Holding device, transport system, and controller

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11045946-B2
Application number	US-201816108501-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 22, 2018
Priority date	Mar 19, 2018
Publication date	Jun 29, 2021
Grant date	Jun 29, 2021

Abstract

According to one embodiment, a holding device includes a holder and a controller. The holder is configured to hold an object. The controller is configured to determine a holding posture and a holding position of the holder with respect to the object so that at least one of protrusion of the holder from an outer shape of the object and protrusion of the object from an outer shape of the holder satisfies a predetermined condition when viewed in a direction in which the object and the holder overlap each other, based on information indicating the outer shape of the object.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A holding device comprising:
a holder configured to hold an object; and
a controller configured to determine a holding posture and a holding position of the holder with respect to the object so that at least one of protrusion of the holder from an outer shape of the object and protrusion of the object from an outer shape of the holder satisfies a predetermined condition when viewed in a direction in which the object and the holder overlap each other, based on information indicating the outer shape of the object,
wherein the predetermined condition is satisfied when the controller determines that a number of sides from which the holder protrudes among sides of the outer shape of the object is minimum or equal to or smaller than a predetermined number, or when the controller determines that a number of sides from which the object protrudes among sides of the outer shape of the holder is equal to or larger than a predetermined number, and
wherein the controller comprises:
a first determiner configured to determine a plurality of holdable postures of the holder with respect to the object based on information indicating a holdable region that can be held by the holder in a surface of the object;
an evaluator configured to evaluate at least one of the protrusion of the holder from the outer shape of the object and the protrusion of the object from the outer shape of the holder for each of the plurality of holdable postures determined by the first determiner based on information indicating the outer shape of the object; and
a second determiner configured to determine the holding posture of the holder from among the plurality of holdable postures based on the evaluation by the evaluator.

2. The holding device according to claim 1 , wherein
the first determiner determines a plurality of holdable positions of the holder for each of the plurality of holdable postures,
the evaluator evaluates at least one of the protrusion of the holder from the outer shape of the object and the protrusion of the object from the outer shape of the holder at each of the plurality of holdable positions, for each of the plurality of holdable postures, and
the second determiner determines the holding posture and the holding position of the holder based on the evaluation by the evaluator.

3. The holding device according to claim 1 , wherein
the evaluator evaluates the protrusion of the holder from the outer shape of the object based on an amount of the protrusion of the holder from the outer shape of the object, and
the second determiner determines the holding posture and the holding position of the holder so that the amount of protrusion of the holder from the outer shape of the object satisfies a first condition.

4. The holding device according to claim 3 , wherein
the amount of protrusion is the number of sides from which the holder protrudes among the sides of the outer shape of the object in a case where the outer shape of the object is regarded as a polygon.

5. The holding device according to claim 4 , wherein
the second determiner determines the holding posture and the holding position of the holder so that the number of sides from which the holder protrudes among the sides of the outer shape of the object is minimum or equal to or smaller than a predetermined number.

6. The holding device according to claim 4 , wherein
in a case where the holder protrudes from two sides among the sides of the outer shape of the object, the second determiner determines a holdable posture in which the two sides are continuous with each other as the holding posture in preference to a holdable posture in which the two sides are not continuous with each other.

7. The holding device according to claim 3 , wherein
the amount of protrusion is an area of a portion of the holder protruding from the outer shape of the object.

8. The holding device according to claim 7 , wherein
the second determiner determines the holding posture and the holding position of the holder so that the area of the portion of the holder protruding from the outer shape of the object is a minimum value or is equal to or smaller than the predetermined value.

9. The holding device according to claim 3 , wherein
the evaluator specifies at least one of a direction in which the holder should not protrude from the outer shape of the object and a side of the object from which the holder should not protrude, based on information on a movement destination of the object, and the evaluator increase a weight for the amount of protrusion of the holder relating to at least one of the specified direction and the specified side of the object.

10. The holding device according to claim 1 , wherein
the evaluator evaluates the protrusion of the object from the outer shape of the holder based on an amount of the protrusion of the object from the outer shape of the holder, and
the second determiner determines the holding posture and the holding position of the holder so that the amount of protrusion of the object from the outer shape of the holder satisfies a second condition.

11. The holding device according to claim 10 , wherein
the amount of protrusion is the number of sides of the holder from which the object protrudes among the sides of the outer shape of the holder in a case where the outer shape of the holder is regarded as a polygon.

12. The holding device according to claim 10 , wherein
the evaluator specifies at least one of a direction in which the object should protrude from the outer shape of the holder and a side of the holder from which the object should protrude, based on information on a movement destination of the object, and the evaluator increase a weight for the amount of protrusion of the object relating to at least one of the specified direction and the specified side of the holder.

13. The holding device according to claim 1 , wherein
the holder comprises a plurality of suckers, and
the first determiner determines a plurality of holding postures in each of which at least one sucker included in the plurality of suckers is disposed within the holdable region, as the plurality of holdable postures.

14. The holding device according to claim 13 , wherein
the first determiner determines the plurality of holding postures using at least one model pattern obtained by limiting arrangement patterns of the plurality of suckers based on symmetry of arrangement positions of the plurality of suckers.

15. A transportation system comprising:
an information acquirer configured to acquire information indicating an outer shape of an object; and
an information processor configured to determine a holding posture and a holding position of a holder with respect to the object so that at least one of protrusion of the holder from the outer shape of the object and protrusion of the object from an outer shape of the holder satisfies a predetermined condition when viewed in a direction in which the object and the holder overlap, based on information obtained from the information acquirer,
wherein the predetermined condition is satisfied when the information processor determines that a number of sides from which the holder protrudes among sides of the outer shape of the object is minimum or equal to or smaller than a predetermined number, or when the information processor determines that a number of sides from which the object protrudes among sides of the outer shape of the holder is equal to or larger than a predetermined number, and
wherein the information processor comprises:
a first determiner configured to determine a plurality of holdable postures of th

Assignees

• Toshiba Kk
• Toshiba Infrastructure Systems & Solutions Corp

Inventors

• Eto Haruna
• Ogawa Akihito
• Komoda Kazuma
• Tokura Seiji

Classifications

• B25J9/1612 Primary

  characterised by the hand, wrist, grip control · CPC title

• G05B2219/39469

  Grip flexible, deformable plate, object and manipulate it · CPC title

• B25J9/10 Primary

  characterised by positioning means for manipulator elements · CPC title

• B65G47/917

  control arrangements · CPC title

• B65G61/00

  Use of pick-up or transfer devices or of manipulators for stacking or de-stacking articles not otherwise provided for · CPC title