Eric J. Shrader
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A high throughput parcel unloading system includes a robotic arm arrangement, including a cluster of robotic arms having grouping mechanisms. A conveyor system is also provided onto which parcels are placed by the robotic arm system. An image recognition system determines the position and arrangement of parcels within a container, and a control system is configured to receive image information from the image recognition system and control operation of the robotic arm system and conveyor system.
Claims20
A parcel unloading system to unload parcels from an unorganized parcel pile within a container, the system comprising:
- a robotic arm system including a plurality of robotic arms having gripping mechanisms;
- a conveyor system configured to receive the parcels unloaded from the unorganized parcel pile within the container, wherein the image recognition system is continually acquiring image information regarding the recognition of parcels in the unorganized parcel pile;
- an image recognition system configured to generate images of the unorganized parcel pile within the container;
- and
- a control system configured to receive image information from the image recognition system and to control operation of the robotic arm system and the conveyor system, wherein the control system receives the image information from the image recognition system as feedback to perform real time computations to generate on-the-fly motion plans for the operation of the robotic arm system, wherein the robotic arm system is configured to extend further into the container as the parcels are removed from the unorganized parcel pile, and each robotic arm of the plurality of robotic arms is operationally independent of the other robotic arms of the plurality and configured to be used independently and cooperatively with the other robotic arms, and wherein independently means each of the plurality of robotic arms are configured to be controlled so the associated gripper of each of the robotic arms act to independently grasp single distinct parcels from the parcel pile and to remove each of the single distinct parcels to a conveyor system in a parallel manner, and cooperatively means two or more of the plurality of robotic arms are configured to be controlled to co-ordinate the corresponding grippers to grasp a same parcel of the parcel pile.
2 more elements
A method of unloading parcels from a container holding a plurality of parcels in an unorganized parcel pile, the method:
- acquiring information related to the parcels in the unorganized parcel pile in a container by an image recognition system, wherein the image recognition system is continually acquiring image information regarding the recognition of parcels in the unorganized parcel pile;
- generating a parcel pile model of at least some of the of the parcels in the unorganized parcel pile in the container;
- using the parcel pile model to generate a task plan, by a task planner, the task plan assigning robotic arms of a robotic arm system to specific parcels in the container;
- supplying the task plan to a motion planner to generate a motion plan, wherein the motion plan defines the movement of the robotic arms to accomplish the objectives of the task plan;
- supplying the motion plan to a motion (servo-level) control system to operate and control the robotic arms;
- using feedback information in at least one of the task planner or the motion planner to adjust at least one of the task plan or the motion plan while parcels are being unloaded, wherein the image information from the image recognition system is a form of the feedback information, wherein the adjustment of at least one of the task planner or the motion planner includes changing an order in which parcels of the unorganized parcel pile are to be removed from the unorganized parcel pile, and wherein the image information feedback is used to perform real time computations to generate on-the-fly motion plans for the operation of the robotic arm system;
- and
- unloading the parcels by the robotic arms, wherein each robotic arm of the plurality of robotic arms is operationally independent of the other robotic arms of the plurality and configured to be used independently and cooperatively with the other robotic arms, wherein independently means each of the plurality of robotic arms are configured to be controlled so the associated gripper of each of the robotic arms act to independently grasp single distinct parcels from the parcel pile and to remove each of the single distinct parcels to a conveyor system in a parallel manner, and cooperatively means two or more of the plurality of robotic arms are configured to be controlled to co-ordinate the corresponding grippers to grasp a same parcel of the parcel pile.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.