US 12,129,132 B2
Singulation of arbitrary mixed items
Zhouwen Sun, Redwood City, CA (US); Harry Zhe Su, Union City, CA (US); Talbot Morris-Downing, Redwood City, CA (US); David Leo Tondreau, III, San Francisco, CA (US); Toby Leonard Baker, East Palo Alto, CA (US); Timothy Ryan, San Francisco, CA (US); Ayush Sharma, Santa Clara, CA (US); Raphael Georg Wirth, Breisach (DE); and Cyril Nader, East Palo Alto, CA (US)
Assigned to Dexterity, Inc., Redwood City, CA (US)
Filed by Dexterity, Inc., Redwood City, CA (US)
Filed on Mar. 15, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/202,036.
Prior Publication US 2022/0289501 A1, Sep. 15, 2022
Int. Cl. B25J 9/16 (2006.01); B25J 9/00 (2006.01); B25J 13/08 (2006.01); B25J 15/06 (2006.01); B65G 47/91 (2006.01); B65G 59/00 (2006.01); G05B 19/418 (2006.01)
CPC B65G 47/917 (2013.01) [B25J 9/1612 (2013.01); B25J 9/163 (2013.01); B25J 9/1651 (2013.01); B25J 9/1653 (2013.01); B25J 9/1664 (2013.01); B25J 9/1697 (2013.01); B25J 13/088 (2013.01); B25J 15/0658 (2013.01); B65G 47/918 (2013.01); B65G 2203/0216 (2013.01); B65G 2203/0233 (2013.01); B65G 2203/025 (2013.01); B65G 2203/0258 (2013.01); B65G 2203/0291 (2013.01); B65G 2203/041 (2013.01)] 28 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system, comprising:
a communication interface;
a first robotic arm comprising a suction-based end effector; and
a processor coupled to the communication interface and configured to:
receive sensor data via the communication interface, the sensor data including image data associated with a plurality of items present in a workspace; and
use the sensor data to determine and implement a plan to autonomously operate the first robotic arm to pick one or more items from the workspace and place each item singly in a corresponding location in a singulation conveyance structure, the plan including picking up a first item and placing the first item at a first destination location, and performing an active measure to change or adapt to a detected state or condition associated with the one or more items in the workspace,
wherein implementing the plan comprises:
detecting, based at least in part on the sensor data, that the first robotic arm has picked up a number of items that is greater than an expected number of items, including determining that the first robotic arm picked a first item and a second item based at least in part on a difference in pressure across the suction-based end effector;
determining a plan to singly place the first item and the second item, including determining the first destination location for the first item and a second destination location for the second item;
placing the first item at the first destination location; and
placing the second item at the second destination location, wherein placement of the first item and the second item is staggered;
wherein:
the first destination location and the second destination locations are different slots or containers on the singulation conveyance structure;
the performing the active measure comprises:
in response to determining that the first robotic arm has picked up more items than expected according to the plan, reserving a slot or container in which the second item is to be placed, including updating a distributed data structure to associate the slot or container with the second item; and
the distributed data structure is used to manage reservations for items placed on the conveyance structure by a plurality of robotic arms.