Split robotic article pick and put system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018282079-A1
Application number	US-201815938595-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 28, 2018
Priority date	Mar 30, 2017
Publication date	Oct 4, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method and system for picking articles from a collection of articles and arranging articles into placement locations, includes capturing an image with a first vision system from a collection of articles at a first pick location and determining coordinate data for at least some of the articles in the collection of articles. The coordinate data for an article in the collection of articles is provided to a first robotic manipulator. That article is picked from the collection of articles with the first robotic manipulator according to the coordinate data for that article and that article placed at a first place location. The position and orientation data of that article are obtained at a second pick location and provided along with a desired position and orientation of that article at a second place location to a second robotic manipulator. That article is picked with the second robotic manipulator using the position and orientation data of that article at the second pick location and that article is placed at the second place location at the desired position and orientation.

First claim

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1 . A method of picking articles from a collection of articles and arranging the articles into placement locations, said method comprising:
capturing an image with a first vision system from a collection of articles at a first pick location and determining coordinate data for at least some of the articles in the collection of articles; providing the coordinate data for an article in the collection of articles to a first robotic manipulator; picking that article from the mixed collection of articles with said first robotic manipulator according to the coordinate data for that article and placing that article at a first place location; determining the position and orientation data of that article as placed by the first robotic manipulator and a subsequent desired position and orientation data of that article and providing the data to a second robotic manipulator; and picking that article with said second robotic manipulator using the position and orientation data of that article as placed by the first robotic manipulator and the subsequent position and orientation data of that article and placing that article at the desired subsequent position and orientation with the second robotic manipulator.

2 . The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said second robotic manipulator picks that article at a second pick location that is spaced from the first place location and including transporting articles from the first place location to the second pick location.

3 . The method as claimed in claim 2 including obtaining or confirming the position and orientation data of that article at the second pick location.

4 . The method as claimed in claim 3 including capturing an image of that article at said second pick location with a second vision system.

5 . The method as claimed in claim 4 including article receptacles positioned at said second place locations and including capturing an image of articles in said receptacles with a third vision system.

6 . The method as claimed in claim 5 including determining at least one chosen from location of a receptacle, orientation of a receptacle, size of a receptacle, percentage fill of a receptacle and positions of articles in a receptacle.

7 . The method as claimed in claim 2 including capturing an image of that article at said second pick location with a second vision system.

8 . The method as claimed in claim 2 wherein said first place location comprises a conveying surface and wherein said transporting including conveying articles at said first place location with said conveying surface to said second pick location.

9 . An article pick and put system, comprising:
a first robotic system comprising a first vision system and a first robotic manipulator; a second robotic system comprising a second vision system and a second robotic manipulator; an article support at a first pick location and an article support at a second place location; said first vision system adapted to obtain coordinates of an article at said first pick location and said first robotic manipulator adapted to respond to the coordinates of that article to pick that article from said first pick location and place that article at a first place location; said second vision system adapted to obtain position and orientation data of an article at a second pick location and said second robotic manipulator adapted to respond to said second vision system to pick that article in at the article's position and orientation at said second pick location and place that article at a desired position and orientation at the second place location.

10 . The system as claimed in claim 9 wherein said second robotic manipulator adapted to pick the article at the position and orientation of the article at a second pick location that is spaced form said first place location and including a conveyance device and adapted to convey articles from said first place location to said second pick location.

11 . The system as claimed in claim 10 wherein said conveyance device comprises a conveyor.

12 . The system as claimed in claim 11 wherein said conveyor comprises an accumulation conveyor.

13 . The system as claimed in claim 9 wherein said first robotic manipulator is adapted to pick articles from a receptacle at said first pick location and wherein said first vision system is adapted to capture coordinates for at least some articles in the receptacle.

14 . The system as claimed in claim 10 including a scanner at said conveyance device, said scanner adapted to capture additional data regarding each article being conveyed by said conveyance device.

15 . The system as claimed in claim 14 wherein said scanner comprises a scan tunnel that is adapted to scan multiple sides of an article to read an optical codes on any side of an article.

16 . The system as claimed in claim 9 including a second conveyance device that is adapted to convey a receptacle from said first pick location after said first robotic manipulator picks at least one article from that receptacle.

17 . The system as claimed in claim 9 including a third vision system adapted to obtain data at said second place location.

18 . The system as claimed in claim 9 wherein said second place location defines a plurality of order locations.

19 . The system as claimed in claim 18 wherein each of said order locations is adapted to support a receptacle.

20 . The system as claimed in claim 19 including an automated shuttle that is adapted to remove completed receptacles from said second place location.

21 . The system as claimed in claim 20 wherein said automated shuttle is adapted to deliver completed receptacles for retrieval by an in/out robotic manipulator.

22 . The system as claimed in claim 9 wherein said first vision system is operable with image processing software to sense at least one chosen from article identifier, article dimensions, article volume, article location, article orientation in space, and article color.

23 . The system as claimed in claim 9 wherein said second vision system is operable with image processing software to sense at least one chosen from article presence, article identity, article position and article orientation in space.

24 . The system as claimed in 17 wherein said third vision system is adapted to sense at least one chosen from receptacle location, receptacle orientation, receptacle size, receptacle percent fill, and article position.

25 . The system as claimed in claim 9 wherein said first vision system is mounted to said first robotic manipulator or an end-of-arm tool on said first robotic manipulator.

26 . The system as claimed in claim 9 wherein said second vision system is mounted to said second robotic manipulator or an end or an end-of-arm tool on said second robotic manipulator.

Assignees

• Dematic Corp

Inventors

• Heath Kevin M
• Paniczko Anthony J
• O'Brien Mark D
• Burkert Mitchell D
• Sze Hau Y

Classifications

• B65G1/1378

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

• G05B2219/40554

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• G05B2219/39083

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• G05B2219/45063

  Pick and place manipulator · CPC title

• B25J9/023

  Cartesian coordinate type · CPC title