US 12,337,481 B2
Workflow for using tree search-based approach for placing boxes on pallet with limited knowledge of future sequence
Rohit Arka Pidaparthi, Mountain View, CA (US); William Arthur Clary, Palo Alto, CA (US); Neeraja Abhyankar, Menlo Park, CA (US); Jonathan Kuck, Palo Alto, CA (US); Ben Varkey Benjamin Pottayil, Foster City, CA (US); Kevin Jose Chavez, Redwood City, CA (US); and Shitij Kumar, Redwood City, CA (US)
Assigned to Dexterity, Inc., Redwood City, CA (US)
Filed by Dexterity, Inc., Redwood City, CA (US)
Filed on Jun. 10, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/838,039.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/211,366, filed on Jun. 16, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0402133 A1, Dec. 22, 2022
Int. Cl. B25J 9/16 (2006.01)
CPC B25J 9/1664 (2013.01) [B25J 9/1694 (2013.01)] 27 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A robotic system, comprising:
a communication interface configured to receive, from one or more sensors deployed in a workspace, sensor data indicative of a current state of the workspace, the workspace comprising a pallet or other receptacle and a set of zero or more items stacked on or in the receptacle; and
one or more processors coupled to the communication interface and configured to:
use the sensor data to estimate a state of one or both of the pallet or other receptacle and the set of zero or more items stacked on or in the receptacle; and
use the estimated state to generate or update a plan to control a robotic arm to place a next set of items on or in, or remove the next set of items from, the pallet or other receptacle, the plan comprising an ordered sequence of item placements or removals;
wherein:
the one or more processors are configured to generate or update the plan at least in part by performing a bounded tree search in which a subset of possible ordered sequences is explored; and
the subset is determined by one or both of selecting for exploration tree branches that satisfy one or more selection criteria or omitting from consideration one or more branches that satisfy a pruning criteria, wherein the pruning criteria is associated with a determination that a branch does not comprise a node corresponding to a favorable scenario.