ROBOTIC CARTON UNLOADER

• US 20150360882A1
• Filed: 08/26/2015
• Published: 12/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intelligrated Headquarters LLC (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Intelligrated Headquarters LLC (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Girtman, Michael L.
• Granted Patent: US 9,650,215 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 11/00 Manipulators not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/0093 co-operating with conveyor means
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1679 characterised by the tasks executed
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 59/02 De-stacking from the top of the stack
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 67/24 Unloading land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/052 Linking several PLC's
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/02 Arm motion controller
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/27 Arm part

Abstract

A robotic carton unloader for automatic unloading of cartons from a carton pile. In various embodiments, a robotic carton unloader may include a mobile body, a movable robotic arm attached to the mobile body and comprising an end effector, a conveyor system having a front portion, and a lift attached to the mobile body and the front portion of the conveyor system to move the front portion. In some embodiments, the conveyor system may comprise a front-end shelf conveyor configured to be moved (e.g., raised, lowered, laterally moved, tilted, etc.) relative to the body of the unloader. The front-end shelf conveyor may be moved separately for positioning below the robotic arm in order to receive cartons from a small distance. The front-end shelf conveyor may be moved via various mechanisms (e.g., scissor lifts, pedestal lifts, etc.).

Claims

1. A robotic carton unloader for unloading cartons in a carton pile, the robotic carton unloader movable across a floor, the robotic carton unloader comprising:

a mobile body;

a movable robotic arm attached to the mobile body and comprising an end effector at an end thereof, the end effector configured to unload cartons from the carton pile;

a conveyor system having a front portion, the conveyor system configured to convey cartons deposited thereon by the moveable robotic arm; and

a lift attached to the mobile body and the front portion of the conveyor system, the lift configured to move the front portion of the conveyor system relative to the floor.

2. The robotic carton unloader of claim 1, wherein the front portion of the conveyor system is a front-end shelf conveyor.

11. The robotic carton unloader of claim 1, wherein the support comprises a scissor lift.

18. The robotic carton unloader of claim 1, wherein the robotic carton unloader is configured to unload cartons from the carton pile at a rate of at or above 100 cartons/hour.

19. The robotic carton unloader of claim 18, wherein the robotic carton unloader is configured to unload cartons from the carton pile at a rate from 100 cartons/hour to 1300 cartons/hour.

20. The robotic carton unloader of claim 18, wherein the robotic carton unloader is configured to unload cartons from the carton pile at a rate of at or above 1300 cartons/hour.

3. The robotic carton unloader, wherein the lift comprises:

a support configured to move the front-end shelf conveyor to at least a first position beneath the end effector to receive cartons removed from the carton pile.

4. The robotic carton unloader of claim 3, wherein the front-end shelf conveyor is further configured to simultaneously move the cartons deposited thereon towards a rear portion of the conveyor system and to singulate the cartons while the cartons move.

5. The robotic carton unloader of claim 3, wherein the support is further configured to move the front-end shelf conveyor with the cartons deposited thereon from the first position to a second position adjacent to the rear portion of the conveyor system.

6. The robotic carton unloader of claim 5, wherein the front-end shelf conveyor is oriented parallel to the floor in the second position.

7. The robotic carton unloader of claim 3, wherein the front-end shelf conveyor comprises a bumper on a front end of the front-end shelf conveyor.

8. The robotic carton unloader of claim 7, wherein:

the bumper is configured to stabilize the carton pile while the front-end shelf conveyor is in the first position and cartons are unloaded by the end effector.

9. The robotic carton unloader of claim 8, wherein the bumper is a roller that includes at least one roller corner extending lengthwise along the roller.

10. The robotic carton unloader of claim 3, wherein the support comprises a pedestal lift.

12. The robotic carton unloader of claim 3, wherein the front-end shelf conveyor is within 18 inches of the end effector or a row of cartons being unloaded by the end effector when the front-end shelf conveyor is in the first position.

13. The robotic carton unloader of claim 3, wherein the front-end shelf conveyor comprises a plurality of rows of conveyors oriented side by side.

14. The robotic carton unloader of claim 13, wherein at least one of the conveyors in the plurality of rows of conveyors is configured to move a carton carried thereon at a different speed than another conveyor in the plurality of rows of conveyors.

15. The robotic carton unloader of claim 12, wherein at least one of the conveyors in the plurality of rows of conveyors is configured to move a carton traveling thereon rearwards and towards a center line of the front-end shelf conveyor.

16. The robotic carton unloader of claim 13, wherein the front-end shelf conveyor is configured to move laterally relative to the mobile body.

17. The robotic carton unloader of claim 3, wherein the front-end shelf conveyor comprises a stop bar configured to be rotated to at least a first position such that the stop bar is configured to block a carton moving on the front-end shelf conveyor and a second position such that stop bar is configured to not block the carton moving on the front-end shelf conveyor.

21. A method for controlling a robotic carton unloader for unloading cartons from a carton pile, comprising:

positioning, via a processor, a robotic arm of the robotic carton unloader for gathering one or more cartons from the carton pile based on processed sensor data;

positioning, via the processor, a front-end shelf conveyor beneath the robotic arm;

positioning, via the processor, the front-end shelf conveyor to a common level as a central conveyor of robotic carton unloader; and

activating, via the processor, conveyor belts on the front-end shelf conveyor to move the one or more cartons onto the central conveyor.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

raising, via the processor, a stop bar to hold the one or more cartons on the front-end shelf conveyor; and

lowering, via the processor, the stop bar on the front-end shelf conveyor such that the one or more cartons can leave the front-end shelf conveyor and enter the central conveyor in response to positioning the front-end shelf conveyor to the common level as the central conveyor.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the processed sensor data includes one or more of radar sensor data, Lidar sensor data, and imagery from a camera sensor.

24. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

determining, via the processor, whether all of the one or more cartons have been moved from the front-end shelf conveyor onto the central conveyor;

deactivating, via the processor, the conveyor belts on the front-end shelf conveyor in response to determining that all of the one or more cartons have been moved from the front-end shelf conveyor onto the central conveyor;

positioning, via the processor, the robotic arm of the robotic carton unloader into a second position for gathering a second set of one or more cartons from the carton pile based on the processed sensor data;

positioning, via the processor, the front-end shelf conveyor beneath the robotic arm in the second position;

detecting, via the processor, one or more cartons from the second set on the front-end shelf conveyor;

positioning, via the processor, the front-end shelf conveyor from beneath the robotic arm in the second position to the common level as the central conveyor of robotic carton unloader; and

activating, via the processor, conveyor belts on the front-end shelf conveyor to move one or more cartons from the second set onto the central conveyor.

25. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

activating, via the processor, one or more sensor to gather new sensor data in response to determining all cartons from a first face of the carton pile are unloaded;

generating, via the processor, new processed sensor data based on the gathered new sensor data; and

positioning, via the processor, the robotic arm of the robotic carton unloader for gathering one or more cartons from a second face of the carton pile based on the new processed sensor data.

26. The method of claim 21, further comprising detecting, via the processor, one or more cartons from the carton pile on the front end shelf conveyor.