Apparatus and method for packing heterogeneous objects

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11427409-B2
Application number	US-202117174383-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 12, 2021
Priority date	Jun 24, 2020
Publication date	Aug 30, 2022
Grant date	Aug 30, 2022

Abstract

Embodiments herein provide automated bin packing of heterogeneous objects to fill maximum number of objects in an available bin space in an efficient manner. Conventional methods are less efficient in packing heterogeneous objects in a space and time efficient manner. The apparatus receives a plurality of 3D objects through a primary conveyor and diverts each of the plurality of 3D objects to an identified cuboidal bin through a corresponding secondary conveyor. Each of the plurality of 3D objects are diverted based on a tracking code associated with each of the plurality of 3D objects and a computed available bin space of the identified cuboidal bin corresponding to each of the plurality of 3D objects. Here the available bin space is computed based on a bin space information received from a corresponding bin vision sensor and a corresponding state space of the identified cuboidal bin.

First claim

We claim:

1. A packing apparatus, the apparatus comprising:
a primary conveyor ( 102 ) with a first end ( 126 ) and a second end ( 128 ) capable of receiving a plurality of 3 dimensional (3D) objects, wherein the primary conveyor ( 102 ) comprises a plurality of rollers ( 112 ) and a plurality of vertical plates ( 502 ) corresponding to each of the plurality of rollers ( 112 ), wherein each of the plurality of vertical plates ( 502 ) are capable of raising and diverting each of the plurality of 3D objects to a corresponding secondary conveyor ( 104 );
a conveyor vision sensor ( 120 A) attached at the first end ( 126 ) of the primary conveyor ( 102 ) capable of measuring a plurality of dimensions and an orientation of each of the plurality of 3D objects, wherein the conveyor vision sensor ( 120 A) is capable of reading a tracking code associated with each of the plurality of 3D objects;
a plurality of telescopic secondary conveyors ( 104 ) having a bin end ( 130 ) and a primary conveyor end ( 132 ), wherein the bin end ( 130 ) is associated with a rolling shutter arrangement ( 114 ), wherein the primary conveyor end ( 132 ) is detachably attached with at least one side of the primary conveyor ( 102 ), and wherein each of the plurality of telescopic secondary conveyors ( 104 ) and the primary conveyor ( 102 ) are of equal height;
a scissor lift mechanism ( 118 ) placed below the rolling shutter arrangement ( 114 ) with an upper end supporting a vertically movable horizontal frame ( 110 ) and a lower end fixed on a free rolling fixture ( 116 ) capable of moving forward and backward directions,
wherein the vertically movable horizontal frame ( 110 ) comprises a front end ( 206 ), a rear end ( 210 ) and a middle part ( 208 ), wherein a portion between the front end ( 206 ) and the middle part ( 208 ) is capable of fitting inside a cuboidal bin ( 106 ) without touching an inner part of the cuboidal bin ( 106 ),
wherein the portion between the front end ( 206 ) and the middle part ( 208 ) is a free roller capable of providing a gravity support to a dropped 3D object and capable of dropping the 3D objects into the corresponding cuboidal bin ( 106 ) by rolling when the corresponding cuboidal bin ( 106 ) is full,
wherein the free roller is capable of moving freely between a maximum upper position and a maximum lower position inside the corresponding cuboidal bin ( 106 ) without touching the inner part of the cuboidal bin ( 106 ),
wherein the portion between the middle part ( 208 ) and the rear end ( 210 ) is vacant, wherein a hanging part ( 108 ) of the rolling shutter arrangement ( 114 ) hangs in the vacant middle portion of the vertically movable horizontal frame ( 110 ) by touching the middle part ( 208 ) to avoid dropped 3D objects from falling out of a corresponding cuboidal bin ( 106 ), and
wherein the vertically movable horizontal frame ( 110 ) is capable of moving in both forward and backward directions in telescopic movement;
the cuboidal bin ( 106 ) corresponding to each of the plurality of telescopic secondary conveyor ( 104 ) is associated with a corresponding code number,
wherein the cuboidal bin ( 106 ) is placed at the bin end ( 130 ) of the corresponding telescopic secondary conveyor ( 104 ), wherein the top of the cuboidal bin ( 106 ) is open for dropping 3D objects,
wherein one side of the cuboidal bin ( 106 ) is open towards the bin end ( 130 ) of the corresponding secondary conveyor ( 104 ) through which the free roller of the vertically movable horizontal frame ( 110 ) is capable of moving freely between the maximum upper position and the maximum lower position inside the corresponding cuboidal bin ( 106 ) without touching the inner part of the cuboidal bin ( 106 ); and a plurality of bin vision sensors corresponding to each cuboidal bin ( 106 ).

2. The packing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the tracking code comprises one of, a one dimensional bar code and a two dimensional barcode.

3. A processor implemented method, the method comprising:
receiving data pertaining to each of a plurality of 3D objects using a conveyor vision sensor associated with a primary conveyor, wherein the data comprising a length ( 1 ), a height (h), a width (w), a tracking code and an orientation of each of the plurality of 3D objects;
computing a dimension associated with each of the plurality of 3D objects based on the data;
simultaneously identifying a cuboidal bin, corresponding to each of the plurality of 3D objects, from a plurality of cuboidal bins corresponding to each of a plurality of secondary conveyors by comparing the tracking code of each of plurality of 3D object with a code number of the each of the plurality of cuboidal bins,
wherein each of the plurality of cuboidal bins is associated with a length (L), a width (W), a height (H) and the code number,
wherein the height (H) is segmented into a plurality of parts (p) based on one of, a height distribution of 3D objects and an associated expert knowledge,
wherein a plurality of layers corresponding to each of the plurality of cuboidal bins are determined based on the plurality of parts,
wherein each of the plurality of layers is associated with a corresponding state space forming a plurality of state spaces corresponding to each of the plurality of cuboidal bins,
wherein a plurality of cells in each of the plurality of state spaces is determined by dividing each of the plurality of state space into a plurality of rows (m) and a plurality of columns (n), wherein a sum of the plurality of rows is equivalent to the width (W) and a sum of the plurality of columns is equivalent to the length (L), and
wherein each of the plurality of state spaces corresponding to each of the plurality of bins is initialized by filling each of the plurality of cells with zeros;

simultaneously receiving a space availability data of the identified cuboidal bin using a corresponding bin vision sensor, wherein each of the plurality of cuboidal bins is associated with the corresponding bin vision sensor;
simultaneously computing a dimension of an un-occupied space of the identified state space of the corresponding identified cuboidal bin based on the plurality of rows (m) and the plurality of columns (n) filled with zeros;
computing an available bin space of the corresponding identified cuboidal bin based on the space availability data and the dimension of an un-occupied space;
comparing the computed available bin space of the corresponding identified cuboidal bin and the dimension associated with the corresponding 3D object;
diverting each of the plurality of 3D objects from the primary conveyor towards the corresponding un-occupied state space of the corresponding identified cuboidal bin through the corresponding secondary conveyor by:
raising a corresponding vertical plate of the primary conveyor nearer to the available bin space of the corresponding identified cuboidal bin; and
dropping the corresponding 3D object on a free roller arrangement of a vertically movable horizontal frame of the corresponding identified bin, when the dimension of the available bin space of the corresponding identified cuboidal bin and the dimension of the corresponding 3D object matches;

updating the corresponding occupied state space with ones based on the space availability data obtained from the bin vision sensor of the identified cuboidal bin after placing the 3D object; and
updating a position of the vertically movable horizontal frame of the identified bin to a next layer based on the plurality of parts, when the corresponding state space is occupied, wherein updating the position of the vertically movable horizontal frame of the identified cuboidal bin is continued until the corresponding identified cuboidal bin is full, wherein the free rolling fixture of the vertically movable horizontal frame retracts and a hanging par

Assignees

• Tata Consultancy Services Ltd

Inventors

• Chintalapalli Patta Venkat Raju
• Singhal Aniruddha
• Bangalore Srinivas Venkatesh Prasad
• Jain Aditya

Classifications

• B65G47/8815

  Reciprocating stop, moving up or down in the path of the article · CPC title

• B65G2203/0225

  Orientation of the article · CPC title

• B65G47/485 Primary

  using electric or electronic transmitting means between destination marks and switching means · CPC title

• B65G1/0464

  with access from above · CPC title

• B65G1/1378 Primary

  the orders being assembled on fixed commissioning areas remote from the storage areas · CPC title