阅读说明：本技术 软包装、处理软包装的机器人系统和方法 (Flexible package, robotic system and method for handling flexible packages ) 是由 奚伟 于 2019-08-20 设计创作，主要内容包括：软包装包括：包装主体,由柔软的可变形材料制成；以及多个刚性夹持部件,设置在包装主体的外围或拐角处。每个刚性夹持部件包括刚性环结构,刚性环结构被构造为由机器人装置夹持。通过以下步骤使用机器人系统处理该软包装：控制机器人系统的计算机视觉系统捕捉软包装的图像；处理软包装的图像,以识别刚性夹持部件的位置；以及控制机器人系统的机器人装置来抓取刚性夹持部件。(The flexible package comprises: a package body made of a soft deformable material; and a plurality of rigid gripping members disposed at the periphery or corners of the package body. Each rigid gripping member includes a rigid ring structure configured to be gripped by the robotic device. Processing the flexible package using a robotic system by: controlling a computer vision system of the robotic system to capture an image of the flexible package; processing the image of the flexible package to identify the location of the rigid gripping member; and controlling a robotic device of the robotic system to grasp the rigid gripping member.)

1. A flexible package comprising:

a package body made of a soft deformable material; and

a plurality of rigid gripping members disposed at the periphery of the package body,

wherein each rigid gripping member comprises a rigid ring structure configured to be gripped by the robotic device.

2. The flexible package of claim 1, wherein the package body has a substantially rectangular shape and the rigid gripping members are disposed at four corners of the package body.

3. The flexible package of claim 1, wherein the rigid loop structure is magnetic.

4. The flexible package of claim 1, wherein each rigid gripping member further comprises a visual guide structure configured to be detected by a computer vision system.

5. The flexible package of claim 4, wherein the visual guide structure is a colored structure.

6. The flexible package of claim 4, wherein the visual guide structure is a label having a computer identifiable code thereon.

7. The flexible package of claim 6, wherein the computer identifiable code is a bar code, a watermark, a Quick Response (QR) code, or an Apriltag code.

8. The flexible package of claim 1, wherein the robotic device is a gripping device or a hook device.

9. The flexible package of claim 8, wherein:

the clamping device has an expandable clamping member configured to be switchable between a normal state and an expanded state;

when the expandable gripping member is in the normal state, the expandable gripping member has a dimension that is smaller than an inner dimension of the rigid ring structure such that the expandable gripping member is configured to be inserted into the rigid ring structure; and

expanding the expandable gripping member to fit the internal dimension of the rigid ring structure when the expandable gripping member is in the normal state such that the expandable gripping member is configured to grip the rigid ring structure.

10. A robotic system for handling flexible packages, comprising:

a controller; and

a plurality of robotic devices, each configured to grasp the flexible package; wherein the flexible package comprises:

a package body made of a soft deformable material; and

a plurality of rigid gripping members disposed at a periphery of the packaging body, wherein each rigid gripping member comprises a rigid ring structure configured to be gripped by one of the plurality of robotic devices; and

a computer vision system configured to capture an image of the flexible package and identify a location of the rigid gripping member of the flexible package.

11. The robotic system of claim 10, wherein the computer vision system comprises a camera configured to capture images of the flexible package and a controller configured to process the images of the flexible package captured by the camera and identify a location of the rigid gripping member of the flexible package.

12. The robotic system of claim 10, wherein each robotic device is a gripping device or a hook device.

13. The robotic system of claim 10, wherein each rigid gripping member further comprises a visual guide structure configured to be detected by the computer vision system.

14. The robotic system of claim 12, wherein the visual guide structure is a colored structure.

15. The robotic system of claim 12, wherein the visual guide structure is a label having a computer identifiable code thereon, the computer identifiable code being a bar code, a watermark, a Quick Response (QR) code, or an Apriltag code.

16. The robotic system of claim 10, wherein the controller is configured to:

controlling the robotic device to grasp the rigid loop structures of the at least two rigid gripping members of the flexible package such that each rigid loop structure of the at least two rigid gripping members of the flexible package is grasped by one robotic device of the plurality of robotic devices; and

controlling the robotic device to grasp at least two rigid gripping members of the flexible package to flip the flexible package.

17. A method of handling flexible packages using a robotic system, comprising:

providing the flexible package, wherein the flexible package comprises:

a package body made of a soft deformable material; and

a plurality of rigid gripping members disposed at a periphery of the packaging body, wherein each rigid gripping member comprises a rigid ring structure configured to be gripped by one of the plurality of robotic devices of the robotic system; controlling a computer vision system of the robotic system to capture images of the flexible package; processing the image of the flexible package to identify the location of the rigid gripping member; and controlling the robotic device of the robotic system to grasp the rigid gripping member.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein each robotic device is a gripping device or a hook device.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein each rigid gripping member further comprises a visual guide structure configured to be detected by the computer vision system.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

controlling the robotic device of the robotic system to grasp the rigid loop structures of the at least two rigid gripping members of the flexible package such that each rigid loop structure of the at least two rigid gripping members of the flexible package is grasped by one robotic device of the plurality of robotic devices; and

controlling the robotic device to grasp at least two rigid gripping members of the flexible package to flip the flexible package.

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates generally to robotics and packaging technology, and more particularly, to a flexible package, a robotic system and method of handling flexible packages.

Background

Some references that may include patents, patent applications, and various publications are cited and discussed in the description of the present disclosure. Citation and/or discussion of such references is provided merely to clarify the description of the present disclosure and is not an admission that any such reference is "prior art" to the disclosure described herein. All references cited and discussed in this specification are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety to the same extent as if each reference were individually incorporated by reference.

The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.

Currently, internet shopping requires efficient completion capabilities and low cost logistics networks. Robotics is therefore an effective method of manipulating packages by robotic hands or suction cups. For example, some robotic systems (e.g., Delta robots) use suction cups to grasp objects in a picking operation. In this case, the suction cups can easily be used to grab the solid box packages if there is a sufficiently large smooth surface on each package. However, for flexible packages, there may not be a sufficiently large smooth surface on them to ensure a successful pick. In this case, means other than suction cups may be used to grasp the object, for example, hook-type grippers or other grasping means.

However, flexible packages may be deformed during packaging and subsequent movement, and if there is not a smooth surface, solid portion or hanging hole large enough to reliably grip and/or hook, it will be difficult for the robot to grip flexible packages having different shapes.

Accordingly, there is an unresolved need in the art to address the above-described deficiencies and inadequacies.

Disclosure of Invention

In certain aspects, the present disclosure relates to a flexible package comprising: a package body made of a soft deformable material; and a plurality of rigid gripping members disposed at the periphery of the package body. In certain embodiments, the rigid gripping members are disposed at a plurality of corners of the package body. In certain embodiments, each rigid gripping member comprises a rigid ring structure configured to be gripped by the robotic device.

In certain embodiments, the package body has a substantially rectangular shape.

In certain embodiments, the rigid ring structure is magnetic.

In certain embodiments, each rigid gripping member further comprises a visual guide structure configured to be detected by a computer vision system.

In certain embodiments, the visual guide structure is a colored structure.

In certain embodiments, the visual guide structure is a label having a computer identifiable code thereon.

In certain embodiments, the computer identifiable code is a barcode, a watermark, a Quick Response (QR) code, or an Apriltag code.

In certain embodiments, the robotic device is a gripping device or a hook device.

In some embodiments, the gripping device has an expandable gripping member configured to be switchable between a normal state and an expanded state; when the expandable gripping member is in the normal state, the expandable gripping member has a dimension that is smaller than an inner dimension of the rigid ring structure such that the expandable gripping member is configured to be inserted into the rigid ring structure; and expanding the expandable gripping member to fit the internal dimension of the rigid ring structure when the expandable gripping member is in the normal state such that the expandable gripping member is configured to grip the rigid ring structure.

Some aspects of the present disclosure relate to a robotic system for handling flexible packages. The robot system includes: a controller; and a plurality of robotic devices, each configured to grasp the flexible package; wherein the flexible package comprises: a package body made of a soft deformable material; and a plurality of rigid gripping members disposed at a periphery of the packaging body, wherein each rigid gripping member comprises a rigid ring structure configured to be gripped by one of the plurality of robotic devices; and a computer vision system configured to capture an image of the flexible package and identify a location of the rigid gripping member of the flexible package. In certain embodiments, the rigid gripping members are disposed at a plurality of corners of the package body. In some embodiments, the package body has a substantially rectangular shape and has four corners.

In certain embodiments, a computer vision system includes a camera configured to capture images of the flexible package and a controller configured to process the images of the flexible package captured by the camera and identify a location of the rigid gripping member of the flexible package.

In certain embodiments, each robotic device is a gripping device or a hook device.

In certain embodiments, each rigid gripping member further comprises a visual guide structure configured to be detected by the computer vision system.

In certain embodiments, the visual guide structure is a colored structure.

In certain embodiments, the visual guide structure is a label having a computer identifiable code thereon that is a barcode, a watermark, a Quick Response (QR) code, or an Apriltag code.

In certain embodiments, the controller is configured to: controlling the robotic device to grasp the rigid loop structures of the at least two rigid gripping members of the flexible package such that each rigid loop structure of the at least two rigid gripping members of the flexible package is grasped by one robotic device of the plurality of robotic devices; and at least two rigid gripping members controlling the robotic device to grasp the flexible package to flip the flexible package.

In another aspect of the present disclosure, a method of handling flexible packages using a robotic system comprises: providing the flexible package, wherein the flexible package comprises: a package body made of a soft deformable material; and a plurality of rigid gripping members disposed at a periphery of the packaging body, wherein each rigid gripping member comprises a rigid ring structure configured to be gripped by one of the plurality of robotic devices of the robotic system; controlling a computer vision system of the robotic system to capture images of the flexible package; processing the image of the flexible package to identify the location of the rigid gripping member; and controlling the robotic device of the robotic system to grasp the rigid gripping member.

In certain embodiments, the rigid gripping members are disposed at a plurality of corners of the package body. In some embodiments, the package body has a rectangular shape and has four corners.

In certain embodiments, each robotic device is a gripping device or a hook device.

In certain embodiments, each rigid gripping member further comprises a visual guide structure configured to be detected by the computer vision system.

In certain embodiments, the method further comprises: controlling the robotic device of the robotic system to grasp the rigid loop structures of the at least two rigid gripping members of the flexible package such that each rigid loop structure of the at least two rigid gripping members of the flexible package is grasped by one robotic device of the plurality of robotic devices; and at least two rigid gripping members controlling the robotic device to grasp the flexible package to flip the flexible package.

These and other aspects of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the description thereof, although variations and modifications therein may be effected without departing from the spirit and scope of the novel concepts of the disclosure.

Drawings

The drawings illustrate one or more embodiments of the disclosure and, together with the written description, serve to explain the principles of the disclosure. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like elements of an embodiment.

Fig. 1A is a schematic view of a clamping device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, wherein the clamping device is in a clamped state.

FIG. 1B is a schematic view of the clamping device shown in FIG. 1A in a closed state.

Fig. 1C is a schematic view of the clamping device shown in fig. 1A in an open state.

Fig. 2A is a schematic view of a flexible package according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, wherein the flexible package is in a flat, empty state.

Fig. 2B is a schematic view of the soft package shown in fig. 2A in a packaged state.

Fig. 2C is a schematic view of the rigid clamping member of fig. 2A or 2B.

Fig. 2D is a schematic view of a flexible package according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, wherein each rigid gripping member includes a label.

Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of a robotic system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of a controller of a robotic system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating a method of handling flexible packages using a robotic system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 6 is a schematic view of a plurality of flexible packages to be treated according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

The present disclosure is more particularly described in the following examples, which are intended as illustrations only, with numerous modifications and variations therein being apparent to those skilled in the art. Various embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in detail. Referring to the drawings, like numbers indicate like parts throughout the views. As used in the description herein and throughout the claims, the meaning of "a", "an", and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Furthermore, as used in the description herein and throughout the claims, the meaning of "in. Also, headings or subheadings may be used in the description for the convenience of the reader, which does not affect the scope of the disclosure. In addition, some terms used in the present specification are defined more specifically below.

The terms used in this specification generally have their ordinary meaning in the art, both in the context of this disclosure and in the particular context in which each term is used. Some terms used to describe the present disclosure are discussed below or elsewhere in the specification to provide additional guidance to the practitioner regarding the description of the present disclosure. It should be understood that the same thing can be stated in more than one way. Thus, alternative language and synonyms may be used for any one or more of the terms discussed herein, nor is there any special meaning of whether a term is set forth or discussed herein. Synonyms for certain terms are provided herein, but the recitation of one or more synonyms does not exclude the use of other synonyms. The examples used anywhere in this specification, including the examples of any term discussed herein, are exemplary only and in no way limit the scope and meaning of the disclosure or any exemplary term. Also, the present disclosure is not limited to the various embodiments presented in this specification.

It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being "on" another element, it can be directly on the other element or intervening elements may be present therebetween. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being "directly on" another element, there are no intervening elements present. As used herein, the term "and/or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another element, component, region, layer or section. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of the present disclosure.

Furthermore, relative terms, such as "lower" or "bottom" and "upper" or "top," may be used herein to describe one element's relationship to another element as illustrated in the figures. It will be understood that relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in one of the figures is turned over, elements described as being on the "lower" side of other elements would then be oriented on "upper" sides of the other elements. Thus, the exemplary term "lower" can encompass both an orientation of "lower" and "upper," depending on the particular orientation of the figure. Similarly, if the device in one of the figures is turned over, elements described as "below" or "beneath" other elements would then be oriented "above" the other elements. Thus, the exemplary terms "under" or "under" can encompass both an orientation of above and below.

All terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs, unless defined otherwise. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and the present disclosure and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

As used herein, "about," "approximately," or "near" shall generally mean within twenty percent, preferably within ten percent, more preferably within five percent, of a given value or range. Numerical values given herein are approximate, meaning that the term "about", "left or right", "approximately" or "near" can be inferred if not explicitly stated.

As used herein, "plurality" refers to two or more.

As used herein, the terms "comprising," "including," "carrying," "having," "containing," "involving," and the like, are to be construed as open-ended, i.e., meaning including but not limited to.

As used herein, the phrase "at least one of A, B and C" should be interpreted to mean logic (a or B or C) that uses a non-exclusive logical "or". It should be understood that one or more steps within a method may be performed in a different order (or simultaneously) without altering the principles of the present disclosure.

As used herein, the term module may refer to a portion of or include an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a combinational logic circuit, a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), a processor (shared, dedicated, or group) that executes code, other suitable hardware components that provide the described functionality, or a combination of some or all of the above, e.g., in a system on a chip. The term module may include memory (shared, dedicated, or group) that stores code executed by the processor.

As used herein, the term "code" may include software, firmware, and/or microcode, and may refer to programs, routines, functions, classes, and/or objects. As used above, the term "shared" means that some or all code from multiple modules may be executed using a single (shared) processor. Additionally, some or all code from multiple modules may be stored by a single (shared) memory. As used above, the term "group" means that some or all code from a single module may be executed using a group of processors. In addition, a set of memories may be used to store some or all of the code from a single module.

As used herein, the term "interface" generally refers to a communication tool or device used at the point of interaction between components to perform data communications between the components. In general, the interface may be adapted for hardware and software, and may be a unidirectional interface or a bidirectional interface. Examples of physical hardware interfaces may include electrical connectors, buses, ports, cables, terminations, and other I/O devices or components. The components in communication with the interface may be, for example, components or peripherals of a computer system.

As mentioned above, the gripping device may be used for gripping an object. For example, fig. 1A-1C illustrate a clamping device according to certain embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in fig. 1A, the chucking device 100 is formed of a base 110 and two arm members 120, each arm member 120 being formed of a plurality of movable portions that can rotate with respect to the base 110. Fig. 1A shows the clamping device 100 in a clamped state, in which the arm 120 may be angled to clamp an object 130 within the space formed by the arm 120. In contrast, fig. 1B shows the clamping device 100 in a closed state, and fig. 1C shows the clamping device 100 in an open state.

However, the flexible package may be formed of a soft, deformable material that allows for any change in the shape of the flexible package. In this case, there is no fixing surface for the holding device 100 shown in fig. 1A to 1C to hold the flexible package. Accordingly, to ensure successful gripping, one aspect of the present disclosure provides a flexible package having a rigid gripping member.

Fig. 2A and 2B illustrate flexible packages according to certain embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in fig. 2A, the flexible package 200 includes: a package body 210 and four rigid gripping members 220. The package body 210 has a substantially rectangular shape in a flat, empty state. Four rigid gripping members 220 are provided at the four corners of the package body 210. The packing body 210 is made of a soft deformable material, thus allowing the packing body 210 to be deformed during a packing process. Fig. 2B shows the flexible package in a packaged state, in which the package body 210 is deformed to package an object therein. In contrast, each rigid clip member 220 is formed of a "rigid" material, meaning that the rigid clip member 220 is much more rigid than the deformable material, such that the rigid clip member 220 may not deform as easily as the package body 210. In this case, the rigid gripping member 220 provides a relatively robust part for the interaction of the robotic system. As shown in fig. 2A, each rigid gripping member 220 is a rigid ring structure for gripping by a robotic device (e.g., gripping device 100 shown in fig. 1A-1C) or any other gripping device or hook device.

In operation, the package body 210 of the flexible package may not have a sufficiently large mounting surface thereon to ensure successful gripping. However, the rigid loop structure of each rigid gripping member 220 may provide multiple gripping structures or hooking structures for the robotic system to grip or hook therein. For example, the robotic system may include a plurality of robotic devices (each of which may be a gripping device 100, or any other gripping device or hook device) that may be operated to grip or hook the rigid ring structure of a corresponding one of the rigid gripping members 220 to enable picking up of the flexible packages 200.

In certain embodiments, the rigid ring structure of each rigid clamping member 220 may be magnetic, such that the clamping device 100 may easily detect the position of the rigid ring structure.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 2A, the package body 210 has a generally rectangular shape in a flat, empty state. In certain embodiments, the packaging body 210 may have a circular shape or an oval shape, with the rigid ring structures distributed along the periphery of the circular or oval shape of the packaging body 210. The number of rigid ring structures on the circular or oval packaging body 210 may be two, three, four or more, the rigid ring structures preferably being evenly distributed along the periphery of the packaging body 210. In certain embodiments, the packaging body 210 may have a triangular shape, a trapezoidal shape, or other polygonal shape, and a plurality of rigid ring structures are preferably located at the periphery of the packaging body 210, e.g., the corners of the packaging body 210.

In this embodiment, the rigid ring structure forms a circular hole. In other embodiments, the rigid ring structure may have an elliptical or polygonal shape. In certain embodiments, polygonal shapes include triangular, rectangular or trapezoidal, pentagonal, hexagonal, octagonal, dodecagonal, and the like. In some embodiments, when the rigid ring structure has a pentagonal or hexagonal shape, depending on the shape of the robotic manipulation device, the robotic manipulation device or robotic arm may easily pick up the rigid ring structure and securely hold the rigid ring structure.

In certain embodiments, each rigid gripping member 220 may further include a visual guide structure configured to be detected by a computer vision system of the robotic system such that the computer vision system may determine the position of each rigid gripping member 220. In some embodiments, the visual guide structure may be a colored structure, having a different color than the package body 210, such that the visual guide structure is more easily recognized by the computer vision system. For example, as shown in fig. 2C, the rigid clamping member 220 is divided into four sections, each section having a particular red, blue, green, and yellow color, thereby allowing the vision system to easily identify the rigid clamping member 220. In order to effectively assist the operation of the system, the number of colors of the rigid clip members 220 may be 1 to 3 or more than 4, and the rigid clip members 220 of the same flexible package 200 may have the same color pattern or different color patterns. In some embodiments, a simple way to implement the visual guide structure is to provide each rigid clip member 220 with a colored ring structure, such that the colored ring structure can be used as both a rigid ring structure and a colored visual guide structure.

Alternatively, the rigid ring structure and the visual guide structure may be separate structures. For example, fig. 2D illustrates a flexible package 200' according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. The difference between the flexible package 200' shown in fig. 2D and the flexible package 200 shown in fig. 2A is that each rigid gripping member 220 includes not only a rigid ring structure, but also a label 225 having a computer identifiable code thereon. In some embodiments, the tag 225 must also be rigid and not easily deformable so that the computer-recognizable code thereon can be universally recognizable. As shown in fig. 2D, the computer identifiable code on the label 225 is a Quick Response (QR) code that may contain information of the flexible package 200 'such that the computer vision system may identify the information of the flexible package 200' by scanning the QR code. Additionally, the label 225 may also help the computer vision system to more accurately position the rigid ring structure of the corresponding rigid clamping member 220. In some embodiments, the computer-recognizable code on the label 225 may also be a bar code, a watermark, an Apriltag code, or any other form of computer-recognizable code. The labels 225 in each corner may be the same or different from each other. When the labels 225 in the four corners are different from each other, each label 225 may include specific information corresponding to the corresponding corner.

It should be noted that although fig. 2D illustrates the label 225 formed on the package body 210, the position of the label 225 may be changed. For example, in certain embodiments, the label 225 may be a portion extending from the package body 210.

As described above, the robot apparatus for handling the flexible packages 200 is not limited to the holding apparatus 100 as shown in fig. 1A to 1C. In some embodiments, the gripping device may be an expandable gripping device having expandable gripping members configured to be switchable between a normal state and an expanded state. When the expandable clamp member is in the normal state, the dimension of the expandable clamp member is smaller than the internal dimension of the rigid ring structure of each rigid clamp member 220 such that the expandable clamp member is configured to be inserted into the rigid ring structure. When the expandable gripping member is in a normal state, the expandable gripping member is sized to fit within the internal dimensions of the rigid ring structure of each rigid gripping member 220 such that the expandable gripping member is configured to grip the rigid ring structure. Examples of expandable clamping devices are available on the market. For example, an IDG expanding gripper, which is a pneumatic gripper, can expand three of its small fingers to grip hole-type articles. Alternatively, the expandable gripping device is an expanding gripper that grasps the hole, for example, by compressing a resilient expander or inflating a balloon. Thus, one or both of the rigid gripping members 220 may be used to perform operations on the flexible package 220. In other embodiments, three or all four rigid gripping members 220 may also be used to manipulate the flexible package 200 using robots or grippers.

In another aspect of the present disclosure, a robotic system is provided to handle flexible packages as described above. For example, fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of a robotic system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in fig. 3, the robotic system 300 includes a controller 310, a plurality of robotic devices 320, and a computer vision system 330. The controller 310 is used to control the robotic device 320 and the computer vision system 330 to process a flexible package, which may be the flexible package 200 as described in any of the embodiments above. Each robotic device 320 may be a gripping device 100, or any other gripping device or hook device. The computer vision system 330 may be a scanning device that may include a camera for capturing an image of the flexible package 200, and a corresponding software component, such as image recognition software, for identifying the location of the rigid gripping member 220 of the flexible package 200. The controller 310 is connected to the robotic device 320 and the computer vision system 330 for controlling the robotic device 320 to process the flexible packages 200 and for controlling the computer vision system 330 to identify the location of the rigid gripping members 220 of the flexible packages 200.

Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of a controller of a robotic system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in fig. 4, the controller 400 may be a computing device including a processor 412, a memory 414, and a storage device 416 storing computer executable code 418.

The processor 412 controls the operation of the controller 410. In certain embodiments, processor 412 may be a Central Processing Unit (CPU). The memory 414 may be a volatile memory, such as Random Access Memory (RAM), for storing data and information during operation of the controller 410. In some embodiments, memory 414 may be a volatile memory array. In certain embodiments, the controller 410 may run on more than one processor 412 and/or more than one memory 414.

The storage device 416 is a non-volatile data storage medium or device for storing computer executable code 418 for the controller 410. The storage device 516 may include, for example, a flash memory, a memory card, a USB drive, or other type of non-volatile storage device, such as a hard drive, a floppy disk, an optical disk drive, or any other type of data storage device. In certain embodiments, the controller 410 may have more than one storage device 416.

The computer-executable code 418 includes code or instructions that, when executed at the processor 412, may perform certain features to control the operation of the robotic device 320 and the computer vision system 330 as shown in fig. 3. In particular, examples of such features may include, but are not limited to, a rigid ring structure that controls the robotic device 320 to grasp one or more rigid gripping members 220 of the flexible package 200; control the computer vision system 330 to capture images of the flexible package 200; and processing the image of the flexible package to identify the location of the rigid gripping member 220.

It should be noted that the flexible package 200 is not always present alone when the flexible package 200 is handled. For example, a plurality of flexible packages 200 may be accumulated and processed together by a robotic system 300 as shown in fig. 3. In this case, each flexible package 200 to be processed may be placed in a stack of packages. Since all flexible packages 200 may be stacked out of order during stacking and shipping, some flexible packages 200 may be deformed or clamped in a closed position by other packages or objects such that not all four rigid clamping members 220 are exposed. In this case, for each flexible package 200, it is possible to expose at least one corner of the flexible package 200 for detection by the computer vision system 330 of the robotic system 300 as long as the flexible package 200 is not fully buried in the stack. Accordingly, the flexible package 200 may provide at least one rigid gripping member 220 to be grasped by the robotic system 300. In other words, with all four corners of the flexible package 200 having rigid gripping members 220, successful gripping of the flexible package 200 is better assured. Further, in certain embodiments, if the computer vision system 330 of the robotic system 300 does not detect some of the four rigid gripping members 220, the robotic system 300 may identify that at least a portion of the flexible package 200 is occluded. If the robotic system 300 detects that a plurality of soft packages 200 are occluded, the robotic system 300 may determine that the soft packages 200 are stacked out of order.

In certain embodiments, the robotic system 300 may be configured to control the robotic device 320 to perform a flipping action on the flexible package 200. For example, if the controller 400 of the robotic system 300 determines that the flexible package 200 has at least two identifiable rigid gripping members 220, the robotic system 300 may use the at least two identifiable rigid gripping members 220 to perform the inversion of the flexible package 200. Specifically, the controller 400 may control the robotic device 320 to grasp the rigid ring structure of the at least two identifiable rigid gripping members 220 of the flexible package 200 such that each rigid ring structure of the at least two identifiable rigid gripping members 220 is grasped by one robotic device 320. In other words, the flexible package 200 is grasped by at least two robotic devices 320. The controller 400 may then control the at least two robotic devices 320 grasping the at least two rigid gripping members 220 of the flexible package 200 to invert the flexible package 200.

In another aspect of the present disclosure, a method of handling flexible packages may be performed using the robotic system 300 as shown in fig. 3 and the controller 400 as shown in fig. 4. For example, fig. 5 is a flow diagram of a method of handling flexible packages using a robotic system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. In certain embodiments, the method shown in fig. 5 may be implemented on the robotic system 300 shown in fig. 3 and the controller 400 shown in fig. 4, and the flexible package processed by the method shown in fig. 5 may be the flexible package 200 described in any of the above embodiments. It is specifically noted that the steps of the method may be arranged in a different order, and thus are not limited to the order shown in fig. 5, unless otherwise stated in this disclosure.

As shown in fig. 5, when the robotic system 300 as shown in fig. 4 is provided, at process 510, the flexible package 200 may be provided for processing. The flexible package 200 can include a soft, deformable package body 210 and a plurality of rigid gripping members 220. Then, at process 520, the controller 400 may control the computer vision system 330 to capture an image of the flexible package 200. In certain embodiments, each rigid gripping member 220 may also include a visual guide structure, such as a colored structure or label, that is easily detected by the computer vision system 330. At process 530, the controller 400 may process the image of the flexible package 200 to identify the location of the rigid gripping member 220 of the flexible package 200. Once the location of the rigid gripping members 220 of the flexible package 200 is identified, the controller 400 may control the robotic device 320 to grasp the rigid gripping members 220 at process 540.

During the handling of a plurality of flexible packages or a hybrid package of flexible packages and rigid packages, one or more corners of the flexible package may be blocked by other packages. Fig. 6 is a schematic view of a plurality of flexible packages to be treated according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring back to the description of fig. 3 and as shown in fig. 6, a plurality of flexible packages 600 are stacked on a platform 650. Each flexible package 600 has four rigid gripping members 620. However, the number of rigid gripping members 620 exposed for robotic manipulation per flexible package 600 varies. The exposed rigid gripping members 620 of each flexible package may be one, two, three or four based on the size, orientation and position of each flexible package in the stack. Thus, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, it is possible that each flexible package 600 has at least one externally exposed rigid gripping member 620, such that a robot as shown in fig. 3 can easily pick up any one flexible package using one, two, three or four exposed rigid gripping members 620.

The foregoing description of the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure has been presented only for the purposes of illustration and description and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure to the precise forms disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching.

The embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain the principles of the disclosure and its practical application to enable others skilled in the art to utilize the disclosure and various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. Alternative embodiments will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure pertains without departing from its spirit and scope. Accordingly, the scope of the present disclosure is defined by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description and the exemplary embodiments described therein.