Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
  • B65B57/00—Automatic control, checking, warning, or safety devices
  • B65B57/02—Automatic control, checking, warning, or safety devices responsive to absence, presence, abnormal feed, or misplacement of binding or wrapping material, containers, or packages
  • B65B57/04—Automatic control, checking, warning, or safety devices responsive to absence, presence, abnormal feed, or misplacement of binding or wrapping material, containers, or packages and operating to control, or to stop, the feed of such material, containers, or packages
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B25—HAND TOOLS; PORTABLE POWER-DRIVEN TOOLS; MANIPULATORS
  • B25J—MANIPULATORS; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES
  • B25J9/00—Program-controlled manipulators
  • B25J9/16—Program controls
  • B25J9/1679—Program controls characterised by the tasks executed
  • B25J9/1687—Assembly, peg and hole, palletising, straight line, weaving pattern movement
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B25—HAND TOOLS; PORTABLE POWER-DRIVEN TOOLS; MANIPULATORS
  • B25J—MANIPULATORS; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES
  • B25J9/00—Program-controlled manipulators
  • B25J9/16—Program controls
  • B25J9/1694—Program controls characterised by use of sensors other than normal servo-feedback from position, speed or acceleration sensors, perception control, multi-sensor controlled systems, sensor fusion
  • B25J9/1697—Vision controlled systems
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
  • B65B5/00—Packaging individual articles in containers or receptacles, e.g. bags, sacks, boxes, cartons, cans, jars
  • B65B5/10—Filling containers or receptacles progressively or in stages by introducing successive articles, or layers of articles
  • B65B5/105—Filling containers or receptacles progressively or in stages by introducing successive articles, or layers of articles by grippers
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
  • B65B5/00—Packaging individual articles in containers or receptacles, e.g. bags, sacks, boxes, cartons, cans, jars
  • B65B5/10—Filling containers or receptacles progressively or in stages by introducing successive articles, or layers of articles
  • B65B5/12—Introducing successive articles, e.g. confectionery products, of different shape or size in predetermined positions
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
  • B65B57/00—Automatic control, checking, warning, or safety devices
  • B65B57/02—Automatic control, checking, warning, or safety devices responsive to absence, presence, abnormal feed, or misplacement of binding or wrapping material, containers, or packages
  • B65B57/06—Automatic control, checking, warning, or safety devices responsive to absence, presence, abnormal feed, or misplacement of binding or wrapping material, containers, or packages and operating to control, or to stop, the feed of articles or material to be packaged
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
  • B65B57/00—Automatic control, checking, warning, or safety devices
  • B65B57/10—Automatic control, checking, warning, or safety devices responsive to absence, presence, abnormal feed, or misplacement of articles or materials to be packaged
  • B65B57/14—Automatic control, checking, warning, or safety devices responsive to absence, presence, abnormal feed, or misplacement of articles or materials to be packaged and operating to control, or stop, the feed of articles or material to be packaged

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a new method of automated loading of a box with objects, by means of a robot gripper. It finds its application in any type of industry and / or any type of application in which there is a need to automatically store objects in a box, for example for storage and / or transport.
• the invention applies to any type of objects.
• the objects may for example be mechanical parts, packages, boxes, packaging, etc.
• an object of the invention is to propose a new method of automated loading of a box with objects, by means of a robot gripper, which overcomes the aforementioned drawback related to the implementation of a crate not suitable for a complete load, and in particular a box that can be damaged or deformed.
• an object of the invention is to propose a new method of automated loading of a box with objects, by means of a robot gripper, which allows at least to overcome the aforementioned drawback resulting from a bad positioning of an object in the crate.
• the invention thus relates to a first method of automated loading of a box with objects by means of a robot gripper.
• Characteristically according to the invention at least one digital image of the empty crate is acquired, the conformity of the crate is automatically verified using the digital image or images of the crate and if the crate is in conformity, the method of loading the crate using the gripper robot, and in the opposite case replace the crate with a new crate.
• the box when the box is not compliant and is not suitable, for example because it is damaged or deformed, it avoids any loss of time by avoiding to start unnecessarily the partial loading of said unsuitable box.
• the subject of the invention is also a second method of automated loading of a box with objects by means of a gripper robot, characterized in that the succession of following steps is performed automatically and iteratively:
• step (c) automatically verifying in the digital image (s) obtained in the preceding step whether the object that has been positioned in step (a) is correctly positioned; in the affirmative, the next step is proceeded to and in the negative, the badly positioned object is removed by means of the gripper robot (3) and the process in step (a) is repeated with the same object.
• the term "cash" must be taken in its broadest acceptance.
• the body may have any geometry, the invention is not limited to parallelepipedic and especially cubic boxes.
• the box may have more or less significant dimensions depending on the application areas, and in a non-limiting and non-exhaustive manner of the invention may be a tray, a bucket, a container, ....
• the constituent material (s) of the box are irrelevant to the invention.
• an object must be taken in its broadest acceptation.
• an object may be integral or constituted by an assembly of parts; an object may for example be a mechanical part, a package, a package, an empty or filled box, a package, etc.
• the invention also relates to an automated loading system comprising a gripper robot, a sensor for acquiring at least one digital image of an empty crate or container containing at least one object, and an electronic control device which is designed to control the gripper robot, so as to implement the first and / or second loading method referred to above.
• the invention also relates to a computer program product comprising program code instructions and designed, when executed by electronic control means of a gripper robot, to acquire at least one digital image of an empty crate. , automatically check the compliance of the cash register using the digital image (s) of the cash register, and if the cash register is compliant, continue loading with the gripper robot, and if not, stop loading the cash register.
• the invention also relates to a computer program product comprising program code instructions and designed for, when is executed by electronic control means of a gripper robot, automatically control said robot gripper so as to perform at least the steps of the second loading method referred to above.
• FIG. 1 is a schematic overview of a system for loading a box with parts conveyed by a conveyor
• FIG. 2 is an isometric view of a particular example of an empty crate
• FIG. 3 is an isometric view of a stack of parts resulting from the implementation of a predefined body loading plan
• FIG. 4 is an isometric view of the body of FIG. 2, once it has been filled with coins
• FIG. 5 is a flowchart representing the main successive steps of an automatic conformity check routine of an empty crate
• FIG. 6 is a flowchart representing the main successive steps of a routine for automatic loading of a box by means of the gripper robot of the loading system of FIG. 1,
• Figure 7 is a top view of an example of non-compliant box, a vertical wall is deformed.
• stackable objects are conveyed by a Conveyor 2 to a loading station comprising a body 4.
• a gripper robot 3 comprising an articulated arm 30 which is equipped at its end with a gripping member 31, is used to automatically take the objects 1 from each other automatically. the conveyor 2, and to deposit successively in the box 4 following a loading plan.
• the objects 1 are all identical. In another variant, they could be different.
• the loading plane is defined so that when it is completely executed, a stack of five layers Li to Ls is formed. objects 1, each layer Li to Ls comprising twelve objects 1 juxtaposed in the form of a row Ri of three objects 1 and a column Cj of four objects 1.
• This loading plane is constituted for example by a list of layers Li to Ls associating with each layer Lk its height position in the stack, and the row Ri and column Q of each object 1 in the layer Lk.
• FIG. 4 shows a box 4 filled with objects 1, which have been stacked in this box 4, following said loading plane to obtain a stack of objects according to that of FIG.
• the body 4 is open at the top to allow its loading. It comprises a bottom wall 40 and vertical walls 41 which delimit a load volume V.
• the gripper robot 3 is automatically controlled by an electronic control device 5, which automatically controls the movements of the articulated arm 30 and controls the gripping member 31, by executing a loading computer program, which for example is stored in an electronic memory of this device 5.
• the loading system further comprises a sensor 6 without contact, which makes it possible to acquire, in top view, at least one image 2D or 3D digital box 4 (empty or containing objects 1) positioned in the loading station.
• This digital 2D or 3D image of the body 4 (empty or containing objects 1) is transmitted to the electronic control device 5, by wire or by a wireless communication channel.
• the system may comprise several sensors 6, allowing for example to acquire 2D or 3D images of the body with different viewing angles.
• the system may also include means for reconstituting, by stereovision, a three-dimensional image of the body 4, from two or more 2D images acquired by sensors 6.
• the senor 6 may for example be:
• a camera for example of the CCD or other type
• the senor 6 comprises a camera, for example of the CCD or other type, combined with a laser light source scanning the surface of the body 4 (empty or containing objects 1), the camera making it possible to capture the reflected light beam by the surface of the box and if any objects placed in the field of the camera.
• a sensor or set of sensors operating by telemetry and using a laser source, ultrasound, microwaves, etc.
• An operator positions an empty crate 4 below the sensor 6 and initiates the automated loading procedure.
• the electronic control device 5 When automated loading procedure is started, the electronic control device 5 begins by executing the routine initial verification of Figure 5.
• the electronic control device 5 triggers an acquisition by the sensor 6 of a digital image of the empty case 4 (step 50), which image is transmitted to the device electronic control 5.
• control device 5 automatically verifies (step 51) whether the cash register 4 is compliant using said digital image of the cash register.
• this verification is preferably performed by automatically simulating a predefined change plan, by means of said digital image of the empty box 4 and a CAD model of the part 1, so as to ensure that all parts 1 of the loading plan (ie 60 pieces in the example of Figures 3 and 4) can be loaded into the box 4.
• the change plan has for example been stored in a memory of the control device 5.
• control device 5 can be programmed to automatically calculate this loading plan from a CAD model of the part 1 and a CAD model of the empty box 4.
• control device 5 can be programmed to execute a predefined change plan stored in a memory of the control device 5, and, if necessary, to dynamically modify this loading plan during the loading process. of the box, for example to automatically optimize the loading of the box.
• the compliance of the body 4 can also be verified automatically by comparing the digital image of the empty body 4, acquired in step 50, with a digital model CAD of the empty body, stored in memory of the electronic control device 5.
• the electronic control device 5 stops the procedure, and warns the operator that the empty box 4 that has been positioned is not compliant, by example by triggering a visual / audible alarm and / or displaying a message on a screen.
• FIG. 7 shows an example of a non-compliant box 4, one of whose vertical walls 41 is sufficiently deformed so that the box can not be loaded with the desired number of pieces 1, the loading plan being unable to not be implemented until the end.
• the informed operator removes the empty box 4, which has been detected as non-compliant, for example to recycle it (step 53) and replace it with a new empty box 4 (step 54).
• test 52 If the box is compliant (test 52), the electronic control device 5 executes the automated loading routine of Figure 6, detailed below.
• the electronic control device 5 automatically locates the position of the empty crate (step 550), for example from the digital image or images acquired by means of the sensor 6. alternatively, this step 550 could be omitted, provided that the empty box is always accurately always positively set in a predefined loading position known to the electronic control device 5.
• control electronic control device 5 in a manner known in itself, the robot 3 so that it grasps a part 1 on the conveyor 2 and positions it in the box 4, applying the plan predefined loading stored in memory or calculated automatically by the electronic control device 5.
• step 552 the electronic control device 5 acquires, by means of the sensor 6, a digital image of the body 4 containing one or more pieces 1, and automatically checks in this digital image, using the CAD model of part 1, that the last piece 1 that has been positioned is correctly positioned.
• the electronic control device 5 controls the robot 3, so that it grasps the latter piece incorrectly positioned (step 554), and the operations are repeated until this piece is correctly positioned.
• test 553 the last piece 1 loaded being correctly positioned in the box 4, the positioning of the following piece 1 is digitally simulated (step 555) by using in the picture of the box 4 previously acquired, a CAD numerical model of the part 1, and the loading plane stored in memory or calculated automatically by the electronic control device 5.
• test 556 If the result of this simulation is negative (test 556), the following part 1 can not be correctly loaded to the correct position in the box 4, in this case the electronic control device 5 triggers an alarm (step 557) for the operator, and terminates the automated loading procedure prematurely.
• test 556 the electronic control device 5 checks (test 558) whether box 4 is full (for example by having counted the number of pieces loaded and by comparing it with the total number of wanted parts in the box 4).
• box 4 If the box 4 is full, it stops the loading procedure, to allow the operator to remove the full box and set up a new box 4 empty.
• the invention preferably finds its application to an automated loading of a box 4 with stacked objects, but can also be implemented to achieve an automated loading of a box 4 with objects that are not stacked in the box , but are for example positioned in the inner boxes of the box due for example to a object by box.
• the box 4 has vertical walls that surround all the objects 1 loaded in the box on the entire periphery of this set of objects.
• the vertical wall or walls of the box could surround all the objects 1 loaded in the box on a part of the periphery of this set of objects.
• the objects are not necessarily conveyed by a conveyor 2, but can be stored statically (for example in bulk or stacked) on a storage area accessible to the robot gripper 3.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Robotics (AREA)
• Manipulator (AREA)
• Supplying Of Containers To The Packaging Station (AREA)
• Auxiliary Devices For And Details Of Packaging Control (AREA)
• Stacking Of Articles And Auxiliary Devices (AREA)
• Container Filling Or Packaging Operations (AREA)

Priority Applications (5)

Applications Claiming Priority (4)

Publications (1)

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ID=59914456

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (6)

Cited By (4)

Families Citing this family (8)

Citations (7)

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• 2017
  • 2017-09-18 WO PCT/EP2017/073386 patent/WO2018059977A1/fr not_active Ceased
  • 2017-09-18 CN CN201780059914.7A patent/CN109789940B/zh active Active
  • 2017-09-18 KR KR1020197007021A patent/KR102444067B1/ko active Active
  • 2017-09-18 JP JP2019506148A patent/JP7026102B2/ja active Active
  • 2017-09-18 CA CA3037792A patent/CA3037792A1/fr active Pending
  • 2017-09-18 EP EP17769044.3A patent/EP3519306B1/fr active Active

Patent Citations (7)

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