Generating robotic grasping instructions for inventory items
AssigneeAmazon Technologies, Inc.
InventorsParris S. Wellman, Matthew David Verminski, Andrew Stubbs, Robert Michael Shydo, Jr., Ennio Claretti, Boris Aronchik, John Gregory Longtine
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Robotic arms may be utilized to grasp inventory items within an inventory system. Information about an inventory item to be grasped can be detected and used to determine a grasping strategy in conjunction with information from a database. Instructions for grasping an inventory item can be generated based on the detected information and the database.
Claims20
A method comprising, under the control of one or more computer systems configured with executable instructions:
- for each inventory item of a plurality of inventory items:
- determining an identity of the inventory item to be grasped from among identities previously stored for inventory items;
- accessing, based on the determined identity of the inventory item, a record from an item database including characteristics of the inventory item;
- accessing, based at least in part on the characteristics of the inventory item, grasping strategies from an item grasping database;
- and
- responsive to the inventory item not having a grasping strategy associated therewith:
- generating a grasping strategy for the inventory item based at least in part on at least one of (i) characteristics of the inventory item that are at least one of stored in the record or detected by one or more sensors;
- (ii) input from a human operator received through a human-based grasping strategy module for grasping the inventory item;
- (iii) grasping strategies for items with characteristics similar to the characteristics of the inventory item;
- (iv) physical constraints associated with a location in which the inventory item is to be grasped or placed;
- or (v) information about a success of grasping strategies that have been previously employed;
- instructing a robotic manipulator to perform the generated grasping strategy for the inventory item;
- and
- storing the generated grasping strategy in association with the characteristics of the inventory item in the item grasping database.
A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a computer system, cause the computer system to perform operations comprising at least:
- determining an identity of an inventory item to be grasped from a grasping environment;
- accessing, based on the determined identity of the inventory item, a record in an item database about the inventory item, the record including information about one or more geometric characteristics of the inventory item;
- receiving, from a sensor, one or more detected attributes of the inventory item in the grasping environment;
- determining, based at least in part on the one or more geometric characteristics and the one or more detected attributes, an orientation of the inventory item in the grasping environment;
- generating a grasping strategy using a robotic manipulator for the inventory item based at least in part on the determined orientation of the inventory item in the grasping environment, wherein generating the grasping strategy includes selecting an end effector from among different types of available end effectors;
- and
- storing the generated grasping strategy in association with at least one of the one or more geometric characteristics, the one or more detected attributes, or the determined orientation of the inventory item in an item grasping database.
A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a computer system, cause the computer system to at least:
- receive attribute information about an inventory item, the attribute information including at least one of an identity of the inventory item or information about physical characteristics of the inventory item;
- receive observation information from one or more sensors observing a hand or other appendage of a human perform a grasping operation for the inventory item;
- generate, based at least in part on the observation information, a grasping strategy for grasping the inventory item using a robotic manipulator;
- and
- store the generated grasping strategy in a record in an item grasping database in association with the attribute information.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.