| CPC B07C 5/362 (2013.01) [B07C 2501/0063 (2013.01)] | 22 Claims |
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1. A sorting system, comprising:
a processor configured to:
receive a set of current information associated with a plurality of target objects on a conveyor device;
determine a current state of the sorting system, wherein the sorting system comprises an actuator device that is configured to actuate a picker assembly to capture target objects from the conveyor device, wherein the picker assembly comprises a plurality of picker mechanisms, and wherein the current state of the sorting system comprises a state of a picker mechanism of the plurality of picker mechanisms, wherein the state of the picker mechanism comprises either available for capturing an object or unavailable for capturing the object;
generate a graph of nodes, wherein the graph of nodes comprises a tree structure of successor nodes that expands from an initial node, wherein the successor nodes of the tree structure are time-dependent, wherein the successor nodes comprise a set of first successor nodes that comprises a set of first achievable actions that could be performed with respect to a first set of target objects relative to the initial node, wherein at least one first successor node branches out into a respective set of second successor nodes that comprises a set of second achievable actions that could be performed with respect to a second set of target objects given a performance of a respective first achievable action associated with a respective first successor node, wherein the initial node is determined based on the set of current information associated with the plurality of target objects and the current state of the sorting system, wherein the successor nodes are generated based at least in part on a model of the actuator device, wherein the model of the actuator device comprises approximated lengths of time in which the actuator device is able to perform each of a plurality of actions with respect to objects at a given set of settings associated with the sorting system;
select a path within the graph of nodes, wherein the path corresponds to a sequence of a plurality of hypothetical actions to be performed by the actuator device and the picker assembly, over a sequence of points in time, with respect to one or more target objects;
determine a selected subset of the plurality of hypothetical actions with respect to an identified target object from the sequence of the plurality of hypothetical actions; and
send an instruction to the actuator device to cause the actuator device and the picker assembly to perform the selected subset of the plurality of hypothetical actions with respect to the identified target object; and
a memory coupled to the processor and configured to provide the processor with instructions.
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