US 9,694,494 B1Granted

Feature identification and extrapolation for robotic item grasping

AssigneeAmazon Technologies, Inc.

InventorsAndrew Stubbs, Andrew D. Marchese, John Gregory Longtine, Sarath Krishnaswamy, Moses Theodore Ort, Russell Charles Toris, Jacob Taylor Wachlin

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Abstract

A grasp management system and corresponding methods are described. In some examples, information about a grasp by which an end of arm tool of a robotic manipulator successfully grasped an item is accessed. The grasp may be associated with contact points on the item. Other contact points may be simulated based on the contact points in order to define a set of grasping surfaces that include at least a portion of the other contact points. Information about the grasping surfaces may be accessed to determine a primitive shape that represents a feature of the item. The primitive shape may be used determine other features on the item or other features on other items that may also be graspable by the end of arm tool or other end of arm tools.

Claims19

Dependent claims

A system, comprising:

at least one processor,
a memory including instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor cause the system to, at least:
access information about a set of grasping surfaces on an item corresponding to a first feature of the item, each grasping surface in the set of grasping surfaces being representative of a set contact points on the item where a first end of arm tool of a robotic manipulator can grasp the first feature using a first grasping function;
determine, based at least in part on the set of grasping surfaces, a first primitive shape corresponding to the set of grasping surfaces, the first primitive shape including at least one of a cylinder, cuboid, sphere, cone, toroid, or pyramid;
determine a fill volume of the first primitive shape by comparing a first volume of the first primitive shape with a second volume of the first feature;
in response to determining that the fill volume of the first primitive shape does not meet a fill threshold, determine a second primitive shape corresponding to the set of grasping surfaces, the second primitive shape including at least one of a cylinder, cuboid, sphere, cone, toroid, or pyramid;
access information about a second end of arm tool, the second end of arm tool having a second grasping function related to the first grasping function;
determine, based at least in part on the second end of arm tool and a relationship of the first end of arm tool and the second end of arm tool, two or more altered primitive shapes representing larger or smaller versions of the first primitive shape and the second primitive shape, the two or more altered primitive shapes being bounded by one or more physical limits of the second end of arm tool;
identify, based at least in part on the two or more altered primitive shapes, a second feature of a second item that has a shape corresponding to the two or more altered primitive shapes;
and
generate, based at least in part on the second feature, a grasp for the second end of arm tool to grasp the second feature.

8 more elements

A computer-implemented method, comprising:

accessing, by a computer system, information about a set of grasping surfaces on a first item corresponding to a first feature of the first item, each grasping surface in the set of grasping surfaces being representative of a first grasp including a set contact points on the first item where a first end of arm tool of a robotic manipulator can grasp the first feature using a first grasping function;
determining, by the computer system and based at least in part on sets of contact points for the set of grasping surfaces, a primitive shape corresponding to the sets of contact points for the set of grasping surfaces;
accessing information about a second end of arm tool, the second end of arm tool having a second grasping function that is different from the first grasping function;
determining, by the computer system and based at least in part on the second end of arm tool, an altered primitive shape representing a larger or smaller version of the primitive shape, the altered primitive shape being bounded by one or more physical limits of the second end of arm tool;
identifying, based at least in part on the altered primitive shape, a second feature of a second item that has a shape corresponding to the altered primitive shape;
and
generating, by the computer system and based at least in part on the second feature, a second grasp for the second end of arm tool to grasp the second feature.

4 more elements

A computer-implemented method, comprising:

accessing, by a computer system, information about a grasp by which an end of arm tool has successfully grasped an item at one or more contact points on the item, wherein the grasp has been previously determined, based at least in part on input from a human operating a robotic manipulator utilizing a grasping function of the end of arm tool of the robotic manipulator to grasp the item at the one or more contact points;
accessing a model representative of the item;
based at least in part on the grasp, simulating, by the computer system, one or more other contact points on the model adjacent to the one or more contact points, the one or more other contact points being arranged so as to define a set of grasping surfaces for the end of arm tool to grasp the item at the one or more other contact points;
storing the set of grasping surfaces in a data structure;
after storing the set of grasping surfaces in the data structure, identifying a second end of arm tool that is distinct from the end of arm tool;
and
generating, based at least in part on the set of grasping surfaces, a second grasp for the second end of arm tool to grasp the item.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.