US-12617633-B2 - Effective handling of scrap material with swarm robots

US12617633B2US 12617633 B2US12617633 B2US 12617633B2US-12617633-B2

Abstract

An embodiment for handling scrap material with swarm robots in a multi-machine environment is provided. The embodiment may include receiving images of scrap material in a multi-machine environment. The embodiment may also include dividing the scrap material into a plurality of zones. The embodiment may further include identifying one or more characteristics of the divided scrap material in at least one zone of the plurality of zones. The embodiment may also include in response to determining the divided scrap material is in a target location in the at least one zone: printing a net around the divided scrap material in the at least one zone in accordance with the one or more characteristics of the divided scrap material; and transporting the net containing the divided scrap material in the at least one zone to a final destination.

Inventors

Carolina Garcia Delgado
Vinod A. Valecha
Sarbajit K. Rakshit
Tushar Agrawal

Assignees

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20230724

Claims (15)

1 . A computer-based method of handling scrap material with swarm robots in a multi-machine environment, the method comprising: receiving images of scrap material in a multi-machine environment; dividing the scrap material into a plurality of zones based on the images; identifying one or more characteristics of the divided scrap material in at least one zone of the plurality of zones; determining whether the divided scrap material is in a target location in the at least one zone; in response to determining the divided scrap material is in the target location in the at least one zone: printing a net around the divided scrap material in the at least one zone in accordance with the one or more characteristics of the divided scrap material; and transporting the net containing the divided scrap material in the at least one zone to a final destination; and in response to determining the divided scrap material is not in the target location in the at least one zone: printing the net on a floor of the target location in the at least one zone in accordance with the one or more characteristics of the divided scrap material, wherein a reinforcement learning model is utilized to predict one or more specifications of the net; wrapping the printed net around the divided scrap material in the at least one zone in response to determining the divided scrap material has been dropped in the target location; and transporting the net containing the divided scrap material in the at least one zone to the final destination.
2 . The computer-based method of claim 1 , further comprising: weaving multiple nets together in the plurality of zones in response to determining at least two nets are printed in the plurality of zones.
3 . The computer-based method of claim 1 , wherein the net is printed by multiple robotic 3D printers operating simultaneously in the plurality of zones.
4 . The computer-based method of claim 3 , wherein the multiple robotic 3D printers execute one or more movements in accordance with a color-coded area in the plurality of zones.
5 . The computer-based method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more characteristics include dimensions of a largest and a smallest item of scrap material, and wherein a space between threads of the net is smaller than the dimensions of the smallest item of scrap material.
6 . A computer system, the computer system comprising: one or more processors, one or more computer-readable memories, one or more computer-readable tangible storage medium, and program instructions stored on at least one of the one or more computer-readable tangible storage medium for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more computer- readable memories, wherein the computer system is capable of performing a method comprising: receiving images of scrap material in a multi-machine environment; dividing the scrap material into a plurality of zones based on the images; identifying one or more characteristics of the divided scrap material in at least one zone of the plurality of zones; determining whether the divided scrap material is in a target location in the at least one zone; in response to determining the divided scrap material is in the target location in the at least one zone: printing a net around the divided scrap material in the at least one zone in accordance with the one or more characteristics of the divided scrap material; and transporting the net containing the divided scrap material in the at least one zone to a final destination; and in response to determining the divided scrap material is not in the target location in the at least one zone: printing the net on a floor of the target location in the at least one zone in accordance with the one or more characteristics of the divided scrap material, wherein a reinforcement learning model is utilized to predict one or more specifications of the net; wrapping the printed net around the divided scrap material in the at least one zone in response to determining the divided scrap material has been dropped in the target location; and transporting the net containing the divided scrap material in the at least one zone to the final destination.
7 . The computer system of claim 6 , the method further comprising: weaving multiple nets together in the plurality of zones in response to determining at least two nets are printed in the plurality of zones.
8 . The computer system of claim 6 , wherein the net is printed by multiple robotic 3D printers operating simultaneously in the plurality of zones.
9 . The computer system of claim 8 , wherein the multiple robotic 3D printers execute one or more movements in accordance with a color-coded area in the plurality of zones.
10 . The computer system of claim 6 , wherein the one or more characteristics include dimensions of a largest and a smallest item of scrap material, and wherein a space between threads of the net is smaller than the dimensions of the smallest item of scrap material.
11 . A computer program product, the computer program product comprising: one or more computer-readable tangible storage medium and program instructions stored on at least one of the one or more computer-readable tangible storage medium, the program instructions executable by a processor capable of performing a method, the method comprising: receiving images of scrap material in a multi-machine environment; dividing the scrap material into a plurality of zones based on the images; identifying one or more characteristics of the divided scrap material in at least one zone of the plurality of zones; determining whether the divided scrap material is in a target location in the at least one zone; in response to determining the divided scrap material is in the target location in the at least one zone: printing a net around the divided scrap material in the at least one zone in accordance with the one or more characteristics of the divided scrap material; and transporting the net containing the divided scrap material in the at least one zone to a final destination; and in response to determining the divided scrap material is not in the target location in the at least one zone: printing the net on a floor of the target location in the at least one zone in accordance with the one or more characteristics of the divided scrap material, wherein a reinforcement learning model is utilized to predict one or more specifications of the net; wrapping the printed net around the divided scrap material in the at least one zone in response to determining the divided scrap material has been dropped in the target location; and transporting the net containing the divided scrap material in the at least one zone to the final destination.
12 . The computer program product of claim 11 , the method further comprising: weaving multiple nets together in the plurality of zones in response to determining at least two nets are printed in the plurality of zones.
13 . The computer program product of claim 11 , wherein the net is printed by multiple robotic 3D printers operating simultaneously in the plurality of zones.
14 . The computer program product of claim 13 , wherein the multiple robotic 3D printers execute one or more movements in accordance with a color-coded area in the plurality of zones.
15 . The computer program product of claim 11 , wherein the one or more characteristics include dimensions of a largest and a smallest item of scrap material, and wherein a space between threads of the net is smaller than the dimensions of the smallest item of scrap material.

Description

BACKGROUND The present invention relates generally to the field of computing, and more particularly to a system for handling scrap material with swarm robots in a multi-machine environment. Mid-tier netting offers a balance of size and flexibility, thereby allowing for wrapping objects such as glass rods, tubing, storage tanks, and/or paper products. Additionally, larger netting is often used to protect automotive parts such as transmission and/or engine components. In an industrial area, netting may be used to wrap various objects. These objects may be of different types and sizes. For example, different types of scrap material may be dumped into the industrial area and may need to be moved to another location. SUMMARY According to one embodiment, a method, computer system, and computer program product for handling scrap material with swarm robots in a multi-machine environment is provided. The embodiment may include receiving images of scrap material in a multi-machine environment. The embodiment may also include dividing the scrap material into a plurality of zones based on the images. The embodiment may further include identifying one or more characteristics of the divided scrap material in at least one zone of the plurality of zones. The embodiment may also include in response to determining the divided scrap material is in a target location in the at least one zone: printing a net around the divided scrap material in the at least one zone in accordance with the one or more characteristics of the divided scrap material; and transporting the net containing the divided scrap material in the at least one zone to a final destination. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments thereof, which is to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings. The various features of the drawings are not to scale as the illustrations are for clarity in facilitating one skilled in the art in understanding the invention in conjunction with the detailed description. In the drawings: FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary computing environment according to at least one embodiment. FIG. 2 illustrates an operational flowchart for handling scrap material with swarm robots in a multi-machine environment in a scrap material handling process according to at least one embodiment. FIG. 3 is an exemplary diagram depicting swarm robots wrapping scrap material within a plurality of zones according to at least one embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION Detailed embodiments of the claimed structures and methods are disclosed herein; however, it can be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely illustrative of the claimed structures and methods that may be embodied in various forms. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the exemplary embodiments set forth herein. In the description, details of well-known features and techniques may be omitted to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the presented embodiments. It is to be understood that the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to “a component surface” includes reference to one or more of such surfaces unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Embodiments of the present invention relate to the field of computing, and more particularly to a system for handling scrap material with swarm robots in a multi-machine environment. The following described exemplary embodiments provide a system, method, and program product to, among other things, identify one or more characteristics of divided scrap material in at least one zone of a plurality of zones and, accordingly, in response to determining the scrap material is in a target location in the at least one zone, print a net around the divided scrap material in the at least one zone in accordance with the one or more characteristics. Therefore, the present embodiment has the capacity to improve 3D printing technology by providing the required strength and stability for transporting scrap material in any multi-machine environment. As previously described, mid-tier netting offers a balance of size and flexibility, thereby allowing for wrapping objects such as glass rods, tubing, storage tanks, and/or paper products. Additionally, larger netting is often used to protect automotive parts such as transmission and/or engine components. In an industrial area, netting may be used to wrap various objects. These objects may be of different types and sizes. For example, different types of scrap material may be dumped into the industrial area and may need to be moved to another location. The various sizes of the scrap material make it difficult to properly handle such material. This problem is typically addressed by utilizin