US-12623843-B2 - Systems and methods for automated packaging and processing for shipping with pack and place planning

US12623843B2US 12623843 B2US12623843 B2US 12623843B2US-12623843-B2

Abstract

An automated packing system is disclosed for placing a plurality of objects into a shipping container. The a system includes a supply bin receiving conveyor for receiving a supply bin at a supply station, a placement planning system for determining a packing placement order for the plurality of objects, a detection system for detecting a plurality of objects within the supply bin responsive to the position of the supply bin on the receiving conveyor as aligned by the alignment system, an object selection system for selecting a selected object from the plurality of objects to be placed into the shipping container, and a programmable motion device for grasping and acquiring the selected object from the plurality of objects at the supply station, and for placing the selected object into the shipping container in a selected orientation.

Inventors

Benjamin Cohen
Joseph Romano
Prasanna Velagapudi
Thomas Wagner
Jeremy Saslaw
Christopher GEYER
Thomas KOLETSCHKA
Jay Link
Joshua Lurz
Matthew T. Mason
Richard Musgrave
Ryan O'HERN
Gene Temple PRICE

Assignees

BERKSHIRE GREY OPERATING COMPANY, INC.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20211029

Claims (20)

1 . An automated packing system for placing a plurality of objects into a shipping container, said automated packing system comprising: a supply bin receiving conveyor for receiving a supply bin at a supply station, said supply bin receiving conveyor including sensing means for determining an extent of advancement of the supply bin in a conveyor direction along the supply bin receiving conveyor; a placement planning system for determining a packing placement desired position and orientation for the plurality of objects; a detection system for detecting a plurality of objects within the supply bin responsive to the position of the supply bin on the receiving conveyor as aligned by an alignment system; an object selection system for selecting a selected object from the plurality of objects to be placed into the shipping container; a programmable motion device for grasping and acquiring the selected object from the plurality of objects at the supply station; and a pose held assessment system for providing pose held assessment data regarding a pose and orientation of the selected object with respect to an end effector of the programmable motion device while being held by the end effector, the programmable motion device then refining the pose and orientation of the selected object and placing the selected object into the shipping container in a selected orientation using the pose held assessment data, wherein refining the pose and orientation of the selected object includes generating a trajectory for at least one arm of the programmable motion device and using the trajectory to place the selected object in the desired position and orientation.
2 . The automated packing system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the plurality of objects are homogenous.
3 . The automated packing system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the plurality of objects are heterogenous.
4 . The automated packing system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the system further includes an object pose authority assessment system for generating pose authority data regarding whether any of the plurality of objects at the supply station is deformable and likely to change shape when placed in the shipping container.
5 . The automated packing system as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the system further includes an object pose authority assessment system for generating further pose authority data regarding whether any of the plurality of objects at the supply station is likely to move after being placed in the shipping container.
6 . The automated packing system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the system further includes a pose accommodation system for accommodating for the pose of the selected object with respect to the end effector by being adapted to place the object into the shipping container, in part, responsive to the pose held assessment data.
7 . The automated packing system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the system further includes a volume perception system for providing volumetric data regarding the shipping container.
8 . The automated packing system as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the system determines whether a previously placed object has moved using the volume perception system.
9 . The automated packing system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the shipping container is cardboard box.
10 . The automated packing system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the shipping container is shipping tray.
11 . An automated packing system for placing a plurality of objects from a supply station into a shipping container, said automated packing system comprising: a placement planning system for determining a packing placement desired position and orientation for the plurality of objects; an object selection system for selecting a selected object from the plurality of objects to be placed into the shipping container responsive to the placement planning system; a programmable motion device for grasping and acquiring the selected object from the plurality of objects at the supply station; and a pose held assessment system for providing pose held assessment data regarding a pose and orientation of the selected object with respect to an end effector of the programmable motion device while being held by the end effector, the programmable motion device then generating a trajectory for at least one arm of the programmable motion device for refining the pose and orientation of the selected object while placing the selected object into the shipping container in a selected orientation and pose responsive to the placement planning system.
12 . The automated packing system as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the plurality of objects are homogenous.
13 . The automated packing system as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the plurality of objects are heterogenous.
14 . The automated packing system as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the supply station includes a supply bin and a supply bin receiving conveyor includes sensing means for determining an extent of advancement of the supply bin in a conveyor direction along the supply bin receiving conveyor.
15 . The automated packing system as claimed in claim 14 , wherein system further includes an object pose authority assessment system for generating pose authority data regarding whether any of the objects at a supply station is deformable and likely to change shape when placed in the shipping container, or is likely to move after being placed in the shipping container.
16 . The automated packing system as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the system further includes a pose accommodation system for accommodating for the pose of the selected object with respect to the end effector by being adapted to place the object into the shipping container, in part, responsive to the pose held assessment data.
17 . The automated packing system as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the system further includes a volume perception system for providing volumetric data regarding the shipping container.
18 . The automated packing system as claimed in claim 17 , wherein the system determines whether a previously placed object has moved using the volume perception system.
19 . The automated packing system as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the shipping container is cardboard box.
20 . The automated packing system as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the shipping container is shipping tray.

Description

PRIORITY The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/107,302 filed Oct. 29, 2020 and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/172,987 filed Apr. 9, 2021, the disclosures of each of which are incorporated by reference in their entireties. BACKGROUND The invention generally relates to automated sortation and other processing systems, and relates in particular to automated systems for packaging objects such as parcels, packages, articles, goods etc. for shipment. Shipment centers for packaging and shipping a limited range of goods, for example, from a source company that manufactures the goods, may require only systems and processes that accommodate the limited range of the same goods repeatedly. Third party shipment centers on the other hand, that receive a wide variety of goods, must utilize systems and processes that may accommodate the wide variety of goods. In e-commerce order fulfillment centers, for example, human personnel pack units of goods into shipping containers like boxes or polybags. One of the last steps in an order fulfillment center is packing one or more goods into a shipping container. Units of an order destined for a customer are typically packed by hand at pack stations. Order fulfillment centers do this for a number of reasons. First, units need to be packed in shipping materials. For most items it is insufficient to put a shipping label on the unit and put it in the mail. Units need to be put in boxes or bags to protect the item. Second, units are not generally stored in the materials they are shipped in; they are not typically just ready to go out the dock door. Such units need to be packed on-the-fly after an order for the item has come in, otherwise if they were packed as they are shipped, space utilization in the warehouse would be inefficient. Third, multiple units destined for the same customer are packed together to reduce shipping costs. The marginal cost of adding a single unit to a box is usually many times lower than creating a new box for the single unit. Fourth, consolidating the pack operation at pack stations improves the efficiency of the warehouse. The human personnel doing the packing do not walk around picking from shelves, they just focus on packing as many units per hour as possible. Each of these requirements become more challenging as the number of goods and the number of destination locations increase. There is a need therefore, for an automated system for packing objects in preparation for shipping. SUMMARY In accordance with an aspect, the invention provides an automated packing system for placing a plurality of objects into a shipping container. The automated packing system includes a supply bin receiving conveyor for receiving a supply bin at a supply station, the supply bin receiving conveyor including sensing means for determining an extent of advancement of the supply bin in a conveyor direction along the supply bin receiving conveyor, a placement planning system for determining a packing placement order for the plurality of objects, a detection system for detecting a plurality of objects within the supply bin responsive to the position of the supply bin on the receiving conveyor as aligned by the alignment system, an object selection system for selecting a selected object from the plurality of objects to be placed into the shipping container, and a programmable motion device for grasping and acquiring the selected object from the plurality of objects at the supply station, and for placing the selected object into the shipping container in a selected orientation. In accordance with another aspect, the invention provides an automated packing system for placing a plurality of objects into a shipping container. The automated packing system includes a placement planning system for determining a packing placement order and orientation for the plurality of objects, an object selection system for selecting a selected object from the plurality of objects to be placed into the shipping container responsive to the pose authority data, and a programmable motion device for grasping and acquiring the selected object from the plurality of objects at the supply station, and for placing the selected object into the shipping container in a selected orientation and pose responsive to the pose authority data. In accordance with another aspect, the invention provides an automated method of placing a plurality of objects into a destination container. The method includes determining a packing placement order for the plurality of objects, receiving a supply bin at a supply station, detecting objects within the supply bin, selecting a selected object from the plurality of objects to be placed into the shipping container, grasping and acquiring the selected object from the plurality of objects at the supply station, and detecting a volume within the destination container into which the objects is assigned to be placed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION