Systems and methods for processing objects, including automated re-circulating processing stations

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10843333-B2
Application number	US-201816001630-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 6, 2018
Priority date	Mar 5, 2018
Publication date	Nov 24, 2020
Grant date	Nov 24, 2020

Abstract

A method of processing objects using a programmable motion device is disclosed. The method includes the steps of providing an input conveyance system by which input bins of objects may be provided to a processing station that includes the programmable motion device that includes an end effector, perceiving at the processing station identifying indicia representative of an identity of a plurality of objects at an input area of the input conveyance system, grasping the an acquired object using the end effector, moving the acquired object toward an identified processing container using the programmable motion device, the identified processing container being associated with the identifying indicia and said identified processing container being provided as one of a plurality of processing containers at the processing station, and providing an output conveyance system in communication with the processing station, by which processing containers that contain processed objects may be provided.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of processing objects using a programmable motion device, comprising:
transporting a source container on an input conveyance system having an input area at a processing station, the processing station including an inner processing conveyor and an outer processing conveyor disposed adjacent and in parallel on at least one side of a programmable motion device that includes an end effector;
transporting a plurality of processing containers to the inner processing conveyor and the outer processing conveyor of the processing station;
perceiving at the processing station identifying indicia representative of an identity of a plurality of objects in the source container at the input area of the input conveyance system;
grasping an object from the source container using the end effector;
identifying a processing container that is associated with the identifying indicia from among the plurality of processing containers;
moving the object into the identified processing container on the inner processing conveyor using the programmable motion device
moving the identified processing container from the inner processing conveyor to the outer processing conveyor of the processing station using the programmable motion device; and
transporting the identified processing container out of the processing station from the outer processing conveyor onto a processing container conveyance system.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the processing station further includes a second inner processing conveyor and a second outer processing conveyor disposed adjacent and in parallel on an opposite side of the programmable motion device in parallel with the inner processing conveyor and the outer processing conveyor.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein further transporting the identified processing container out of the processing station on the processing container conveyance system to one or more other processing stations.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising moving the identified processing container from the outer processing conveyor to the inner processing conveyor using a box kicker system.

5. The method as claimed in claim 2 , moving another processing container from the second inner processing conveyor to the second outer processing conveyor using the programmable motion device.

6. The method as claimed in claim 2 , further comprising moving another processing container from the second outer processing conveyor to the second inner processing conveyor using a box kicker system.

7. The method as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the identified processing container is moved from the outer processing conveyor to the inner processing conveyor before the programmable motion device moves the object into the identified processing container.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7 , further comprising:
transporting the identified processing container out of each processing station from the outer processing conveyor to an output conveyance system.

9. The method as claimed in claim 7 , further comprising:
transporting the identified processing container from the outer processing conveyor to one or more other processing stations among the plurality of processing stations.

10. A method of processing objects using a plurality of programmable motion devices, comprising:
transporting a plurality of source containers on an input conveyance system having an input area at each of a plurality of processing stations, each processing station including an inner processing conveyor and an outer processing conveyor disposed adjacent and in parallel on at least one side of a programmable motion device that includes an end effector for grasping an object;
transporting a plurality of processing containers to the inner processing conveyor and the outer processing conveyor of each processing station from at least one processing container conveyance system;
perceiving, at each processing station, identifying indicia representative of an identity of a plurality of objects in a source container at each input area of the input conveyance system;
grasping, at each processing station, an object from the source container using the end effector of the programmable motion device;
identifying, at each processing station, a processing container that is associated with the identifying indicia from among the plurality of processing containers;
moving, at each processing station, the identified processing container from the outer processing conveyor to the inner processing conveyor before the programmable motion device moves the object into the identified processing container;
moving, at each processing station, the object into the identified processing container on the inner processing conveyor using the programmable motion device; and
moving, at each processing station, the identified processing container from the inner processing conveyor to the output processing conveyor using the programmable motion device.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10 , wherein perceiving the identity of the plurality of objects includes perceiving indicia on one of the plurality of objects.

12. The method as claimed in claim 10 , wherein perceiving the identity of the plurality of objects includes perceiving indicia on the source container containing the plurality of objects.

13. The method as claimed in claim 10 , wherein identifying the plurality of objects occurs while the source container is being transported on the input conveyance system.

14. The method as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the input area includes a processing station input in communication with the input conveyance system, and wherein identifying the plurality of objects occurs when the source container is received at the processing station input.

15. The method as claimed in claim 10 , wherein each of the plurality of source containers includes a plurality of different objects.

16. The method as claimed in claim 10 , further comprising determining a grasp location of the object to be acquired from the plurality of objects at the input area.

17. The method as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the at least a portion of the input conveyance system is positioned below a portion of the at least one processing container conveyance system at one or more of the plurality of processing stations.

18. The method as claimed in claim 10 , further comprising dynamically assigning an identity assignment to each processing container according to a manifest.

19. The method as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the input conveyance system is provided as a loop, with the processing stations located outside of the loop.

20. The method as claimed in claim 19 , wherein the at least one processing container conveyance system includes at least two output conveyors positioned outside of the processing stations.

21. The method as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the at least one processing container conveyance system is provided as a loop, with the processing stations located outside of the loop.

22. The method as claimed in claim 21 , wherein the input conveyance system includes at least two input conveyors positioned outside of the processing stations.

23. A method of processing objects using a plurality of programmable motion devices, further comprising:
transporting a plurality of source containers on an input conveyance system having an input area at each of a plurality of processing stations, each processing station includi

Assignees

• Berkshire Grey Inc

Inventors

• Wagner Thomas
• Ahearn Kevin
• Cohen Benjamin
• DAWSON-HAGGERTY Michael
• GEYER Christopher
• Hinchey Victoria
• Koletschka Thomas
• MARONEY Kyle
• Mason Matthew T
• Price Gene Temple
• Romano Joseph
• Smith Daniel
• SRINIVASA Siddhartha
• Velagapudi Prasanna
• Allen Thomas

Classifications

• B65G1/1376

  the orders being assembled on a commissioning conveyor · CPC title

• B25J9/16

  Program controls (total factory control, i.e. centrally controlling a plurality of machines, G05B19/418) · CPC title

• B65D5/001

  stackable · CPC title

• B25J9/0093 Primary

  co-operating with conveyor means · CPC title

• B65G60/00

  Simultaneously or alternatively stacking and de-stacking of articles · CPC title