KR20240038190A - Commodity packaging automatic system and its method - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an automated product packaging system and method. The automated product packaging system according to the present invention includes an order reception unit that receives information about ordered products; a box information storage unit storing information about the box; a box recommendation unit that recommends a box for packaging a product among the boxes whose information is stored in the box information storage unit according to the product information of the order reception unit; And a packaging plan establishment unit that establishes a plan to load the product into the box recommended by the box recommendation unit, wherein the box recommendation unit includes a box separation determination unit that determines whether the number of boxes to package the product is singular. , and a box quantity calculation unit that calculates the quantity of boxes to package the product when the number of boxes calculated by the box separation determination unit is multiple.
Accordingly, it is possible to automate the packaging process of products ordered in various shapes and sizes.

Description

Product packaging automation system and its method {Commodity packaging automatic system and its method}

The present invention relates to a product packaging automation system and method, and more specifically, to a product packaging automation system and method capable of automating the packaging process of products ordered in various forms.

Due to the increased use of online media such as PCs and smartphones and the recent outbreak of COVID-10, demand for untact technology has increased rapidly. Accordingly, the e-commerce market has recently achieved rapid growth, and automation is required throughout the ordering, packaging, and delivery of products.

Automation is almost complete in the product ordering sector, but it is not yet easy to automate the product delivery sector due to cost or policy reasons. Therefore, a lot of research is currently being done on automation in the product packaging sector.

However, since the type of product ordered, the number of products ordered at once, the specifications of the box for packaging the product, and the method of packaging the product within the box can vary greatly, packaging the product is also not easy to automate.

In particular, in recent years, the number of services in which logistics companies find, package, and deliver products according to orders on behalf of sellers has increased. Despite this, the need for automating product packaging has increased due to the increase in product diversity and processing scale. Automation has become more difficult.

KR 10-2411587 B1

Accordingly, the purpose of the present invention is to solve such conventional problems and provide a product packaging automation system and method that can automate the packaging process of products ordered in various shapes and sizes.

The problem to be solved by the present invention is not limited to the problems mentioned above, and other problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below.

The above purpose is, according to the present invention, an order reception unit that receives information about ordered products; a box information storage unit storing information about the box; a box recommendation unit that recommends a box for packaging a product among the boxes whose information is stored in the box information storage unit according to the product information of the order reception unit; And a packaging plan establishment unit that establishes a plan to load the product into the box recommended by the box recommendation unit, wherein the box recommendation unit includes a box separation determination unit that determines whether the number of boxes to package the product is singular. , and a box quantity calculation unit that calculates the quantity of boxes to package the product when the number of boxes calculated by the box separation determination unit is multiple.

The box separation determination unit may determine whether the number of boxes in which to package the product is a single number by simulating the loading of the product into the box with the largest volume among the boxes in which information is stored in the box information storage unit.

When the number of boxes calculated by the box separation determination unit is multiple, the box quantity calculation unit simulates product loading with products remaining after simulation in the box separation determination unit to calculate the quantity of boxes in which to package the product. .

The box recommendation unit simulates product loading with products remaining after simulation in the box separation determination unit in each box for which information is stored in the box information storage unit to derive a box in which to package the product. You can have more wealth.

The box recommendation unit may further include a multiple box recommendation unit, characterized in that it derives a box in which to package the product by simulating product loading with all ordered products of the order reception unit in each box in which information is stored in the box information storage unit. You can.

The multiple box recommendation unit may derive a box to package the product so that the size difference between the boxes in which the product is packaged is minimized or the sum of the sizes of the boxes is minimized.

The box recommendation unit is a single box recommendation unit that, when the number of boxes calculated in the box separation determination unit is 1, derives a box in which to package the product by simulating product loading in each box for which information is stored in the box information storage unit. More can be provided.

The information about the product transmitted by the order receiving unit includes packaging temperature condition information, the information about the box stored in the box information storage unit includes material information, and the box recommendation unit includes packaging temperature condition information of the product. Accordingly, boxes with specific material information can be recommended.

The packaging plan establishment unit includes a product placement storage unit that stores product loading simulation results for boxes recommended by the box recommendation unit, and product coordinates that analyze the coordinates of each product according to the product loading simulation results stored in the product placement storage unit. It may be provided with an analysis unit and a product placement order deriving unit that derives the product placement order according to the coordinates of each product in the product coordinate analysis unit.

The product packaging automation system according to the present invention further includes a product loading unit for loading products into boxes recommended by the box recommendation unit according to the plan in the packaging plan establishing unit, and the packaging plan establishing unit is configured to determine the product placement order. It may further include a loading path planning unit that plans a loading operation path of the upper loading unit according to the order of product placement in the output unit.

The loading path planning unit may plan an operation path of the product loading unit based on the center point of the upper surface of each product according to the product loading simulation results stored in the product placement storage unit.

The product loading unit includes a product seating unit on which the product to be packaged is placed, a product transport unit adjacent to the product seating unit and transporting the product to be packaged along a predetermined path, and a product recognition unit that recognizes each product placed on the product seating unit. , a product listing robot that moves the product seated in the product placement unit onto the product transfer unit according to the product placement order of the product placement order deriving unit, a product posture recognition unit that recognizes the posture of the product seated in the product transfer unit, A product posture correction unit that corrects the posture of the product placed in the product transport unit to the arrangement state of the product stored in the product placement storage unit, a box supply unit that supplies boxes recommended by the box recommendation unit, and boxes supplied from the box supply unit. A product loading robot may be provided to load products placed on the product transport unit.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, an order receiving step of receiving information about the ordered product; A box information reception step of receiving information about the box; A box recommendation step of recommending a box for packaging a product among boxes for which information is received in the box information receiving step according to the product information in the order receiving step; And a packaging plan establishment step of establishing a plan to load the product into the box recommended in the box recommendation step, wherein the box recommendation step includes box separation determination to determine whether the number of boxes to package the product is singular. A method for automating product packaging is provided, which includes a box quantity calculation step of calculating the quantity of boxes to package the product when the number of boxes calculated in the box separation determination step is multiple.

The product packaging automation system of the present invention supports automation of product packaging by recommending boxes suitable for packaging ordered products and establishing a plan to load products into the recommended boxes.

And even if more than one box is needed for product packaging, a box suitable for packaging can be recommended, making it possible to respond to orders of various sizes.

The product packaging automation system according to the present invention can not only automate the establishment of a product loading plan, but also automate the process of physically loading products into a box through the product loading unit.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a product packaging automation system according to the present invention;
Figure 2 is an explanatory diagram of a method by which the box separation determination unit constituting the automated product packaging system according to the present invention simulates product loading;
Figure 3 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the product coordinate analysis unit that constitutes the product packaging automation system according to the present invention;
Figure 4 is an explanatory diagram of how the loading path planning unit, which constitutes the automated product packaging system according to the present invention, plans the operation path;
Figure 5 is an explanatory diagram of the product loading unit constituting the product packaging automation system according to the present invention;
Figure 6 is a flow chart of the product packaging automation method according to the present invention.

In order to make the characteristics and advantages of the problem-solving means of the present invention clearer, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to specific embodiments of the present invention shown in the attached drawings.

However, detailed descriptions of known functions or configurations that may obscure the gist of the present invention are omitted in the following description and attached drawings. Additionally, it should be noted that the same components throughout the drawings are indicated by the same reference numerals whenever possible.

Terms or words used in the following description and drawings should not be construed as limited to their usual or dictionary meanings, and the inventor may appropriately define the concept of the term to explain his or her invention in the best way. It must be interpreted with meaning and concept consistent with the technical idea of the present invention based on the principle that it is. Therefore, the embodiments described in this specification and the configuration shown in the drawings are only one of the most preferred embodiments of the present invention, and do not represent the entire technical idea of the present invention, so at the time of filing the present application, various alternatives may be used to replace them. It should be understood that equivalents and variations may exist.

Additionally, the terms used in this specification are only used to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In addition, terms such as "comprise" or "have" used in the specification are intended to designate the presence of features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification, but are not intended to indicate the presence of one or more of the features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification. It should be understood that this does not exclude in advance the presence or addition of other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

Additionally, terms such as “unit,” “unit,” and “module” used in the specification refer to a unit that processes at least one function or operation, and may be implemented as hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software. In addition, the terms "a or an", "one", "the", and similar related terms are used in the context of describing the invention (particularly in the context of the claims below) as used herein. It may be used in both singular and plural terms, unless indicated otherwise or clearly contradicted by context.

In addition to the terms described above, specific terms used in the following description are provided to aid understanding of the present invention, and the use of these specific terms may be changed to other forms without departing from the technical spirit of the present invention.

Additionally, embodiments within the scope of the present invention include computer-readable media having or transmitting computer-executable instructions or data structures stored on the computer-readable media. Such computer-readable media may be any available media that can be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer system. By way of example, such computer-readable media may include RAM, ROM, EPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage, or in the form of computer-executable instructions, computer-readable instructions or data structures. It may be used to store or transmit certain program code means, and may include, but is not limited to, a physical storage medium such as any other medium that can be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer system. .

Figure 1 shows a schematic configuration diagram of the product packaging automation system 1 according to the present invention.

The product packaging automation system 1 according to the present invention largely includes an order reception unit 10, a box information storage unit 20, a box recommendation unit 30, and a packaging plan establishment unit 40, and a product loading unit ( 50) may further be included. Additionally, the box recommendation unit 30 may include a box separation determination unit 31 and a box quantity calculation unit 32.

The order reception unit 10 receives information about the product ordered by the customer. The order receiving unit 10 may receive information about the product from the seller of the product, or may receive information about the product through a shopping platform where the seller operates. Alternatively, it is also possible to receive product information directly from the customer.

The order receiving unit 10 receives product-related information for each order. In other words, the customer receives information about all products ordered at once.

Information about the product may include information such as product type, size, weight, packaging temperature, vulnerability to impact, and auxiliary materials required for packaging.

The box information storage unit 20 stores information about boxes handled by the automated product packaging system 1 according to the present invention. Box information may include information such as box size, allowable loading weight, and material. In addition, information about products that are suitable for packaging or products that cannot be packaged according to the characteristics of the box may be included.

The box recommendation unit 30 recommends a box in which to package the product among boxes whose information is stored in the box information storage unit 20 according to the product information in the order reception unit 10. That is, the box recommendation unit 30 can recommend a box suitable for the ordered product.

More specifically, the box recommendation unit 30 includes a box separation determination unit 31 and a box quantity calculation unit 32.

The box separation determination unit 31 determines whether the number of boxes in which to package the product is singular. The box separation determination unit 31 can determine whether the number of boxes in which to package a product is singular by determining whether all ordered products can be placed in one box. Whether or not all ordered products can fit in one box can be determined based on the size of each ordered product and the size of the box, and can be determined by further considering the total product weight, packaging temperature of each product, etc. You can. The method of determining whether all ordered products can fit in one box will be explained in more detail below.

When the number of boxes calculated by the box separation determination unit 31 is multiple, the box quantity calculation unit 32 calculates the quantity of boxes in which to package the product. If the box separation determination unit 31 determines that only one box is needed for packaging the ordered product, the product may be packaged in one box. However, if it is determined that it is difficult to package the product in one box, the product may be packaged. You need to calculate how many boxes you need in total. The box quantity calculation unit 32 can calculate the total number of boxes required for product packaging, allowing packaging to proceed automatically even when many products are ordered at once. The method by which the box quantity calculation unit 32 calculates the total number of boxes required for product packaging will be described in more detail below.

The packaging plan establishment unit 40 establishes a plan to load the product into the box recommended by the box recommendation unit 30. In other words, a plan is established for how to place the products in the box and through what process to load them. If there are multiple boxes required for packaging, the distribution of goods to each box can also be planned.

The product packaging automation system 1 of the present invention recommends a suitable box for packaging ordered products and establishes a product loading plan in the recommended box, supporting automation of product packaging.

In addition, it is possible to respond to orders of various sizes by determining whether one box or multiple boxes are needed for product packaging and calculating how many boxes are needed if multiple boxes are needed.

Hereinafter, the specific operation of the box recommendation unit 30 will be described.

The box separation determination unit 31 of the box recommendation unit 30 simulates loading the product into the box with the largest volume among the boxes whose information is stored in the box information storage unit 20 to determine whether the number of boxes in which to package the product is single. can be judged.

Figure 2 shows an example of how the box separation determination unit 31 simulates product loading.

More specifically, the box separation determination unit 31 creates a virtual object (Bv) of the largest box among the boxes stored in the box information storage unit 20 and creates a virtual object (Pv) of the products received by the order receiving unit 10. make it If the product has a cuboid shape, the virtual object (Pv) of the product can be made as a cube, and if the product is not a cuboid, the virtual object (Pv) of the product can be a cuboid with the minimum volume that can contain the product. It can be made with Thereafter, the box separation determination unit 31 places the virtual objects of the products one by one into the virtual object Bv of the box. For example, the virtual objects of the products may be arranged in the virtual object (Bv) of the box in order of volume, and the virtual objects of the products (Pv) based on one corner or one side of the bottom of the space within the box virtual object. can be placed. If there is already a virtual object (Pv) of the product placed within the virtual object (Bv) of the box, the virtual object (Pv) of the product can be placed based on one corner or one side of the bottom of the remaining space.

Since the method of loading products in a box may vary, the simulation of product loading may be performed a predetermined number of times, and the virtual objects (Pv) of all products within the virtual object (Bv) of the box may be loaded at least once during the predetermined number of simulations. If successful, it can be determined that the number of boxes in which to package the product is singular.

When simulating product loading, it is possible to ensure that the virtual object (Pv) of the product is loaded as much as possible within the virtual object (Bv) of the box. However, the product in the box may be damaged due to impact applied to the corner during delivery of the product, or the product may be damaged during packaging. Because auxiliary materials may be needed for protection, loading of goods can be simulated by leaving a certain percentage of the volume or a certain percentage of the height.

The box recommendation unit 30 may further include a single box recommendation unit 34.

The single box recommendation unit 34 simulates the loading of products into each box stored in the box information storage unit 20 when the number of boxes calculated in the box separation determination unit 31 is one and packs the product. Derive a box.

When simulating product loading in the box separation determination unit 31, when all virtual objects (Pv) of the product are loaded into the virtual objects (Bv) of the box, and the virtual objects (Bv) of the box are filled to a certain percentage or more, the box is separated. The product loading simulation in the judgment unit 31 can be replaced with the product loading simulation in the single box recommendation unit 34.

However, when simulating product loading in the box separation determination unit 31, if the virtual object (Bv) of the box is not filled by more than a certain percentage, loading of products is simulated in each box whose information is stored in the box information storage unit 20. You can derive a box to package the product. When deriving a product packaging box, determine which box can maximally load the product within the permitted range.

When the number of boxes calculated by the box separation determination unit 31 is multiple, that is, when simulating product loading for the box with the largest volume among the boxes, the virtual objects (Pv) of the product are all loaded within the virtual object (Bv) of the box. If it is determined that this is impossible, the box quantity calculation unit 32 calculates the quantity of boxes in which to package the product by simulating product loading with the products remaining after the simulation in the box separation determination unit 31. Even at this time, product loading of the remaining products can be simulated in the box with the largest volume, and product loading of the remaining products can also be simulated in the box with the largest volume. It is possible to calculate the total number of boxes in which to package products by simulating the loading of products into the box with the largest volume until there are no products left after simulating product loading.

When the number of boxes calculated in the box separation determination unit 31 is multiple, the actual product may be loaded as the simulation of product loading is performed in the box quantity calculation unit 32 to calculate the quantity of boxes to package the product. You can.

Alternatively, the box quantity calculation unit 32 can simply derive the quantity of boxes required for packaging the product, and separately derive which box to package the product within the quantity determined by the box quantity calculation unit 32. To this end, the box recommendation unit 30 may further include a plurality of box recommendation units 33.

The multiple box recommendation unit 33 can simulate product loading with products remaining after simulation in the box separation determination unit 31 in each box stored in the box information storage unit 20 to derive a box in which to package the product.

For example, when information about three types of boxes of different sizes is stored in the box information storage unit 20 and the boxes are designated A, B, and C in order of size, the box quantity calculation unit 32 If it is calculated that two boxes are needed for packaging the entire product, the box separation determination unit 31 simulates loading the product into box A and uses the remaining products to simulate loading the product into boxes A, B, and C, respectively, to determine the remaining products to be packaged. Derive a box. For example, in a product loading simulation conducted with remaining products, if it is determined that box B is filled to the maximum within the allowable range, B is derived from the product loading simulation of box A and the remaining products when determining box separation. A box can be the final result of a box recommendation.

Alternatively, the multiple box recommendation unit 33 may simulate product loading with all ordered products from the order reception unit 10 in each box in which information is stored in the box information storage unit 20 to derive a box in which to package the product. . That is, without considering the product loading simulation for the largest box in the box quantity calculation unit 32, product loading can be newly simulated with all products for multiple box recommendation.

For example, in the box information storage unit 20, information about boxes A, B, and C is stored in order of size, and in the box quantity calculation unit 32, two boxes are required for packaging the entire product. If calculated as such, product loading can be simulated with all products for a total of 6 types of box combinations: A+A, A+B, A+C, B+B, B+C, and C+C. For example, if it is determined that the B+B box combination fills the maximum box within the allowable range, the combination of B+B boxes derived through product loading simulation of all products in the multiple box recommendation unit 33 This could be the final result of the box recommendation.

When simulating product loading, if the total allowable loading volume of a box combination is smaller than the total volume of the product, it may be excluded from the simulation.

The multiple box recommendation unit 33 can derive a box to package the product so that the size difference between the boxes to package the product is minimized.

In the process of packaging boxes or delivering products, it is advantageous for boxes of similar sizes to be similar in terms of ease of work and efficiency of box loading, compared to cases where the boxes are of different sizes.

Therefore, it is desirable to derive a box to package the product so that the size difference between the boxes to package the product is minimized.

For example, even if the combination of A+C boxes and the combination of B+B boxes are the same or similar in terms of the loading ratio of products in the box, the combination of B+B boxes with the same box size is the final result of box recommendation. It is desirable to derive

Alternatively, in order to minimize the packaging cost, the box in which the product will be packaged can be derived so that the sum of the sizes of the boxes is minimized or the difference in weight of the packed boxes is minimized.

As described above, the information about the product that the order receiving unit 10 receives may include packaging temperature condition information, and the information about the box stored in the box information storage unit 20 may include material information. And at this time, the box recommendation unit 30 can recommend a box with specific material information according to the product packaging temperature condition information.

For example, a Styrofoam box can be recommended for refrigerated or frozen packaged products, and a paper box can be recommended for room temperature packaged products.

Judging the separation of boxes or calculating the quantity of boxes can be done within boxes of the recommended material.

Hereinafter, the configuration and operation of the packaging plan establishment unit 40 will be described.

The packaging plan establishment unit 40 may include a product arrangement storage unit 41, a product coordinate analysis unit 42, and a product arrangement order derivation unit 43.

The product placement storage unit 41 stores product loading simulation results for the box recommended by the box recommendation unit 30. The product loading simulation results stored in the product placement storage unit 41 may be the results of a simulation performed to recommend boxes in the single box recommendation unit 34 or the multiple box recommendation unit 33.

The product coordinate analysis unit 42 analyzes the coordinates of each product according to the product loading simulation stored in the product placement storage unit 41. Figure 3 shows an explanatory diagram of the operation of the product coordinate analysis unit 42. For example, the coordinates of the product may be determined relatively based on one corner of the bottom of the box. The coordinates of the product may include the coordinates of one corner of the product based on the box and the width, length, and height of the product. Alternatively, the coordinates of each corner of the product based on the box may be included.

The product placement order derivation unit 43 derives the product placement order according to the coordinates of each product in the product coordinate analysis unit 42. In other words, when actually loading products into a box, the order in which the products should be loaded is derived in order to load the products according to the simulation. For example, the order of product placement may be in the order of the smallest z-axis coordinate value, and if the z-axis coordinate values are the same, the order of the smallest x-axis or y-axis coordinate value.

For example, as shown in (a) of Figure 3, two products a and b with length, width, and height of 200mm, 80mm, and 50mm, respectively, and one product with length, width, and height of 200mm, 50mm, and 80mm, respectively. For product c, as shown in (b) of FIG. 3, when product loading is simulated such that products a and b are stacked up and down and product c is positioned in contact with the long side of product a, the coordinate information of product a includes The bottom corner coordinates (0, 0, 0) and the length, width, and height values of 200mm, 80mm, and 50mm are included, and the coordinate information of product b includes the bottom corner coordinates (0, 0, 50) and the length, width, and height. The values 200mm, 80mm, and 50mm are included, and the coordinate information of the c product may include the coordinates of the bottom corner (0, 80, 0) and the length, width, and height values of 200mm, 50mm, and 80mm.

For products a, b, and c with such coordinate information, if the product placement order derivation unit 43 sets a placement order standard so that the placement is done in the order of the z-axis, x-axis, and y-axis, starting from the smallest coordinate value, a, The product placement order can be derived from the order of c and b products.

For reference, products a, b, and c may be the same product, but product c may have been simulated to be loaded in a different loading posture.

The product packaging automation system 1 according to the present invention further includes a product loading unit 50, and in this case, the packaging plan establishment unit 40 may further include a loading path planning unit 44.

The product loading unit 50 serves to load products into boxes recommended by the box recommendation unit 30 according to the plan in the packaging plan establishing unit 40. That is, if the product loading unit 50 is further included, it is possible to automatically perform not only the product packaging plan but also the physical work of loading the product into the box.

The loading path planning unit 44 serves to plan the loading operation path of the product loading unit 50 according to the product placement order in the product placement order deriving unit 43. In other words, it is possible to plan in what position each product located outside the box will be placed, where it will be held, and through what route it will be moved to what position within the box.

As shown in FIG. 4, the loading path planning unit 44 determines the operation path of the product loading unit 50 based on the center point of the upper surface of each product according to the product loading simulation results stored in the product placement storage unit 41. You can plan.

The center point of the upper surface of each product can always be clearly recognized while the product loading unit 50 recognizes and grasps the product and places it into the box, and is likely to be a point where the product can be held stably, so product loading It may be appropriate as a reference for planning the operation path of the unit 50.

The center point of the upper surface of each product can be obtained by adding 1/2 the length to the x-axis value of the bottom corner coordinate, adding 1/2 the width to the y-axis value, and adding the height to the z-axis value.

More specifically, the product loading unit 50 includes a product seating unit 51, a product transport unit 52, a product recognition unit 53, a product listing robot 54, a product posture recognition unit 55, and a product posture correction unit. (56), a box supply unit (not shown), and a product loading robot (57) may be provided.

Figure 5 shows an explanatory diagram of this product loading unit 50.

The product seating unit 51 is a part where the product to be packaged is placed, and a worker or work robot finds the products included in the order and places them on the product seating unit 51.

The product transport unit 52 is adjacent to the product seating unit 51 and serves to transport the product to be packaged along a predetermined path. The product transport unit 52 may be provided with a conveyor belt (not shown). Around the conveyor belt, along the moving direction of the conveyor belt, there is a product recognition unit 53, a product listing robot 54, a product posture recognition unit 55, a product posture correction unit 56, a box supply unit, and a product loading robot ( 57) can be placed.

The product recognition unit 53 recognizes each product placed on the product seating unit 51. More specifically, the product recognition unit 53 recognizes which product each product in the photographed image is by photographing the product with the camera 53a and processing the photographed image using a product recognition algorithm. A product recognition algorithm can be created, for example, by learning the image of the product processed by the product packaging automation system (1) using artificial intelligence. The product recognition unit 53 can also determine the location of each product on the product seating unit 51.

The product listing robot 54 moves the products placed on the product seating unit 51 onto the product transfer unit 52 according to the product placement order of the product placement order deriving unit 43. Since it is possible to know which products the actual products placed on the product seating unit 51 are through the product recognition unit 53, the product listing robot 54 is able to move the products in order. The product listing robot 54 includes a manipulator 54a equipped with a gripper g1 at an end, grasps the product seated on the product seating unit 51, transfers it onto the product transport unit 52, and releases the grip. Thus, the product can be moved to the product transfer unit 52. Products placed on the product transport unit 52 by the product listing robot 54 move downstream one by one at regular intervals.

The product posture recognition unit 55 recognizes the posture of the product seated on the product transfer unit 52. In other words, it is determined in what position the product is seated. The product posture recognition unit 55 can determine the posture of the product in the photographed image by photographing the product with the camera 55a and processing the photographed image using a posture recognition algorithm. For example, a posture recognition algorithm can be created by learning images of products processed by the product packaging automation system (1) using artificial intelligence.

The product posture correction unit 56 serves to correct the posture of the product seated in the product transport unit 52 to the arrangement state of the product stored in the product placement storage unit 41. That is, the posture of the product recognized by the product posture recognition unit 55 is compared with the arrangement state of the product stored in the product arrangement storage unit 41, and the posture of the product is compared with the arrangement state of the product stored in the product arrangement storage unit 41. If different from this, the posture of the product can be corrected to match the arrangement state of the product stored in the product placement storage unit 41. If the posture of the product is the same as the arrangement state of the product stored in the product arrangement storage unit 41, there is no need to correct the posture of the product. The product posture correction unit 56 includes a manipulator (not shown) equipped with a gripper at an end, and can correct the posture of the product by changing the posture and/or position of the gripper while holding the product. The product posture correction unit 56 may be equipped with a camera 56a to check whether the posture of the product has been properly corrected.

The box supply unit supplies boxes recommended by the box recommendation unit 30. The box can be supplied open. The box supply unit may supply the box so that the box is placed on a lower edge of the box and a specific position of the product transfer unit 52, and the lower surface of the box is positioned at a specific angle.

The product loading robot 57 loads products placed on the product transfer unit 52 into boxes supplied from the box supply unit. That is, the product loading robot 57 receives the product loading plan for the box from the packaging plan establishment unit 40 and sequentially loads the transferred products into the box according to the product loading plan. For example, the product loading robot 57 is provided with a manipulator 57a equipped with a suction gripper g2 at an end, and grips the product by adsorbing the center point of the upper surface of the product and performs the loading operation of the loading path planning unit 44. Products can be loaded into the box by moving the product into the box along the path and then releasing the adsorption.

In addition to the configuration described above, the product packaging automation system 1 according to the present invention includes an order reception unit 10, a box information storage unit 20, a box recommendation unit 30, a packaging plan establishment unit 40, and product loading. A control unit (not shown) that controls the unit 50 as a whole, a storage unit (not shown) that stores programs and data for control in the control unit, and a communication unit (not shown) that transmits data between each component of the system. It may further include.

Hereinafter, the method of automating product packaging of the present invention will be described. While explaining the method of automating product packaging according to the present invention, detailed description of matters mentioned when describing the automated product packaging system (1) of the present invention may be omitted.

Figure 6 shows a flow chart of the product packaging automation method according to the present invention.

The product packaging automation method according to the present invention largely includes an order reception step (S10), a box information reception step (S20), a box recommendation step (S30), and a packaging plan establishment step (S40), and a box recommendation step (S30) may include a box separation determination step (S31) and a box quantity calculation step (S32).

In the order reception step (S10), information about the ordered product is transmitted. Receiving orders is carried out on an order-by-order basis, and information about the ordered product may include information such as product type, size, weight, packaging temperature, vulnerability to shock, and auxiliary materials required for packaging, and at least the size and packaging of the product. Information about temperature may be included.

In the box information reception step (S20), information about available boxes is transmitted. Box information may include box size, material, and information about suitable packaging products.

In the box recommendation step (S30), a box in which to package the product is recommended among the boxes for which information was received in the box information receiving step (S20) according to the product information in the order receiving step (S10).

Specifically, in the box separation determination step (S31), it is determined whether the number of boxes in which to package the product is singular. Whether or not the number of boxes in which to package a product is singular can be confirmed through simulation whether all virtual objects (Pv) of the ordered products can be loaded into the virtual object (Bv) of the largest box. If all virtual objects (Pv) of ordered products can be loaded into the virtual object (Bv) of the largest box, the number of boxes to package the products is singular, otherwise, it is plural.

In the box quantity calculation step (S32), if the quantity of boxes calculated in the box separation determination step (S31) is not a singular number, the quantity of boxes in which to package the product is calculated. Calculation of the quantity of boxes can be performed by simulating the loading of the virtual object products remaining after the product loading simulation in the box separation determination step (S31) into the virtual object (Bv) of the largest box. If the simulation is performed until there are no products in the virtual object remaining after loading it into the virtual object (Bv) of the largest box, the quantity of boxes in which to package the product can be derived.

In the packaging plan establishment step (S40), a plan is established to load the product into the box recommended in the box recommendation step (S30). In other words, a plan is established for how to place the products in the box and through what process to load them. In the packaging plan establishment stage (S40), a plan can be established to ensure that the product is loaded according to the product loading simulation performed when recommending the box. The loading plan may include analyzing the coordinates of each product according to the product loading simulation results, deriving the product placement order according to the coordinates of each product, and planning the loading operation path of the product loading unit 50, which operates to load the product into the box. there is.

After the packaging plan establishment step (S40), the product loading step (S50) may proceed. In the product loading step (S50), the product is loaded into the recommended box according to the plan established in the packaging plan establishment step (S40). The product loading step (S50) is a step of seating the ordered product on the product seating unit 51, a step of recognizing each product placed on the product seating unit 51, and packaging the products placed on the product seating unit 51. Step of moving onto the product transport unit 52 in order according to the plan established in the plan establishment step (S40), recognizing the posture of the product seated in the product transport unit 52 and correcting it according to the product loading simulation, and step of correcting the product in the box It may include the step of loading products on the transfer unit 52.

The scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but may be implemented in various forms of embodiments within the scope of the appended claims. It is considered to be within the scope of the claims of the present invention to the extent that anyone skilled in the art can make modifications without departing from the gist of the invention as claimed in the claims.

1: Product packaging automation system
10: Order reception unit
20: box information storage unit
30: Box recommendation section
31: Box separation judgment unit
32: Box quantity calculation unit
33: Multiple box recommendation section
34: Single box recommendation section
40: Packaging planning department
41: product placement storage unit
42: Product coordinate analysis unit
43: Product placement order derivation unit
44: Loading path planning unit
50: Product loading section
51: Product seating part
52: Product transfer unit
53: Product recognition unit
54: Product listing robot
55: Product posture recognition unit
56: Product posture correction unit
57: Product loading robot

Claims (13)

An order receiving unit that receives information about ordered products;
a box information storage unit storing information about the box;
a box recommendation unit that recommends a box for packaging a product among the boxes whose information is stored in the box information storage unit according to the product information of the order reception unit; and
It includes a packaging plan establishment unit that establishes a plan to load the product into the box recommended by the box recommendation unit,
The box recommendation section,
A box separation determination unit that determines whether the number of boxes in which to package the product is single, and
An automated product packaging system comprising a box quantity calculation unit that calculates the quantity of boxes to package the product when the number of boxes calculated by the box separation determination unit is multiple.
According to paragraph 1,
The box separation determination unit,
An automated product packaging system characterized by simulating product loading into the box with the largest volume among the boxes in which information is stored in the box information storage unit and determining whether the number of boxes to package the product is singular.
According to paragraph 2,
If the number of boxes calculated in the box separation determination unit is multiple,
The box quantity calculation unit simulates product loading with products remaining after the simulation in the box separation determination unit and calculates the quantity of boxes to package the product.
According to paragraph 3,
The box recommendation section,
Each box in which information is stored in the box information storage unit is further provided with a multiple box recommendation unit, characterized in that it derives a box in which to package the product by simulating product loading with the remaining products after simulation in the box separation determination unit. Features a product packaging automation system.
According to paragraph 3,
The box recommendation section,
A product further comprising a multiple box recommendation unit, characterized in that each box in which information is stored in the box information storage unit simulates product loading with all ordered products of the order reception unit to derive a box in which to package the product. Packaging automation system.
According to clause 5,
The multiple box recommendation unit,
An automated product packaging system characterized by deriving a box to package a product so that the size difference between the boxes in which the product is to be packaged is minimized or the sum of the sizes of the boxes is minimized.
According to paragraph 2,
The box recommendation section,
When the number of boxes calculated in the box separation determination unit is one, the box information storage unit further includes a single box recommendation unit that simulates product loading in each box for which information is stored and derives a box in which to package the product. A product packaging automation system.
According to paragraph 1,
The information about the product transmitted by the order receiving unit includes packaging temperature condition information,
Information about the box stored in the box information storage unit includes material information,
The box recommendation section,
A product packaging automation system that recommends boxes with specific material information based on product packaging temperature condition information.
According to paragraph 1,
The packaging plan establishment department,
a product placement storage unit that stores product loading simulation results for the box recommended in the box recommendation unit;
A product coordinate analysis unit that analyzes the coordinates of each product according to the product loading simulation results stored in the product placement storage unit, and
A product packaging automation system comprising a product placement order derivation unit that derives the product placement order according to the coordinates of each product in the product coordinate analysis unit.
According to clause 9,
It further includes a product loading unit for loading products into a box recommended by the box recommendation unit according to a plan in the packaging plan establishment unit,
The packaging plan establishment department,
A product packaging automation system further comprising a loading path planning unit that plans a loading operation path of the product loading unit according to the product placement order in the product placement order derivation unit.
According to clause 10,
The loading route planning department,
A product packaging automation system characterized by planning the operation path of the product loading unit based on the center point of the upper surface of each product according to the product loading simulation results stored in the product placement storage unit.
According to clause 10,
The product loading section,
Product seating section where the product to be packaged is placed,
a product transfer unit adjacent to the product seating unit and transporting the product to be packaged along a predetermined path;
A product recognition unit that recognizes each product seated on the product seating unit,
A product listing robot that moves the product placed on the product seating unit onto the product transfer unit according to the product placement order of the product placement order deriving unit,
A product posture recognition unit that recognizes the posture of the product seated in the product transport unit,
A product posture correction unit that corrects the posture of the product seated in the product transport unit to the arrangement state of the product stored in the product placement storage unit,
A box supply unit that supplies boxes recommended by the box recommendation unit, and
An automated product packaging system comprising a product loading robot that loads products placed on the product transport unit into boxes supplied from the box supply unit.
An order reception step of receiving information about the ordered product;
A box information reception step of receiving information about the box;
A box recommendation step of recommending a box for packaging a product among boxes for which information is received in the box information receiving step according to the product information in the order receiving step; and
It includes a packaging plan establishment step of establishing a plan to load the product into the box recommended in the box recommendation step,
The box recommendation step is,
A box separation determination step to determine whether the number of boxes in which to package the product is single, and
A product packaging automation method comprising a box quantity calculation step of calculating the quantity of boxes to package the product when the number of boxes calculated in the box separation determination step is multiple.