Method and system for manipulating items

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11318620-B2
Application number	US-201916405060-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 7, 2019
Priority date	May 9, 2018
Publication date	May 3, 2022
Grant date	May 3, 2022

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a material handling system for manipulating items. The material handling system includes a repositioning system comprising a robotic tool which includes a robotic arm portion and an end effector. The robotic tool is configured to manipulate an item in a first orientation and reorient the item to a second orientation. The material handling system further includes a vision system having one or more sensors positioned within the material handling system. The vision system is configured to generate inputs corresponding to the characteristics of the items. The material handling system may further include a controller executing instructions to cause the material handling system to identify the item in the first orientation, based on the one or more characteristics of the item, initiate, by the repositioning system, picking of the item in the first orientation, and re-orient the item in the second orientation.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A material handling system for manipulating items, the material handling system comprising:
a repositioning system comprising:
a robotic tool, wherein the robotic tool comprises:
a robotic arm portion, and
an end effector, coupled to the robotic arm portion, wherein the robotic tool is configured to manipulate an item in a first orientation and reorient the item to a second orientation;

a vision system, comprising one or more sensors positioned within the material handling system, wherein the vision system is configured to generate inputs corresponding to one or more characteristics of the item; and
a controller communicatively coupled to the repositioning system and the vision system, wherein the controller comprises at least one processor configured to execute instructions to cause the material handling system to:
identify, by the vision system, the item in the first orientation, including determining the first orientation of the item to be conveyed on a conveyor;
based on the one or more characteristics of the item generated by the vision system, initiate, by the repositioning system, repositioning of the item;
determine if in the first orientation of the item, a top surface of the item includes a label;
in response to determining that the top surface of the item includes the label, transfer the item to the conveyor in the first orientation; and
in response to determining that the top surface of the item does not include the label, initiate, via the repositioning system, reorientation of the item to the second orientation, wherein in the second orientation the top surface of the item includes the label and transferring the item to the conveyor in the second orientation.

2. The material handling system of claim 1 , wherein the end effector of the robotic tool further comprises:
a flipper table adapted to flip the item from the first orientation to the second orientation; or
a vacuum gripper rotatably engaged to the robotic arm, wherein the vacuum gripper comprises at least one flexible suction cup and at least one rigid gripper cup adapted to grip the item and rotate about an axis to manipulate the item from the first orientation to the second orientation.

3. The material handling system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
access, from the vision system, at least one of:
a plurality of images captured by at least a camera of the vision system, wherein the plurality of images comprise the item, or
sensor data collected from the one or more sensors;

process, via the vision system, either the plurality of images or the sensor data to generate the one or more characteristics of the item, wherein the one or more characteristics comprise one or more of: a shape of the item, a weight of the item, an edge of the item, a label on the item, a marker on the item, or a category of the item;
classify the item based on the one or more characteristics of the item; and
based on the classification, select, an item handling procedure indicative of a configuration of the repositioning system based on which the repositioning system manipulates the item.

4. The material handling system of claim 1 , wherein the robotic tool further comprises one or more sensors, wherein the one or more sensors include at least one of a force sensor, a torque sensor, or a distance sensor.

5. The material handling system of claim 1 , wherein the repositioning system is configured to receive the item from a chute or a conveyor in the first orientation, wherein the chute or the conveyor is configured to receive the item from an upstream conveyor of the material handling system.

6. The material handling system of claim 1 , wherein the item is positioned in the first orientation on a conveyor, wherein the conveyor is:
a section of the material handling system positioned downstream from the repositioning system; or
an induction conveyor for a sortation system of the material handling system.

7. The material handling system of claim 1 , wherein the end effector of the repositioning system is an orientation table comprising at least two conveyor strip belts, wherein each of the at least two conveyor strip belts are independently controlled to rotate the item placed on the orientation table in the first orientation to the second orientation.

8. The material handling system of claim 7 , wherein the orientation table is communicably coupled to a conveyor such that the item is reoriented and transferred from the orientation table to the conveyor.

9. The material handling system of claim 7 , wherein each of the at least two conveyor strip belts of the orientation table are controlled to operate at different speeds and direction.

10. The material handling system of claim 7 , wherein the orientation table comprises a wide belt and a narrow belt, and wherein the repositioning system is configured to place smaller items on the wide belt for conveying to a downstream conveyor.

11. The material handling system of claim 1 , wherein the end effector of the robotic tool includes a pinch gripper, wherein the pinch gripper comprises:
a mount attached to the robotic arm portion of the robotic tool;
at least two plates; and
one or more suction cups attached to at least a bottom surface of the at least two plates, wherein the at least two plates are attached to the mount such that a proximal end of each of the at least two plates are pivotally attached to the mount at a pivot point, and a distal end of each of the at least two plates is capable of rotating freely about the pivot point.

12. The material handling system of claim 11 , wherein the pinch gripper comprises at least a first plate and a second plate and wherein the pinch gripper is configured to:
pick the item by grasping a first edge of the item with a first set of suction cups of the first plate;
rotate the first plate about the pivot point towards the second plate, such that a second edge of the item is grasped by a second set of suction cups of the second plate; and
release the first edge of the item from the first plate.

13. The material handling system of claim 12 , wherein the pinch gripper is further configured to:
rotate the second plate towards the first plate to grasp the second edge of the item;
rotate the second plate about the pivot point to place at least one of the first edge or a third edge of the item on a conveyor; and
release the second edge of the item from the second plate.

14. A method of manipulating items in a material handling system, comprising:
accessing, from a vision system comprising one or more sensors, at least one of a plurality of images comprising an item or sensor data sensed by the one or more sensors;
processing, via the vision system, either the plurality of images or the sensor data to generate one or more characteristics of the item and a first orientation of the item wherein the one or more characteristics comprises one or more of: a shape of the item, a weight of the item, an edge of the item, a label on the item, or a category of the item;
selecting, based on the identified one or more characteristics and the first orientation of the item, an item handling procedure indicative of a configuration of a repositioning system comprising a robotic tool, based on which the repositioning system manipulates the item;
based on the selected item handling procedure, picking by the repositioning system, the item in the first orientation;
reorienting, by the repositioning system, the item to a second orientation
determining if in the first orientation of the item, a top surface of the item includes a label;
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Assignees

• Intelligrated Headquarters Llc
• Univ Carnegie Mellon

Inventors

• Wicks Matthew R
• Girtman Michael L
• Ferner Thomas M
• Simons John
• Herman Herman
• Goldman Gabriel
• Gonzalez-Mora Jose
• Muelling Katharina

Classifications

• B25J15/0052

  multiple gripper units or multiple end effectors · CPC title

• B25J9/1697 Primary

  Vision controlled systems · CPC title

• B25J9/0093

  co-operating with conveyor means · CPC title

• B25J19/02

  Sensing devices · CPC title

• G05B19/4182

  manipulators and conveyor only · CPC title