Robotic system with error detection and dynamic packing mechanism

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2021237274-A1
Application number	US-202117152723-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 19, 2021
Priority date	May 31, 2019
Publication date	Aug 5, 2021
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method for operating a robotic system includes determining a discretized object model based on source sensor data; comparing the discretized object model to a packing plan or to master data; determining a discretized platform model based on destination sensor data; determining height measures based on the destination sensor data; comparing the discretized platform model and/or the height measures to an expected platform model and/or expected height measures; and determining one or more errors by (i) determining at least one source matching error by identifying one or more disparities between (a) the discretized object model and (b) the packing plan or the master data or (ii) determining at least one destination matching error by identifying one or more disparities between (a) the discretized platform model or the height measures and (b) the expected platform model or the expected height measures, respectively.

First claim

I/we claim:

1 . A method for operating a robotic system, the method comprising:
determining an error, wherein determining the error includes:
(i) determining a source matching error by identifying a disparity between (a) a discretized object model representing a target object and (b) a packing plan or master data, or
(ii) determining a destination matching error by identifying a disparity between (a) a discretized platform model representing a placement area or a height measure representing a maximum height within a portion of the placement area and (b) an expected platform model or an expected height measure, respectively; and
in response, at least in part, to determining the error, adjusting a placement location for the target object or another object.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:
determining the error includes identifying a disparity between the discretized object model and the master data; and the error includes a master data error representing the master data is wrong.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the packing plan specifies a sequence in which objects including the target object are to arrive at a start location; determining the error includes identifying a disparity between the discretized object model and a discretized object model specified by the sequence; and the error includes an arrival sequence error representing that the target object arrived at the start location out of the sequence specified by the packing plan.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:
determining the error includes identifying a disparity between the discretized platform model and the expected platform model; and the error includes a placement accessibility error, an unexpected placement error, and/or a placement area error representing that the placement area differs from an expected placement area.

5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein determining the error further includes identifying a placement accessibility error representing a wall of a container, cage, or car track at a task location associated with the placement area is not fully opened.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:
determining the error includes identifying a disparity between (a) the discretized platform model or the height measure and (b) the expected platform model or the expected height measure, respectively; and determining the error further includes identifying an unexpected placement error representing an object of previously placed objects at a task location associated with the placement area shifted, fell, and/or was displaced.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:
determining the error includes identifying a disparity between (a) the discretized platform model or the height measure and (b) the expected platform model or the expected height measure, respectively; and determining the error further includes identifying a placement area error representing an object of previously placed objects at a task location associated with the placement area was misplaced.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the expected platform model and/or the expected height measure are specified by the packing plan; determining the error includes identifying a disparity between (a) the discretized platform model or the height measure and (b) the expected platform model or the expected height measure, respectively; and determining the error further includes identifying a placement area error representing an object not included in the packing plan is positioned at a task location associated with the placement area.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:
determining the error further includes identifying errors in the following order:
determining a placement accessibility error representing a wall of a container, cage, or car track at a task location associated with the placement area is not fully opened;
determining an unexpected placement error representing a first object of previously placed objects at the task location shifted, fell, and/or was displaced;
determining a placement area error representing a second object of the previously placed objects at the task location was misplaced; and
determining a placement area error representing (a) a third object of the previously placed objects, (b) the container, cage, or car track, and/or (c) an object not included in the packing plan but present at the task location is/are contributing to a disparity between the height measure and the expected height measure.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:
determining the error includes identifying a disparity between (a) the discretized platform model or the height measure and (b) the expected platform model or the expected height measure, respectively; and the error includes a placement area error representing an object of previously placed objects at a task location associated with the placement area is missing at the task location.

11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the error further includes a transport or manipulation error representing the object of the previously placed objects was dropped while transporting the object to the task location.

12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:
determining the error includes identifying a disparity between (a) the discretized platform model or the height measure and (b) the expected platform model or the expected height measure, respectively; and the error includes a collision error representing a collision has occurred between (i) a robotic unit of the robotic system, (ii) the target object, (iii) previously placed objects at a task location associated with the placement area, (iv) a container at the task location, and/or (v) an object not included in the packing plan but present at the task location.

13 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the packing plan specifies the placement location for the target object; and the method of claim 1 is performed before placing the target object at the placement location for the target object specified in the packing plan.

14 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
in response to determining the error
deriving a candidate position based, at least in part, on overlapping the discretized object model over the discretized platform model at a corresponding location;
validating the candidate position according to one or more placement constraints associated with the height measure;
calculating a placement score for the candidate position, wherein the placement score is calculated according to one or more placement preferences; and
dynamically deriving the placement location based on selecting the candidate position according to the placement score, wherein the placement location is for placing the target object at a task location associated with the placement area.

15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein validating the candidate position includes deriving an approach path for placing the target object at the candidate position.

16 . The method of claim 14 , wherein:
adjusting the placement location for the target object includes generating information for placing the target object at the placement location over the placement area; and the method further comprises communicating the generated information for placing the target object at the placement location over the placement area.

17 . The method of claim 16 , further comprising verifying placement accuracy of the target object at the placement location.

18 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising updating or replacing the packing plan based, at least in part, on the determined error or the placem

Assignees

• Mujin Inc

Inventors

• Diankov Rosen Nikolaev
• Kanunikov Denys

Classifications

• B25J9/1661

  characterised by task planning, object-oriented languages · CPC title

• B25J9/1687 Primary

  Assembly, peg and hole, palletising, straight line, weaving pattern movement · CPC title

• B25J9/1674

  characterised by safety, monitoring, diagnostic · CPC title

• G05B2219/45056

  Handling cases, boxes · CPC title

• B65B65/00

  Details peculiar to packaging machines and not otherwise provided for; Arrangements of such details · CPC title