Systems and methods for processing objects, including automated processing stations

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11634282-B2
Application number	US-202017077199-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 22, 2020
Priority date	May 4, 2018
Publication date	Apr 25, 2023
Grant date	Apr 25, 2023

Abstract

A processing system for processing objects using a programmable motion device is disclosed. The processing system a perception unit for perceiving identifying indicia representative of an identity of an object associated with an input conveyance system, and an acquisition system for acquiring the object from a plurality of objects at an input area using an end effector of the programmable motion device, wherein the programmable motion device is adapted for assisting in the delivery of the object to an identified processing location. The identified processing location being associated with the identifying indicia and said identified processing location being provided as one of a plurality of processing locations. The processing system also includes a delivery system for receiving the object in a carrier and for delivering the object toward the identified processing location.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A processing system for processing objects, said processing system comprising:
a plurality of processing stations commonly in communication with an input conveyance system, each of said processing stations comprising:
a perception unit for perceiving identifying indicia representative of an identity of a selected object conveyed on the input conveyance system; and
an acquisition system including, in part, a programmable motion device for acquiring the selected object from a plurality of objects at an input portion of the input conveyance system; and

an object conveyance system that is commonly in communication with the plurality of processing stations, said object conveyance system including a plurality of carriages in communication with a plurality of processing containers,
said object conveyance system further including at least one carrier that is continuously moving in a loop, wherein the at least one carrier receives the selected object from the programmable motion device and drops the selected object into one of the plurality of carriages that is in communication with a subset of the plurality of processing containers, and wherein the carriage reciprocally shuttles between two rows of the subset of the plurality of processing containers and is actuated to tip in either of two opposing directions to drop the selected object into either of two processing containers among the subset of processing containers.

2. The processing system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the input portion of the input conveyance system includes an input area conveyor onto which a plurality of objects are diverted from a primary conveyor of the input conveyance system, said plurality of objects including the selected object.

3. The processing system as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the plurality of objects is provided in a bin that is one of a plurality of bins, each bin including a further plurality of objects.

4. The processing system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of carriages reciprocally shuttles between two rows of a respective subset of the plurality of processing containers.

5. The processing system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the programmable motion device includes an end effector for placing the selected object into the at least one carrier of the object conveyance system.

6. The processing system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the at least one carrier of the object conveyance system includes a plurality of trays, wherein each tray is capable of tipping in either of two opposing directions to drop any objects carried thereon into a carriage of the plurality of carriages.

7. The processing system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein each carriage of the plurality of carriages is adapted to drop any objects therein into a designated processing container of the plurality of processing containers.

8. A processing system for processing objects, said processing system comprising:
a plurality of processing stations commonly in communication with an input conveyance system, each of said processing stations comprising:
a perception unit for perceiving identifying indicia representative of an identity of a selected object conveyed on the input conveyance system; and
an acquisition system including, in part, a programmable motion device for acquiring the selected object from a plurality of objects at an input portion of the input conveyance system; and

an object conveyance system that is commonly in communication with the plurality of processing stations, said object conveyance system including a plurality of carriages in communication with a plurality of processing containers, and
the object conveyance system further including at least one carrier that receives the selected object from the programmable motion device and drops the selected object into one carriage of the plurality of carriages that is in communication with a subset of the plurality of processing containers.

9. The processing system as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the input portion of the input conveyance system includes an input area conveyor onto which a plurality of objects are diverted from a primary conveyor of the input conveyance system, said plurality of objects including the selected object.

10. The processing system as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the plurality of objects is provided in a bin that is one of a plurality of bins, each bin including a further plurality of objects.

11. The processing system as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the at least one carrier of the object conveyance system continuously moves in a loop.

12. The processing system as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the one carriage of the plurality of carriages reciprocally shuttles between two rows of the subset of the plurality of processing containers.

13. The processing system as claimed in claim 8 , wherein each carriage of the plurality of carriages is actuatable to tip in either of two opposing directions to drop any objects contained therein into either of two processing containers of a respective subset of the plurality of processing containers.

14. The processing system as claimed in claim 8 , wherein each carriage of the plurality of carriages reciprocally shuttles between two rows of a respective subset of the plurality of processing containers.

15. The processing system as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the programmable motion device includes an end effector for placing the object into the at least one carrier of the object conveyance system.

16. The processing system as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the object conveyance system includes a plurality of carriers, wherein each carrier is capable of being tipped in either of two opposing directions to drop any objects carried thereon into a carriage of the plurality of carriages.

17. A method of processing objects using a programmable motion device, said method comprising:
perceiving identifying indicia representative of an identity of a plurality of objects associated with an input conveyance system including an input area;
dynamically assigning a previously unassigned processing location as a dynamically assigned processing location responsive to the perceived identifying indicia;
acquiring an object from the plurality of objects at the input area using an end effector of the programmable motion device, wherein the programmable motion device is adapted for assisting in delivery of the object to the dynamically assigned processing location, said dynamically assigned processing location being thereafter associated with the identifying indicia and said dynamically assigned processing location being provided as one of a plurality of processing locations; and
delivering the object toward the dynamically assigned processing location, wherein delivering the object toward the dynamically assigned processing location includes dropping the object into a reciprocating shuttle carriage, wherein the reciprocating shuttle carriage drops the object into the dynamically assigned processing location.

18. The method as claimed in claim 17 , wherein the input conveyance system includes a primary conveyor and an input area conveyor onto which the plurality of objects are diverted from the primary conveyor.

19. The method as claimed in claim 17 , wherein the method includes providing the plurality of objects in a bin that is one of a plurality of bins, each bin including a further plurality of objects.

20. The method as claimed in claim 17 , wherein delivering the object includes providing the object on a circulatin

Assignees

• Berkshire Grey Operating Company Inc

Inventors

• Wagner Thomas
• Ahearn Kevin
• Amend Jr John Richard
• Cohen Benjamin
• DAWSON-HAGGERTY Michael
• Fort William Hartman
• GEYER Christopher
• King Jennifer Eileen
• Koletschka Thomas
• Koval Michael Cap
• MARONEY Kyle
• Mason Matthew T
• McMahan William Chu-Hyon
• Price Gene Temple
• Romano Joseph
• Smith Daniel
• SRINIVASA Siddhartha
• Velagapudi Prasanna
• Allen Thomas

Classifications

• B65G2203/041

  Camera · CPC title

• B65G2203/0216

  Codes or marks on the article · CPC title

• B65G47/48 Primary

  according to bodily destination marks on either articles or load-carriers · CPC title

• B07C5/3412

  according to a code applied to the object which indicates a property of the object, e.g. quality class, contents or incorrect indication (sorting according to size measured by light-responsive means B07C5/10; sorting according to optical properties B07C5/342; for packages B65D79/02; for information carriers G06K7/00) · CPC title

• B65G2201/0258

  Trays, totes or bins · CPC title