Generating robotic grasping instructions for inventory items
First Claim
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1. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a computer system, cause the computer system to perform operations comprising at least:
- for each inventory item of a plurality of inventory items;
determining, based at least in part on information received from at least one of an optical code scanner or an RFID reader, an identity of the inventory item to be grasped from among identities previously stored for inventory items;
accessing, based on the determined identity of the inventory item, a record from an item database including characteristics of the inventory item;
accessing, based at least in part on the characteristics of the inventory item, grasping strategies from an item grasping database; and
responsive to the inventory item not having a grasping strategy associated therewith;
generating a grasping strategy for the inventory item based at least in part on at least one of (i) characteristics of the inventory item that are at least one of stored in the record or detected by one or more sensors;
(ii) input from a human operator received through a human-based grasping strategy module for grasping the inventory item;
(iii) grasping strategies for items with characteristics similar to the characteristics of the inventory item;
(iv) physical constraints associated with a location in which the inventory item is to be grasped or placed;
or (v) information about a success of grasping strategies that have been previously employed;
instructing a robotic manipulator to perform the generated grasping strategy for the inventory item; and
storing the generated grasping strategy in association with the characteristics of the inventory item in the item grasping database.
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Abstract
Robotic arms may be utilized to grasp inventory items within an inventory system. Information about an inventory item to be grasped can be detected and used to determine a grasping strategy in conjunction with information from a database. Instructions for grasping an inventory item can be generated based on the detected information and the database.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a computer system, cause the computer system to perform operations comprising at least:
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for each inventory item of a plurality of inventory items; determining, based at least in part on information received from at least one of an optical code scanner or an RFID reader, an identity of the inventory item to be grasped from among identities previously stored for inventory items; accessing, based on the determined identity of the inventory item, a record from an item database including characteristics of the inventory item; accessing, based at least in part on the characteristics of the inventory item, grasping strategies from an item grasping database; and responsive to the inventory item not having a grasping strategy associated therewith; generating a grasping strategy for the inventory item based at least in part on at least one of (i) characteristics of the inventory item that are at least one of stored in the record or detected by one or more sensors;
(ii) input from a human operator received through a human-based grasping strategy module for grasping the inventory item;
(iii) grasping strategies for items with characteristics similar to the characteristics of the inventory item;
(iv) physical constraints associated with a location in which the inventory item is to be grasped or placed;
or (v) information about a success of grasping strategies that have been previously employed;instructing a robotic manipulator to perform the generated grasping strategy for the inventory item; and storing the generated grasping strategy in association with the characteristics of the inventory item in the item grasping database. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A method comprising, under the control of one or more computer systems configured with executable instructions:
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determining an identity of an inventory item to be grasped from a grasping environment; accessing, based on the determined identity of the inventory item, a record in an item database about the inventory item, the record including information about one or more geometric characteristics of the inventory item; receiving, from a sensor, one or more detected attributes of the inventory item in the grasping environment; determining, based at least in part on the one or more geometric characteristics from the record and the one or more detected attributes, an orientation of the inventory item in the grasping environment; generating a grasping strategy using a robotic manipulator for the inventory item based at least in part on the determined orientation of the inventory item in the grasping environment, wherein generating the grasping strategy includes selecting an end effector from among a list of different types of available end effectors; and storing the generated grasping strategy in association with at least one of the one or more geometric characteristics, the one or more detected attributes, or the determined orientation of the inventory item in an item grasping database. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method comprising, under the control of one or more computer systems configured with executable instructions:
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receiving attribute information about an inventory item, the attribute information including at least one of an identity of the inventory item or information about physical characteristics of the inventory item; receiving observation information from one or more sensors observing a hand or other appendage of a human perform a grasping operation for the inventory item; providing real-time feedback and control of the robotic manipulator mimicking the grasping operation performed by the human as the human performs the grasping operation; generating, based at least in part on the observation information, a grasping strategy for grasping the inventory item using a robotic manipulator; and storing the generated grasping strategy in a record in an item grasping database in association with the attribute information. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification