Automated box opening apparatus

• US 8,463,428 B2
• Filed: 04/26/2010
• Issued: 06/11/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cornerstone Automation Systems LLC, Design & Assembly Concepts, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Cornerstone Automation Systems LLC, Robotica Incorporated
• Inventors: Doke, Michael J., Dugat, Jay
• Primary Examiner(s): Rapp, Chad
• Application Number:
  US12/767,024
• Publication Number:
  US 20100298973A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,142 Days
• Field of Search: 700/97, 700/98, 700/116, 700/117, 700/170, 700/230, 700/253, 700/303
• US Class Current: 700/230
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 11/0055 Cutting
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/0093 co-operating with conveyor means
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 1/0006 Cutting members therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 1/04 having a linearly-movable cutting member B26D1/46, B26D1/547 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 2001/0033 assembled from multiple blades
• CPC Class Codes: B26D 2001/623 for selecting different knife sets by shifting the angle of the rotary cylinder
• CPC Class Codes: B31B 2100/00 Rigid or semi-rigid containers made by folding single-piece sheets, blanks or webs
• CPC Class Codes: B31B 2120/30 collapsible; temporarily collapsed during manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 69/0033 by cutting B65B69/0008-B65B69/0025 take precedence

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.

Claims

1. An item processing apparatus, comprising:

a conveyor;

at least one first sensor sensing at least one dimension of an item on the conveyor;

a programmable motion device moving a head in at least three orthogonal axes relative to the conveyor;

a memory storing at least one motion pattern for moving the head; and

a controller operably coupled to the conveyor, the at least one first sensor, the programmable motion device, and the memory, the controller determining the at least one dimension of the item sensed by the at least one first sensor and adjusting the at least one motion pattern stored in memory based on the at least one dimension, the controller moving the item with the conveyor to a position relative to the programmable motion device and controlling movement of the head with the programmable motion device according to the at least one adjusted motion pattern.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the conveyor comprises at least two zones being separately operable, a first of the at least two zones adjacent the programmable motion device, a second of the at least two zones conveying the item to the first zone.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the programmable motion device comprises a robotic arm, the head coupled to the robotic arm and being translatable by the robotic arm in the at least three orthogonal axes.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the head is rotatable about at least one of the three orthogonal axes.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the head comprises a cutting element.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the at least one motion pattern comprises one or more cuts, slits, scores, or perforations of the cutting element on the head performed in one or more sides of the item.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein adjustment of rotation of the cutting element about the at least one axis is capable of adjusting a cutting depth producible with the cutting element.

8. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein repeated rotation of the cutting element about the at least one axis while the cutting element is translated in a direction is capable of producing a perforated cut with the cutting element.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a first rail being orthogonal to a direction of the conveyor and being selectively operable by the controller to stop the item in the position on the conveyor relative to the programmable motion device.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising a second rail being parallel to the direction of the conveyor and being selectively operable by the controller to engage the item on the conveyor against a third rail, the third rail being fixed and parallel to the second rail.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the at least one first sensor comprises a linear displacement transducer coupled to the second rail and sensing a width of the item as the at least one dimension.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one first sensor comprises a scanner reading a code or detecting a radio frequency tag of the item, the code or tag associated with the at least one dimension of the item.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one first sensor comprises a camera obtaining an image of at least a portion of the item.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one first sensor comprises a laser sensor directed orthogonal to the conveyor and sensing a height of the item as the at least one dimension.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one first sensor comprises a laser sensor directed parallel to the conveyor and sensing length of the item as the at least one dimension.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one motion pattern comprises one or more paths of the head moved relative to one or more sides of the item.

17. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising at least one second sensor operably coupled to the controller and sensing a presence of a trace material associated with the item.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the trace material comprises a biological, explosive, or chemical agent.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the at least one second sensor comprises a sniffer detector obtaining a sample of outside the item and detecting for the trace material from the sample.

20. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the at least one second sensor comprises a sniffer detector obtaining a sample of inside the item and detecting for the trace material from the sample.

21. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the memory stores a plurality of the at least one motion patterns for the head, and wherein the controller is programmable to select one of the motion patterns.

22. An item processing apparatus, comprising:

a conveyor;

a programmable motion device moving a head in at least three orthogonal axes relative to the conveyor;

a memory storing at least one motion pattern for moving the head;

at least one first sensor sensing a trace material; and

a controller operably coupled to the conveyor, the at least one first sensor, the programmable motion device, and the memory, the controller moving the item with the conveyor to a position relative to the programmable motion device and controlling movement of the head with the programmable motion device according to the at least one motion pattern, the controller determining a presence of the trace material sensed by the at least one first sensor.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the trace material comprises a biological, explosive, or chemical agent.

24. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the at least one first sensor comprises a sniffer detector obtaining a sample of outside the item and detecting for the trace material from the sample.

25. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the at least one first sensor comprises a sniffer detector obtaining a sample of inside the item and detecting for the trace material from the sample.

26. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the memory stores a plurality of the at least one motion patterns for the head, and wherein the controller is programmable to select one of the motion patterns.

27. The apparatus of claim 22, further comprising at least one second sensor sensing at least one dimension of the item on the conveyor, wherein controller is operably coupled to the at least one second sensor, the controller determining the at least one dimension and adjusting the at least one motion pattern based on the at least one dimension.

28. An item processing method, comprising:

storing at least one motion pattern for moving a head with a programmable motion device;

conveying an item relative to the programmable motion device;

determining three orthogonal dimensions of the item;

adjusting the at least one motion pattern for the head based on the three orthogonal dimensions; and

moving the head with the programmable motion device relative to the item according to the adjusted motion pattern.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising sensing a presence of a trace material associated with the item.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the trace material comprises a biological, explosive, or chemical agent.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein sensing the presence of the trace material associated with the item comprises obtaining a sample of outside the item and detecting for the trace material from the sample.

32. The method of claim 29, wherein sensing the presence of the trace material associated with the item comprises obtaining a sample of inside the item and detecting for the trace material from the sample.

33. The method of claim 28, wherein determining three orthogonal dimensions of the item comprises sensing one or more of a width, a height, and a length of the item.

34. The method of claim 28, wherein moving the head with the programmable motion device relative to the item according to the adjusted motion pattern comprises engaging one or more surfaces of the item with the head moved relative thereto.

35. An item processing method, comprising:

storing at least one motion pattern for a head moved by a programmable motion device;

conveying an item relative to the programmable motion device;

moving the head with the programmable motion device relative to the item according to the at least one motion pattern; and

sensing a presence of a trace material associated with the item.

36. The method of claim 35, further comprising:

determining at least one dimension of the item, and

adjusting the at least one motion pattern for the head based on the at least one dimension.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein determining the at least one dimension of the item comprises sensing at least one of a width, a height, and a length of the item.

38. The method of claim 35, wherein moving the head with the programmable motion device relative to the item according to the adjusted motion pattern comprises engaging one or more surfaces of the item with the head moved relative thereto.

39. The method of claim 35, wherein the trace material comprises a biological, explosive, or chemical agent.

40. The method of claim 35, wherein sensing the presence of the trace material associated with the item comprises obtaining a sample of outside the item and detecting for the trace material from the sample.

41. The method of claim 35, wherein sensing the presence of the trace material associated with the item comprises obtaining a sample of inside the item and detecting for the trace material from the sample.