ARTICLE MOVEMENT APPARATUS, ARTICLE MOVEMENT METHOD, AND ARTICLE MOVEMENT CONTROL PROGRAM

• US 20190077011A1
• Filed: 08/23/2018
• Published: 03/14/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation), Toshiba Infrastructure Systems & Solutions Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation), Toshiba Infrastructure Systems & Solutions Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: SEZAKI, Kentaro
• Granted Patent: US 10,899,002 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 15/0052 multiple gripper units or multiple end effectors
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 15/065 provided with separating means for releasing the gripped object after suction
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 19/023 including video camera means
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/0093 co-operating with conveyor means
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1664 characterised by motion, path, trajectory planning
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1694 characterised by use of sensors other than normal servo-feedback from position, speed or acceleration sensors, perception control, multi-sensor controlled systems, sensor fusion
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1697 Vision controlled systems
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/39102 Manipulator cooperating with conveyor
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/39553 Dual gripper, two heads to pick up different objects

Abstract

An article movement apparatus detects information about articles in an accumulation area, picks up one or more articles based on the detected information with a robot arm, then detects the holding state of the articles held on the robot arm, and measures a separation distance between held articles and a sorting area of a conveyance path. When a plurality of held articles is held by the robot arm, an article is selected from amongst the plurality according to distance from the article and to a surface of the sorting area. The selected article is then released to the sorting area.

Claims

1. An article movement apparatus, comprising:

a first detection unit configured to detect position, size, and relational information of articles within an accumulation area;

a robot arm configured to pick up an article based on the position, size, and relational information detected by the first detection unit and move the article from the accumulation area to a sorting area on a conveyance path;

a second detection unit configured to detect a holding state of articles on the robot arm and measure a separation distance from each article being held by the robot arm to a surface of the sorting area; and

a control unit configured to control the first detection unit, the robot arm, and the second detection unit, wherein the robot arm includes a holding portion group composed of a plurality of holding portions for releasably holding articles, and

the control unit is configured to control the robot arm such that one selected article from a plurality of articles being held by the robot arm is released in the sorting area before any other article in the plurality of articles, the one selected article being selected according to a measured distance between a lower surface of the selected article and the surface of the conveyance path such that the selected article has the smallest measured distance amongst the plurality of articles being held by the robot arm.

2. The article movement apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to control the robot arm to position the selected article downstream on any other article in the plurality of articles being held by the robot arm prior to releasing the selected article to the sorting area.

3. The article movement apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the holding group is rotated to position the selected article downstream.

4. The article movement apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to select a second article from amongst the plurality of articles being held by the robot arm to be released to the sorting area after a predetermined interval after the releasing of the selected article to the sorting area.

5. The article movement apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first detection unit is a stereoscopic camera positioned above the accumulation area.

6. The article movement apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the holding portion includes an expansion and contraction portion capable of raising and lowering, with respect to the surface of the sorting area, articles that are being held by the holding portion, and

the control unit is configured to control the expansion and contraction portion to expand and lower articles before releasing articles to the surface of the sorting area.

7. The article movement apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to release a non-selected article from the plurality of articles back to the accumulation area after the one selected article has been selected.

8. The article movement apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the non-selected article is released back to the accumulation area before the one selected article is released to the sorting area.

9. The article movement apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to rotate the robot arm such that the selected article is downstream along a conveyance path direction from all other articles in the plurality of articles being held by the robot arm before the selected article is released to the sorting area.

10. An article movement method, comprising:

detecting position, size, and relational information of articles within an accumulation area;

picking up an article with a robot arm based on the detected position, size, and relational information of articles within an accumulation area;

detecting a holding state of articles on the robot arm;

measuring a distance from each article being held by the robot arm to a surface of a sorting area between the held article and a surface of a sorting area on a conveyance path; and

controlling the robot arm such that one selected article from a plurality of articles being held by the robot arm is released to the sorting area before any other article in the plurality of articles, the one selected article being selected according to the measured distance between a lower surface of the selected article and the surface of the conveyance path such that the selected article has the smallest measured distance amongst the plurality of articles being held by the robot arm.

11. The article movement method according to claim 10, further comprising:

controlling the robot arm to position the selected article downstream on any other article in the plurality of articles being held by the robot arm prior to releasing the selected article to the sorting area.

12. The article movement method according to claim 10, further comprising:

selecting a second article from amongst the plurality of articles being held by the robot arm to be released to the sorting area after a predetermined interval after the releasing of the selected article to the sorting area.

13. The article movement method according to claim 10, further comprising:

lowering the robot arm such that a release height for the selected article above the surface of the sorting area is less than a predetermined height.

14. The article movement method according to claim 10, wherein a stereoscopic camera positioned above the accumulation area is used for detecting position, size, and relational information of articles within the accumulation area.

15. The article movement method according to claim 10, wherein the holding state of the articles is detected using a camera positioned below a holding portion of the robot arm.

16. The article movement method according to claim 10, further comprising:

rotating a portion of the robot arm such that the one selected article is positioned downstream, along a conveyance path direction, of any other article in the plurality of articles being held by the robot arm prior to the releasing of the selected article to the sorting area.

17. A computer readable medium storing a program that when executed by a control unit of an article movement apparatus causes the article movement apparatus to perform an article movement method, comprising:

detecting position, size, and relational information of articles within an accumulation area;

controlling a robot arm to pick up an article using the detected position, size, and relational information of articles within the accumulation area;

detecting a holding state of articles on the robot arm;

measuring a distance from each article being held by the robot arm to a surface of a sorting area between the held article and a surface of a sorting area on a conveyance path; and

controlling the robot arm such that one selected article from a plurality of articles being held by the robot arm is released to the sorting area before any other article in the plurality of articles, the one selected article being selected according to the measured distance between a lower surface of the selected article and the surface of the conveyance path such that the selected article has the smallest measured distance amongst the plurality of articles being held by the robot arm.

18. The computer readable medium according to claim 17, wherein, in the article movement method, images from a stereoscopic camera are used in the detecting of position, size, and relational information of articles within the accumulation area.

19. The computer readable medium according to claim 17, wherein, in the article movement method, the holding state is detected by reference to images obtained by a camera position below a holding group of the robot arm.

20. The computer readable medium according to claim 17, the article movement method further comprising:

controlling the robot arm to position the selected article downstream on any other article in the plurality of articles being held by the robot arm prior to releasing the selected article to the sorting area.