Automated truck unloader for unloading/unpacking product from trailers and containers

An automatic truck unloader for unloading/unpacking product from a trailer, the automatic truck unloader comprising:

• a mobile base structure having first and second ends;
• a drive subassembly coupled to the mobile base, the drive subassembly including a plurality of wheels for steering and driving the mobile base;
• means for conveying product from the second end to the first end of the mobile base;
• an industrial robot disposed at the second end of the mobile base, the industrial robot providing selective articulated movement of an end effector between the powered transportation path and a reachable space such that the industrial robot is operable to handle the product in the reachable space;
• the end effector including a suction cup-based gripper arm adapted for manipulating a box with cooperating grapplers that grip the box in a gripping position selected from the group consisting of parallel to the box and perpendicular to the box;
• means for determining presence of objects within a detection space, wherein the detection space and the reachable space at least partially overlap;
• a control subassembly mounted to the mobile base structure, the control subassembly being in communication with the drive subassembly, the industrial robot, and the distance measurement subassembly, the control subassembly coordinating the selective articulated movement of the industrial robot and the activation of the drive subassembly based upon the distance measurement subassembly detecting objects within the detection space, and dimensions of the trailer provided to the control subassembly;
• and
• the control assembly including a memory accessible to a processor, the memory including processor-executable instructions that, when executed cause the processor to:
• specify a search operation to identify a product skyline within a product space,
• specify a search operation to identify an active quadrant within the product space,
• specify a search operation to identify a protruding product within the active quadrant at the product skyline,
• specify a removal operation to unload the product corresponding to the protruding product, and
• calculate instructions for removing the product corresponding to the protruding product.

An automatic truck unloader for unloading/unpacking product from a trailer, the automatic truck unloader comprising:

• a mobile base structure having first and second ends;
• a drive subassembly coupled to the mobile base, the drive subassembly including a plurality of wheels for steering and driving the mobile base;
• a conveyance subassembly disposed on the mobile base, the conveyance subassembly including a powered transportation path operable for transporting product between the first end and the second end;
• an industrial robot disposed at the second end of the mobile base, the industrial robot providing selective articulated movement of an end effector between the powered transportation path and a reachable space such that the industrial robot is operable to handle the product in the reachable space;
• the end effector including a main frame having a support frame for attachment to the industrial robot;
• a moving frame half selectively pivotally coupled to the main frame by a joint to provide a range of motion between approximately a parallel presentation between the main frame and the moving frame and approximately an orthogonal presentation between the main frame and the moving frame;
• a first plurality of suction cups associated with a face of the main frame;
• a second plurality of suction cups associated with a face of the main frame;
• a vacuum manifold housed within the main frame in pneumatic communication with the first and second pluralities of suction cups;
• a vacuum sensor mounted in the main frame proximate to the first plurality of suction cups, the vacuum sensor, in response to detecting an object, being configured to actuate the vacuum manifold and generate a vacuum force to grip the object;
• a visual detection subsystem housed in the main frame, the visual detection subsystem being configured to capture an image of the product space for processing by a control subassembly;
• a distance measurement subassembly disposed at the second end, the distance measurement subassembly configured to determine presence of objects within a detection space, wherein the detection space and the reachable space at least partially overlap;
• the control subassembly mounted to the mobile base structure, the control subassembly being in communication with the drive subassembly, the industrial robot, and the distance measurement subassembly, the control subassembly coordinating the selective articulated movement of the industrial robot and the activation of the drive subassembly based upon the distance measurement subassembly detecting objects within the detection space, and dimensions of the trailer provided to the control subassembly;
• and
• the control assembly including a memory accessible to a processor, the memory including processor-executable instructions that, when executed cause the processor to:
• specify a search operation to identify a product skyline within a product space,
• specify a search operation to identify an active quadrant within the product space,
• specify a search operation to identify a protruding product within the active quadrant at the product skyline,
• specify a removal operation to unload the product corresponding to the protruding product, and
• calculate instructions for removing the product corresponding to the protruding product.