Automated box opening apparatus
DCFirst Claim
1. A box processing apparatus, comprising:
- a conveyor;
a programmable motion device adjacent the conveyor for moving a cutting element in at least three orthogonal axes;
at least one first sensor adjacent the conveyor for determining three orthogonal dimensions of a box;
a memory for storing a plurality of cut definitions, each cut definition defining one or more box cuts; and
a controller operably coupled to the conveyor, the programmable motion device, the at least one first sensor, and the memory, the controller being programmable to;
operate the conveyor to move a box to a position relative to the programmable motion device,select one of the cut definitions in memory,create a path for moving the cutting element relative to the box based on the determined dimensions of the box and the selected cut definition, andoperate the programmable motion device to move the cutting element relative to the box according to the path to produce the one or more box cuts of the selected cut definition in the box with the cutting element.
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Abstract
An apparatus includes a conveyor, a programmable motion device, and a controller. The conveyor preferably includes actuatable rollers, and the programmable motion device is preferably a robotic arm. The controller operates the conveyor, a stopping rail, and a positioning rail to move and position a box in a cutting position relative to the robotic arm. The controller determines three dimension of the box and translates a programmed cut pattern to those determined dimensions. Based on the determined dimensions, the controller then operates the robotic arm to perform the programmed cut pattern in the box with the cutting element. The cutting element preferably has square blade so that each of the four blades can be used to cut a side of the box without having to rotate the cutting element during operation.
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Citations
45 Claims
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1. A box processing apparatus, comprising:
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a conveyor; a programmable motion device adjacent the conveyor for moving a cutting element in at least three orthogonal axes; at least one first sensor adjacent the conveyor for determining three orthogonal dimensions of a box; a memory for storing a plurality of cut definitions, each cut definition defining one or more box cuts; and a controller operably coupled to the conveyor, the programmable motion device, the at least one first sensor, and the memory, the controller being programmable to; operate the conveyor to move a box to a position relative to the programmable motion device, select one of the cut definitions in memory, create a path for moving the cutting element relative to the box based on the determined dimensions of the box and the selected cut definition, and operate the programmable motion device to move the cutting element relative to the box according to the path to produce the one or more box cuts of the selected cut definition in the box with the cutting element. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. A box processing apparatus, comprising:
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means for moving each box to a stationary position in the apparatus; means for moving at least one cutting blade in at least three orthogonal axes relative to sides of each box; means for determining three orthogonal dimensions of each box in the apparatus; means for selecting one of a plurality of cut definitions for each box; means for creating paths for moving the at least one cutting blade relative to each box based on the determined dimensions and the selected cut definitions for each box; and means for programmably cutting each box in the stationary position with the at least one cutting blade moved according to the created path for each box. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
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37. An item processing apparatus, comprising:
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a conveyor for moving an item; a programmable motion device adjacent the conveyor for moving an articulatable element in at least three orthogonal axes relative to the item; at least one first sensor adjacent the conveyor for determining one or more dimensions of the item on the conveyor; a memory for storing a preset definition defining one or more spatial movements; a controller operably coupled to the conveyor, the programmable motion device, the at least one first sensor, and the memory, the controller being programmable to; operate the conveyor to move the item to a position relative to the programmable motion device, create a path for moving the articulatable element relative to the item based on the determined dimensions of the item and the preset definition, operate the programmable motion device to move the articulatable element according to the path relative to the item to achieve the one or more spatial movements of the preset definition; and at least one second sensor operably coupled to the controller, the at least one second sensor detecting a presence of a biological or explosive agent associated with the item in response to the movement of the articulatable element relative to the item. - View Dependent Claims (38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45)
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Specification