ROBOT SYSTEM WITH MOTION SEQUENCES ADAPTED TO PRODUCT TYPES, AND OPERATING METHOD THEREFOR

Abstract

A robot system (2a . . . 2d) is specified, which comprises a robot (1a, 1b) having a gripping unit (4) for collecting and placing down/throwing goods (26a, . . . 26g), wherein the goods (26a, . . . 26g) are differentiated into multiple types with respect to their dimensional stability, compressive stability, flexural rigidity, strength, their absolute weight and/or specific weight. When the goods (26a, . . . 26g) are manipulated, the robot (1a, 1b) and/or the gripping unit (4) are controlled depending on the type determined for the goods (26a, . . . 26g). Moreover, a method for operating the robot system (2a, . . . 2d) is specified.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a robot (1a, 1b) in a storage and order-picking system (16), said robot (1a, 1b) comprising a gripping unit (4) movable in relation to a robot base (3), in which the goods (26a . . . 26g) are collected from or out of a first goods carrier (9a, 9c, 9e, 10a, 19, 24) and are placed down or thrown in/into or on/onto a second goods carrier (9b, 9d, 10b, 20a, 20b, 25) by means of the gripping unit (4), wherein: goods (26a . . . 26g) are differentiated by one or a combination of the physical parameters: dimensional stability, compressive stability, flexural rigidity, strength, absolute weight and/or specific weight at least into goods (26a . . . 26g) of a first type and goods (26a . . . 26g) of a second type, prior to collecting a good (26a . . . 26g), the type of good (26a . . . 26g) is determined, the good (26a . . . 26g) is collected from or out of the first goods carrier (9a, 9c, 9e, 10a, 19, 24) and is placed down or thrown in/into or on/onto the second goods carrier (9b, 9d, 10b, 20a, 20b, 25) by means of the gripping unit (4), wherein the robot and/or the gripping unit (4) is controlled depending on the type determined for the good (26a . . . 26g), goods (26a . . . 26g) of the first type are thrown into or onto the second goods carrier (9b, 9d, 10b, 20a, 20b, 25), whereas goods (26a . . . 26g) of the second type are placed in or on the second goods carrier (9b, 9d, 10b, 20a, 20b, 25).

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein a program for controlling the robot (1a, 1b) and/or the gripping unit (4) contains at least two program branches, wherein, based on the type of the good (26a . . . 26g) to be collected, a program branch intended for said type is run through.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein motion parameters for the robot (1a, 1b), which are assigned to the physical properties and/or to the types of good (26a . . . 26g), are stored in a database (12, 14), a motion parameter for the robot (1a, 1b) is read from the database (12, 14) using the type of goods (26a . . . 26g) to be collected, and the motion of the robot (1a, 1b) is controlled using the read motion parameter.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein a physical property and/or a type of the good (26a . . . 26g) is determined with the aid of a sensor system (8a . . . 8c).

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein a physical property and/or a type of a good (26a . . . 26g) placed in or on a first goods carrier (9a, 9c, 9e, 10a, 19, 24) and/or a motion parameter for the robot (1a, 1b) assigned to a physical property and/or a type of the good (26a . . . 26g) placed in or on a first goods carrier (9a, 9c, 9e, 10a, 19, 24), is/are retrieved from a central computer (13) of a storage and order-picking system (16).

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the goods (26a . . . 26g) are additionally differentiated at least into a first and a second type according to their size and/or their geometric shape.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the goods (26a . . . 26g) are differentiated into the at least one first and second type based on a threshold which is assigned to a physical parameter.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the gripping unit (4) comprises at least one suction gripper (5), whichwhen collecting a good (26a . . . 26g) of the first typeis activated prior to the contact of the at least one suction gripper (5) with said good (26a . . . 26g), whereas the at least one suction gripper (5)when collecting a good (26a . . . 26g) of the second typeis activated after the contact of the at least one suction gripper (5) with said good (26a . . . 26g).

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the gripping unit (4) comprises at least one suction gripper (5) and whereinwhen a good (26a . . . 26g) of the first type is collecteda contact plane of the at least one suction gripper (5) is tilted by up to 70 in relation to a gripping surface (29) of the good (26a . . . 26g), whereaswhen a good (26a . . . 26g) of the second type is collectedsaid contact plane is tilted by a maximum of 20 in relation to a gripping surface (29) of the good (26a . . . 26g).

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein a collision of the gripping unit (4) with another good than the good (26a . . . 26g) to be collected is prevented if the other good (26a . . . 26g) is a good (26a . . . 26g) of the second type and is allowed for if the other good (26a . . . 26g) is a good (26a . . . 26g) of the first type.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the maximum speed of the gripping unit (4) is higher for goods (26a . . . 26g) of the first type than for goods (26a . . . 26g) of the second type and/or the maximum acceleration of the gripping unit (4) is higher for goods (26a . . . 26g) of the first type than for goods (26a . . . 26g) of the second type.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein a specific target position (ZP) in or on the second goods carrier (9b, 9d, 10b, 20a, 20b, 25) is calculated for goods (26a . . . 26g) of the second type, whereas a target region (ZB) with multiple possible target positions (ZP) in or on the second goods carrier (9b, 9d, 10b, 20a, 20b, 25) is calculated for goods (26a . . . 26g) of the first type.

13. (canceled)

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein a good (26a . . . 26g) of the first type is moved vertically above a target position (ZP) calculated for the good (26a . . . 26g) or vertically above a target region (ZB) calculated for the good (26a . . . 26g) by means of the robot (1a, 1b) and is then released.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein a good (26a . . . 26g) of the first type is moved to a releasing position (P2) by means of the robot (1a, 1b) and released there, said position being located vertically above and laterally beside a target position (ZP) calculated for the good (26a . . . 26g) or vertically above and laterally beside a target region (ZB) calculated for the good (26a . . . 26g), as well as at the starting point of a projectile motion (PA) leading to said target position (ZP)/into said target region (ZB), for the calculation of which projectile motion (PA) at least the speed of motion (v) and the direction of motion of the gripping unit (4) at the releasing position (P2) are taken into consideration.

16. The method according to claim 1, wherein unintended dropping of the goods (26a . . . 26g) collected by the gripping unit (4) as well as unintended placing down/throwing of a good (26a . . . 26g) outside a tolerance region around a calculated target position (ZP) of said good (26a . . . 26g) is assessed as an error, and the speed and/or acceleration of the gripping unit (4) is reduced if the number of errors per time unit exceeds a first settable threshold and/or is increased if the number of errors per time unit comes below a second settable threshold.

17. The method according to claim 1, wherein goods (26a . . . 26g) of the first type are easily deformable and goods (26a . . . 26g) of the second type are difficult to deform.

18. The method according to claim 1, wherein goods (26a . . . 26g) of the first type are soft/resilient and goods (26a . . . 26g) of the second type are hard/rigid.

19. The method according to claim 1, wherein goods (26a . . . 26g) of the first type are flexurally limp and goods (26a . . . 26g) of the second type are flexurally rigid.

20. The method according to claim 1, wherein goods (26a . . . 26g) of the first type are unbreakable and goods (26a . . . 26g) of the second type are fragile.

21. The method according to claim 1, wherein goods (26a . . . 26g) of the first type are light and goods (26a . . . 26g) of the second type are heavy.

22. The method according to claim 1, wherein goods (26a . . . 26g) of the first type are light in specific weight and goods (26a . . . 26g) of the second type are heavy in specific weight.

23. The method according to claim 1, wherein goods (26a . . . 26g) of the first type are small and goods (26a . . . 26g) of the second type are large.

24. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first goods carrier and/or the second goods carrier are designed as loading aids (9a . . . 9e) or conveying device(s) (10a, 10b, 19, 20a, 20b, 24, 25).

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein the loading aid (9a . . . 9e) has a bottom (27), side walls (28) rising up from it and a loading opening bounded by the side walls (28).

26. The method according to claim 25, wherein a good (26a . . . 26g) of the first type lying adjacent to a side wall (28) of the loading aid (9a . . . 9e) is pressed against said side wall (28) when it is collected, whereas a good (26a . . . 26g) of the second type lying adjacent to a side wall (28) of the loading aid (9a . . . 9e) is removed from the loading aid (9a . . . 9e) without any pressure (p) on said side wall (28) when it is collected.

27. The method according to claim 1, wherein goods (26a . . . 26g) of the first type and goods (26a . . . 26g) of the second type are collected and placed down/thrown by means of the same gripping unit (4).

28. The method according to claim 1, wherein, according to an order, the goods (26a . . . 26g) are transported to the robot (1a, 1b) with the aid of the first goods carrier (9a, 9c, 9e, 10a, 19, 24), are transferred from or out of the first goods carrier (9a, 9c, 9e, 10a, 19, 24) into or onto the second goods carrier (9b, 9d, 10b, 20a, 20b, 25) with the aid of the robot (1a, 1b), and are transported away from the robot (1a, 1b) with the aid of the second goods carrier (9b, 9d,10b, 20a, 20b, 25).

29. A robot system (2a . . . 2d), comprising a robot (1a, 1b) having a gripping unit (4) movable in relation to a robot base (3) for collecting goods (26a . . . 26g), wherein the robot (1a, 1b) is designed for collecting goods (26a . . . 26g) from or out of a first goods carrier (9a, 9c, 9e, 10a, 19, 24) and placing or throwing these in/into or on/onto a second goods carrier (9b, 9d, 10b, 20a, 20b, 25) by means of the gripping unit (4), and a robot controller (11a, 11b) which is configured for instructing the robot (1a, 1b) to collect said goods (26a . . . 26g) from or out of the first goods carrier (9a, 9c, 9e, 10a, 19, 24) and to place or throw them in/into or on/onto the second goods carrier (9b, 9d, 10b, 20a, 20b, 25), wherein the robot controller (11a, 11b) is further designed controlling the robot (1a, 1b) and/or the gripping unit (4) differently depending on the a determined type of said goods (26a . . . 26g) such that goods (26a . . . 26g) of a first type are thrown into or onto the second goods carrier (9b, 9d, 10b, 20a, 20b, 25) and goods (26a . . . 26g) of a second type are placed in or on the second goods carrier (9b, 9d, 10b, 20a, 20b, 25).

30. The robot system (2a . . . 2d) according to claim 29, wherein a program for controlling the robot (1a, 1b) and/or the gripping unit (4) is stored in the robot controller (11a, 11b), said program containing at least two program branches, wherein, based on the type of the good (26a . . . 26g) to be collected, a program branch intended for said type is run through.

31. The robot system (2a . . . 2d) according to claim 29, further comprising a robot database (12) in which motion parameters for the robot (1a, 1b) are stored, said motion parameters being assigned to the physical properties and/or to the types of goods (26a . . . 26g) and being provided for controlling the motion of the robot (1a, 1b) and/or the gripping unit (4), wherein the goods (26a . . . 26g) are differentiated by one or a combination of the physical parameters: dimensional stability, compressive stability, flexural rigidity, strength, absolute weight and/or specific weight at least into goods (26a . . . 26g) of the first type and goods (26a . . . 26g) of the second type.

32. The robot system (2a . . . 2d) according to claim 29, further comprising a sensor system (8a . . . 8c) for determining a physical property and/or a type of the good (26a . . . 26g).

33. The robot system (2a . . . 2d) according to claim 29, further comprising an interface to a central computer (13) of a storage and order-picking system (16), said interface providing a physical property and/or the type of a good (26a . . . 26g) placed in or on a first goods carrier (9a, 9c, 9e, 10a, 19, 24) and/or a motion parameter for the robot (1a, 1b) assigned to a physical property and/or the type of a good (26a . . . 26g) placed in or on a first goods carrier (9a, 9c, 9e, 10a, 19, 24), for the robot (1a, 1b).

34. The robot system (2a . . . 2d) according to claim 32, wherein the sensor system (8a . . . 8c) comprises a camera and/or a scale and/or a barcode scanner and/or an RFID reader and/or a room depth sensor and/or a laser scanner and/or an ultrasonic sensor.

35. The robot system (2a . . . 2d) according to claim 29, wherein the gripping unit (4) comprises at least one suction gripper (5).

36. The robot system (2a . . . 2d) according to claim 29, wherein the robot (1a, 1b) is designed as a jointed-arm robot or a gantry robot.

37. A storage and order-picking system (16) for order-picking of goods (26a . . . 26g) comprising a storage area (21) for storing goods (26a . . . 26g), a working area for picking/repacking goods and a robot system (2a . . . 2d), wherein said robot system (2a . . . 2d) is designed according to claim 29.

38. The storage and order-picking system (16) according to claim 37, wherein the working area is designed for fully automated order-picking of goods (26a . . . 26g), and a first conveying device for transporting goods (26a . . . 26g) in or on first goods carriers (9a, 9c, 9e, 10a, 19, 24) is arranged between the storage area (21) and the robot (1a, 1b) in the working area, and/or a second conveying device for transporting goods (26a . . . 26g) in or on second goods carriers (9b, 9d, 10b, 20a, 20b, 25) is provided between the storage area (21) and the robot (1a, 1b) in the working area, wherein the robot (1a, 1b) is designed for collecting at least one good (26a . . . 26g) from or out of the first goods carrier (9a, 9c, 9e, 10a, 19, 24) for an order and to place or throw the at least one good (26a . . . 26g) in/into or on/onto the second goods carrier (9b, 9d, 10b, 20a, 20b, 25) for this order.

39. The storage and order-picking system (16) according to claim 37, further comprising a central computer (13) of the storage and order-picking system (16) connected with the robot system (2a . . . 2d), said central computer (13) knowing a physical property and/or the type of a good (26a . . . 26g) placed in or on a first goods carrier (9a, 9c, 9e, 10a, 19, 24).

40. The storage and order-picking system (16) according to claim 39, further comprising a robot database (14) connected with the central computer (13) of the storage and order-picking system (16), with motion parameter for the robot (1a, 1b) being stored in said central database (14), said motion parameters being assigned to the physical properties and/or to the types of goods (26a . . . 26g) and being provided for controlling the motion of the robot (1a, 1b) and/or the gripping unit (4), wherein the goods (26a . . . 26g) are differentiated by one or a combination of the physical parameters: dimensional stability, compressive stability, flexural rigidity, strength, absolute weight and/or specific weight at least into goods (26a . . . 26g) of the first type and goods (26a . . . 26g) of the second type.

41. The storage and order-picking system (16) according to claim 39, further comprising a central database (14) connected with or comprised by the central computer (13) of the storage and order-picking system (16), with physical parameters of the goods (26a . . . 26g) selected from the group of dimensional stability, compressive stability, flexural rigidity, strength, absolute weight and/or specific weight being stored in said central database (14).

Description

[0088] These show in a respectively very simplified schematic representation:

[0089] FIG. 1 a first simplified example of a robot system having a robot and a stationarily installed camera system in an oblique view;

[0090] FIG. 2 similar as in FIG. 1, but with a movable camera system having a camera mounted on a robot arm segment of the robot;

[0091] FIG. 3 a schematically shown example of a storage and order-picking system in a top view;

[0092] FIG. 4 an example in which the gripping unit is strongly tilted in relation to a gripping surface of the good;

[0093] FIG. 5 an example in which a good is pressed against the side wall of a loading aid while it is collected, and

[0094] FIG. 6 an example for throwing a good into a second goods carrier along a projectile motion.

[0095] First of all, it is to be noted that in the different embodiments described, equal parts are provided with equal reference numbers and/or equal component designations, where the disclosures contained in the entire description may be analogously transferred to equal parts with equal reference numbers and/or equal component designations. Moreover, the specifications of location, such as at the top, at the bottom, at the side, chosen in the description refer to the directly described and depicted figure and in case of a change of position, are to be analogously transferred to the new position.

[0096] FIG. 1 shows a robot 1a in a robot system 2a. The robot 1a comprises a gripping unit 4 which is movable in relation to a robot base 3 and which comprises three suction grippers 5 spaced apart from one another in this example. The gripping unit 4 is connected to the robot base 3 in an articulated manner via a robot arm comprising two arm segments 6 and 7. Moreover, FIG. 1 shows a sensor system 8a, 8b, which serves for the detection of the goods carriers 9a and 9b as well as the goods lying therein and, in the present example, comprises two cameras 8a, 8b. However, the goods are not visible in FIG. 1 since they are stored in the goods carriers 9a and 9b, which are designed as containers in this example. The container 9a is a source container from which goods are collected/removed by the gripping unit 4, and the container 9b is a target container, into which goods are placed down/thrown by the gripping unit 4.

[0097] The cameras 8a, 8b are arranged above the containers 9a and 9b and are each designed as a stereo camera in this example. Accordingly, the cameras 8a, 8b detect a three-dimensional image of the inside of at least the containers 9a and 9b and the goods stored therein. In general, it would also be possible that merely the camera 8a (stereo camera) is provided above the container 9a or merely the camera 8b (stereo camera) is provided above the container 9b. Furthermore, it is conceivable that merely one common camera 8a (stereo camera) is provided for the containers 9a and 9b. Although stereo cameras are used in a preferred embodiment, the cameras 8a, 8b can also be designed as a camera for detecting a two-dimensional image of the inside of at least the containers 9a and 9b and the goods stored therein. The arrangement shown in FIG. 1 further comprises a conveying device for transporting the containers 9a, 9b to the robot system 2a and for transporting the containers 9a, 9b away from the robot system 2a. In particular, the conveying device comprises a first conveying path 10a for transporting the containers 9a, 9b to the robot system 2a and a second conveying path 10b for transporting the containers 9a, 9b away from the robot system 2a.

[0098] Finally, the arrangement shown in FIG. 1 also comprises a robot controller 11a, which is connected to the camera 8a, 8b and to the robot 1a and servers for controlling the movement of the gripping unit 4 according to a predefined loading or order-picking operation. The robot controller 11a moreover comprises an optional robot database 12 in the present example.

[0099] FIG. 2 shows a robot system 2b which is very similar to the robot system 2a shown in FIG. 1. In contrast, however, no cameras 8a, 8b are arranged above the containers 9a and 9b, but a single camera 8c is arranged directly on the second arm segment 7 of the robot 1b. This camera 8c is connected to a robot controller 11b (connection not shown). Furthermore, the camera 8c can, in turn, be designed as a stereo camera, to detect a three-dimensional image of the containers 9a and 9b as well as the goods stored therein, for example by the camera 8c being moved above the container 9a or above the container 9b by means of the robot 1a and an image being detected there. However, it would also be conceivable that the camera 8c is designed merely for detecting a two-dimensional image, and a three-dimensional image of the containers 9a and 9b as well as of the goods stored therein is generated by detecting multiple two-dimensional images during a movement of the camera 8c and subsequent calculation of the three-dimensional image.

[0100] A further difference of the robot system 2b to the robot system 2a of FIG. 1 consists in that the robot controller 11b is connected to a central computer 13, which comprises an optional central database 14.

[0101] At this point, it should be noted that the connection to the central computer 13 and/or to the central database 14 shown in FIG. 2 can also be used in the robot system 2a of FIG. 1. In particular, both the robot database 12 and the central database 14 can be provided. Of course, it is also conceivable that (merely) the robot database 12 is used in the robot system 2b of FIG. 2. At this point, it should also be noted that the camera 8c can also be combined with the cameras 8a . . . 8d of the robot system 1a of FIG. 1.

[0102] FIG. 3 shows a storage and order-picking system 15 comprising a building 16 as well as a gate at an incoming goods department 17 and a gate at an outgoing goods department 18. In the region of the incoming goods department 17, there is a first conveying path 19 and two second conveying paths 20a and 20b. The first conveying path 19 connects the incoming goods department 17 to the robot system 2c. The two second conveying paths 20a and 20b connect the robot system 2c to a storage area 21, which comprises multiple storage racks 22 as well as storage-and-retrieval units 23a and 23b, which move in rack aisles running between the storage racks 22. At that end of the rack aisles, which is opposite to the second conveying paths 20a and 20b, there is a third conveying path 24, which is designed annularly and leads to a further robot system 2d in the present example. A fourth conveying path 25, which connects the robot system 2d to the outgoing goods department 18 in terms of conveyor technology, is arranged in the operating range of the robot system 2d as well.

[0103] The loading aids 9a . . . 9e shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 are designed as containers, concretely for example as cardboard boxes, cartons or boxes. The container 9a . . . 9e in general comprises a container bottom, side walls rising up from it and a loading opening bounded by the side walls.

[0104] However, generally, it is also conceivable that the loading aids 9a . . . 9e used in the presented method are designed as pallets or trays. Since a tray usually has (low) side walls, it can also be understood as a container.

[0105] Moreover, the suggested method and/or the suggested robot system 2a . . . 2d as well as the suggested storage and order-picking system 15 are not only suited for the manipulation of more or less cuboidal goods 26a . . . 26e, but also for the manipulation of irregularly shaped goods 26a . . . . 26e.

[0106] At this point, it should also be noted that robot controllers 11a and 11b intended for the robot systems 2c and 2d are also present in the storage and order-picking system 15, are, however, not explicitly shown in FIG. 3. This similarly applies to the robot database 12, the central computer 13 and the central database 14, which can also be present in the storage and order-picking system 15, are, however, not explicitly shown in FIG. 3.

[0107] The function of the arrangements shown in the figures is now explained in detail below:

[0108] FIGS. 1 and 2 show the process when loading goods 26a . . . 26e from a first goods carrier 9a (source container) into a second goods carrier 9b (target container) with the aid of the gripping unit 4. The goods carriers 9a and 9b formed as box-shaped containers are transported to the robot 1a, 1b by means of the conveying devices 10a and 10b for the loading operation and transported away from the robot 1a, 1b after the loading operation. However, the transport of the goods 26a . . . 26e with the aid of loading aids 9a and 9b is no necessary requirement, but the goods 26a . . . 26e can also be transported directly on the conveying devices if these for example comprise a belt conveyor, a modular belt conveyor and the like as the first conveying path 10a and a belt conveyor, a modular belt conveyor and the like as the second conveying path 10b. Of course, roller conveyors 10a and 10b can be provided as well. Likewise, other loading aids, such as trays or cardboard boxes, can be provided in place of the containers 9a and 9b.

[0109] If in the region of the robot system 2a . . . 2d loading aids (containers, trays, cardboard boxes) from which or out of which goods 26a . . . 26e are removed by means of the suction grippers 5, are used as first object carriers 10a, the (source) loading aids can advantageously be loaded with goods 26a . . . 26e of just one type or be loaded compartmentalized with goods 26a . . . 26e of just one type. For example, a first loading aid contains the good A, a second loading contains the good B and so on. As opposed to this, it is also possible that a loading aid is divided into multiple receiving compartments by means of dividing walls and can accommodate different goods A, B, wherein a good A can be accommodated in the first receiving compartment and a good B can be accommodated in the second receiving compartment.

[0110] In general, the goods 26a . . . 26e are differentiated by one of or a combination of the physical parameters: dimensional stability, compressive stability, flexural rigidity, strength, absolute weight and/or specific weight at least into goods 26a . . . 26e of a first type and goods 26a . . . 26e of a second type. Hence, the goods 26a . . . 26e can for example be differentiated into easily deformable and difficult to deform goods 26a . . . 26e, soft/resilient and hard/rigid goods 26a . . . 26e, flexurally limp and flexurally rigid goods 26a . . . 26e, unbreakable and fragile goods 26a . . . 26e, light and heavy goods 26a . . . 26e, light in specific weight and heavy in specific weight goods 26a . . . 26e as well as into small and large goods 26a . . . 26e.

[0111] Before a good 26a . . . 26e is collected, its type is determined. Then, said good 26a . . . 26e is collected from or out of the first goods carrier 9a and is placed down or thrown in/into or on/onto the second goods carrier 9b by means of the gripping unit 4. In this regard, the robot 1a, 1b and/or the gripping unit 4, in particular a motion of the robot 1a, 1b and/or of the gripping unit 4, is controlled depending on the type determined for the good 26a . . . 26e with the aid of the robot controller 11a, 11b.

[0112] To distinguish the goods 26a . . . 26e at least into a first and a second type, for example a threshold assigned to a physical property, e.g. the weight of the goods 26a . . . 26e, can be used. For example, the threshold can be determined to be 1 kg in this case.

[0113] In a variant of the suggested method, a program for controlling the robot 1a, 1b and/or the gripping unit 4 which is executed in the robot controller 11a, 11b contains multiple program branches, which are run through depending on a physical property or a type of the goods 26a . . . 26e. For example, the program flow can be controlled using an IF-THEN condition (IF-ELSE condition), as is indicated below by way of example

TABLE-US-00010 IF good = heavy THEN ... END IF weight of good > 1 kg THEN ... END

[0114] In the alternative or in addition to this, the motions of the robot 1a, 1b can also be influenced by means of motion parameters. A speed and/or an acceleration of the gripping unit 4 can for example be provided as motion parameters. The selection of such a motion parameter can, in turn, be carried out using an IF-THEN condition, as shown below using the example of the speed setting for the gripping unit 4:

TABLE-US-00011 IF good = heavy THEN speed = 1 m/s END IF weight of good > 1 kg THEN speed = 1 m/s END

[0115] It is also conceivable that a motion parameter for the robot 1a, 1b is stored in the form of a data set, wherein the motion parameter is assigned to an identification of the goods 26a . . . 26e, to a physical property of the goods 26a . . . 26e or to a type of the goods 26a . . . 26e, as is shown below by way of example:

TABLE-US-00012 Identification number Speed 15689090 1 m/s

TABLE-US-00013 Weight of good(s) Speed 1 kg 1 m/s

TABLE-US-00014 Type of good(s) Speed heavy 1 m/s

[0116] The respective data sets can be stored in the robot database 12 and/or in the central database 14.

[0117] The type of a good 26a . . . 26e can for example be defined using a physical property determined for this good 26a . . . 26e. An exemplary program flow for the assignment of a good 26a . . . 26e to a certain type using the weight of the goods could for example look as below:

TABLE-US-00015 IF good > 1 kg THEN type of goods = heavy END

[0118] A physical property of a good 26a . . . 26e, for example the size of a good 26a . . . 26e, can be detected directly via the sensor system, i.e. in the present example using the cameras 8a, 8b. Then, again, the type of the goods 26a . . . 26e can be determined.

[0119] However, it is also conceivable that the property of a good 26a . . . 26e or the type of a good 26a . . . 26e is determined via the identification of the good 26a . . . 26e. In this regard, a good 26a . . . 26e is identified with the aid of the sensor system 8a, 8b (which for this purpose for example comprises a barcode scanner or an RFID reader) and the assigned physical property and/or the assigned type is determined with the aid of a data set. For example, a data set could have the following structure:

TABLE-US-00016 Identification number Weight of good(s) 15689090 1 kg

TABLE-US-00017 Identification number Type of good(s) 15689090 heavy

[0120] The respective data sets can, again, be stored in the robot database 12 and/or in the central database 14.

[0121] However, it is also conceivable that a physical property of the goods 26a . . . 26e, a type of the goods 26a . . . 26e or an identification of the goods 26a . . . 26e is determined with the aid of a central computer 13, in concrete terms by the central computer 13 knowing which goods 26a . . . 26e are in the operating range of the robot 1a, 1b. For example, this can be done via position encoders in the conveyor rollers, which are used in the conveyor devices 10a, 10b. Via these position encoders, the position of a good 26a . . . 26e on the conveying device(s) 10a, 10b and/or in the storage and order-picking system 15 can be determined and thus also their physical properties, their type and/or their identification.

[0122] It is further conceivable that program sections or code segments (applets) are retrieved from the central controller 13 and/or the central database 14, which are then loaded into the robot controller 11a, 11b. These program sections or code segments can differ from one another for different properties of goods and/or types of goods. It would also be conceivable that pointers to program sections or code segments, which differ from one another for different properties of goods and/or types of goods, are retrieved from the central controller 13 and/or from the central database 14.

[0123] At this point, it should be noted that the measures suggested above for determining a physical property of a good 26a . . . 26e, a type of a good 26a . . . 26e, an identification of a good 26a . . . 26e and/or a motion parameter of a robot 1a, 1b as well as the measures for controlling the program flow for the robot 1a, 1b can be applied individually as well as in any desired combinations.

[0124] For example, the suction gripper 4 can be activated before or after contact of the suction gripper 4 with the goods 26a . . . 26e depending on the type of the goods 26a . . . 26e when a good 26a . . . 26e is collected. It is further conceivable that a contact plane of the suction gripper 4 can be tilted to different extends in relation to a gripping surface of the good 26a . . . 26e depending on the type of the goods 26a . . . 26e when a good 26a . . . 26e is collected (also see FIG. 4). In a further variant, a collision of the gripping unit 4 with another good than the good 26a . . . 26e to be collected is prevented or allowed depending on the type of the other goods 26a . . . 26e. In yet another variant, the maximum speed of the gripping unit 4 and/or the maximum acceleration of the gripping unit 4 is selected depending on the type of the good 26a . . . 26e. Moreover, it is conceivable that depending on the type of a good 26a . . . 26e, a target position or a target region for placing down and/or throwing a good 26a . . . 26e is calculated (also see FIG. 6). In a further variant, a good 26a . . . 26e is pressed against the side wall of a loading aid 9a, 9b while it is collected or removed from the loading 9a, 9b without pressure on said side wall depending on the type of the good 26a . . . 26e (also see FIG. 5). In a further variant, the goods 26a . . . 26e are thrown or placed down onto/on the second goods carrier 9b depending on the type of the good 26a . . . 26e (also see FIG. 6).

[0125] It is also conceivable that a trajectory for the gripping unit 4 is changed based on the type of a good 26a . . . 26e. For example, rather soft/round motions can be provided for goods 26a . . . 26e of the second type (meaning that the trajectory has comparably large radii), whereas the trajectory of the gripping unit 4 for goods 26a . . . 26e of the first type can also have narrower radii.

[0126] It is also conceivable that large goods 26a . . . 26e are elevated higher above a side wall of a loading aid 9a, 9b, in particular if they are easily deformable, soft/resilient and/or flexurally limp, than small goods 26a . . . 26e, in particular if they are difficult to deform, hard/rigid and/or flexurally rigid.

[0127] FIG. 3 shows a fairly more complex arrangement, in specific terms a storage and order-picking system 15. In this regard, goods 26a . . . 26e are delivered to the incoming goods department 17, loaded onto the first conveying path 19, transferred from the first conveying path 19 to the second conveying paths 20a and 20b by the robot system 2c and stored in the storage racks 22 by means of the storage-and-retrieval units 23a and 23b. The first conveying path 19 in this operation acts as the first goods carrier and/or the source, whereas the second conveying paths 20a and 20b in this operation act as the second goods carrier and/or the target.

[0128] When a picking order is to be processed, the goods 26a . . . 26e assigned to the order are removed from at least one storage rack 22 with the aid of at least one storage-and-retrieval unit 23a and 23b and transferred to the third conveying path 24. Then, the goods 26a . . . 26e are transported to the robot system 2d with the aid of the third conveying path 24 and transferred from the third conveying path 24 to the fourth conveying path 25 by said robot system 2d and are lastly transported to the outgoing goods department 18 with the aid of the fourth conveying path 25. The third conveying path 24 in this operation acts as the first goods carrier and/or the source, whereas the fourth conveying path 25 in this operation act as the second goods carrier and/or the target.

[0129] As can be seen from FIG. 3, the goods 26a, 26b and 26e are transported directly on the conveying paths 19, 20a, 20b, 24 and 25 acting as goods carriers, whereas the goods 26c and 26d are transported with the aid of loading aids 9c . . . 9e, which accordingly also act as goods carriers. Thus, FIG. 3 shows a mixed type of transport. It would certainly also be conceivable that the goods 26a . . . 26e are transported solely on the conveying paths 19, 20a, 20b, 24 and 25 acting as goods carrier or solely with the aid of the loading aids 9c . . . 9e.

[0130] Of course, the design and arrangement of the conveying paths 19, 20a, 20b, 24 and 25 in FIG. 3 is to be considered illustrative and other formations and arrangements of the mentioned conveying paths 19, 20a, 20b, 24 and 25 are also conceivable. In particular, an annular conveying path could be arranged at the incoming goods department 17, or linear conveying paths could be provided at the outgoing goods department 18. The conveyor connection of the robot system 2c and 2d to the incoming goods department 17, to the storage area 21 and to the outgoing goods department 18 is not necessarily established via stationary conveying means, as shown in FIG. 3, but could also take place in whole or in part via autonomous transport vehicles (in particular autonomous floor conveyors), whose loading platforms then also serve as goods carriers.

[0131] It would further be conceivable that the goods 26a . . . 26e are loaded directly onto the storage-and-retrieval units 23a and 23b by the robot system 2c or are taken over directly from the storage-and-retrieval units 23a and 23b by the robot system 2d. In this case, the loading platforms of the storage-and-retrieval units 23a and 23b also serve as goods carriers.

[0132] At this point, it should also be noted that the robots 1a and 1b do not necessarily have to be designed as jointed-arm robots, but can also be designed for example as gantry robots.

[0133] It should also be noted that the goods 26a . . . 26e may be arranged in or on the first goods carrier 9a, 9c, 9e, 10a, 19, 24 next to each other, on top of each other, standing upright or lying down, thus disordered (chaotic) and/or in a random arrangement.

[0134] It should further be noted that the sensor system can not only comprise cameras 8a . . . 8c, but alternatively or additionally also a barcode scanner, an RFID reader, a scale, a room depth sensor, a laser scanner and/or an ultrasonic sensor. With the aid of these sensors, in particular, a three-dimensional image of the goods 26a . . . 26e lying in or on a goods carrier (for example in the containers 9a . . . 9e or on the conveying paths 10a and 10b) can be detected.

[0135] In general, by the three-dimensional detection a surface structure of the goods 26a . . . 26e can be detected and the suitability for gripping by means of the suction grippers 5 can be determined. For example, highly convex surfaces are less suitable for gripping, whereas plane surfaces are particularly well grippable.

[0136] FIG. 4 shows an example of how a contact plane of the suction grippers 5 can be strongly tilted in relation to a gripping surface 29 of the goods 26f of the first type when the goods 26f are collected. In concrete terms, FIG. 4 shows a loading aid 9a having a bottom 27 and side walls 28 rising up from said bottom 27. A good 26f with an obliquely aligned gripping surface 29 is located in the loading space of the loading aid 9a. The angle to the horizontal amounts to approx. 60. Despite the strongly tilted gripping surface 29 of the good 26f, the contact plane of the suction gripper 5 remains aligned horizontally when collecting the good 26f. Due to the fact that goods 26f of the first type are resilient, the gripping surface 29 is adapted to the contact plane of the suction gripper 5 when the gripping unit 4 is lowered and lastly aligns to be essentially horizontal. Since, when the goods 26f are collected, the contact plane of the suction gripper 5 is not aligned in parallel to their gripping surfaces 29, the loading operation or order-picking operation can be carried out quickly.

[0137] FIG. 5 shows an example of how a good 26f of the first type can be pressed against the side wall of a loading aid 9a when it is collected. In concrete terms, FIG. 5, in turn, shows a loading aid 9a having a bottom 27 and side walls 28 rising up from said bottom 27. A good 26f, which is positioned adjacent to the side wall 28 and has an obliquely aligned gripping surface 29, is located in the loading space of the loading aid 9a. The angle to the horizontal again amounts to approx. 60. However, in this example, the contact plane of the suction gripper 5 is aligned essentially in parallel to the gripping surface 29 when the good 26f is collected and thus also encloses an angle of approximately 60 to the horizontal. In order to facilitate collecting the good 26f, the good 26f can be pressed against the side wall 28 with the pressure p at least when it is collected. It would further be conceivable that the good 26f is also pressed against the side wall 28 during lifting and thus drags along said wall until the good 26f is completely lifted out of the container 9a.

[0138] FIGS. 4 and 5 show the collection of a good 26f of a first type. Goods 26f of the second type, in contrast, are differently collected by the gripping unit 4. In particular, when a good 26f of the second type is collected, a contact plane of the suction gripper 5 is less strongly tilted in relation to the gripping surface of the good 26f than when a good 26f of the first type is collected. In concrete terms, the angle between said contact plane and said gripping surface amounts to less than 20 for goods of the second type, whereas the respective angle can amount to more than 70 for goods of the first type. Moreover, a good 26f of the second type is usually removed from the loading aid 9a without pressure on the side wall 28 of loading aid 9a when it is collected.

[0139] FIG. 6 shows an example for throwing a good 26g into the second goods carrier 9b. In concrete terms, FIG. 6 shows a first loading aid 9a as well as a second loading aid 9b in a state in which the good 26g has been removed from the first loading aid 9a and is now held by the gripping unit 4.

[0140] For throwing the good 26g, it would be conceivable that the gripping unit 4 is moved to the position P1 located vertically above the target position ZP and the good 26g is then released by the gripping unit 4 and falls into the second loading aid 9b. Since falling down of the good 26g is accompanied and/or influenced by conditions that are not within the range of influence of the robot 1a, 1b, a target region ZB instead of a precise target position ZP is provided for the good 26g.

[0141] It is also conceivable that the good 26g is moved to a releasing position P2 with the aid of the robot 1a, 1b, said position being located vertically above and laterally besides a target position ZP calculated for the good or vertically above and laterally besides a target region ZB calculated for the good 26g. Moreover, the releasing position P2 is located at the starting point of a projectile motion PA which leads to said target position ZP/to said target region ZB and for the calculation of which projectile motion PA at least the speed of motion v of the gripping unit 4 (in its amount and direction) at the releasing position P2 is taken as a basis. Accordingly, the good 26g travels the path leading along the projectile motion PA alone and without being held by the gripping unit 4. Since this motion of the good 26g is also accompanied and/or influenced by conditions that are not within the range of influence of the robot 1a, 1b, a target region ZB instead of a precise target position ZP is again provided for the good 26g.

[0142] In particular, the direction of motion of the gripping unit 4 and/or the speed of motion v at the releasing position P2 is directed obliquely upwards, as is shown in FIG. 6. Hence, the good 26g can be thrown relatively far. However, it would also be conceivable that the speed of motion v points into a different direction, for example into the horizontal direction. By the suggested measures, the path which the gripping unit 4 must travel to throw a good 26g can be strongly reduced.

[0143] The approach presented in FIG. 6 is suitable for goods 26g of the first type. Goods 26g of the second type, in contrast, are preferably placed down in the loading aid 9b, i.e. lowered with the aid of the gripping unit 4 until the goods 26g are supported by the bottom of the loading aid 9b or by other goods 26a . . . 26f already lying in the loading aid 9b before the suction grippers 5 are deactivated. It is also conceivable that even goods 26g of the second type are dropped into the loading aid 9b (from a low height). In particular, a height of fall for the goods 26g of the second type amounts to less than 10 cm, whereas the height of fall for the goods 26g of the first type amounts to more than 10 cm. In particular, goods 26g having geometric shapes which are well-suited for stacking, are placed down in the second goods carrier 9b such that a high packing density is allowed for. Such goods 26g in particular have flat boundary surfaces and are in particular cuboid.

[0144] FIGS. 4 to 6 refer to the containers 9a, 9b. However, of course, the disclosed teaching can also be applied to the containers 9c . . . 9e as well as to the conveying devices 10a, 10b, 19, 20a, 20b, 24, 25 without any restriction.

[0145] Furthermore, it is particularly advantageous if unintended dropping of the goods 26a . . . 26g collected by the gripping unit 4 as well as unintended placing down/throwing of a good 26a . . . 26g outside a 26a . . . 26g tolerance region around the calculated target position ZP of said good 26a . . . 26g is assessed as an error, and the speed and/or acceleration of the gripping unit 4 is reduced if the number of errors per time unit exceeds a first settable threshold and/or is increased if the number of errors per time unit comes below a second settable threshold. Hence, the method for loading/order-picking of goods 26a . . . 26g can be adjusted adaptively to changing conditions. To do so, properties of goods 26a . . . 26g and their suitability for being collected by the gripping unit 4 do not need to be intricately determined but the circumstance that this suitability can be read from the temporal rate of occurring errors is made use of. Thus, an optimum for the loading speed and/or the order-picking speed at the set error rate is always achieved.

[0146] At this point, it should be noted that goods 26a . . . 26f g of the first type and goods 26a . . . 26g of the second type can in particular be collected and placed down/thrown by means of the same gripping unit 4 in the context of the operations described above. Hence, time for changing the gripping unit 4 can be saved and loading/order-picking of goods 26a . . . 26g can be carried out quickly.

[0147] Finally, it should also be noted that the scope of protection is determined by the claims. However, the description and the drawings are to be adduced for construing the claims. Individual features or feature combinations from the different exemplary embodiments shown and described may represent independent inventive solutions. The object underlying the independent inventive solutions may be gathered from the description.

[0148] In particular, it should also be noted that the devices shown may in reality comprise more or less components than those shown. In some cases, the shown devices and/or their components may not be depicted to scale and/or be enlarged and/or reduced in size.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

[0149] 1a, 1b robot [0150] 2a . . . 2d robot system [0151] 3 robot base [0152] 4 gripping unit [0153] 5 suction gripper [0154] 6 first robot arm segment [0155] 7 second robot arm segment [0156] 8a . . . 8c camera (sensor system) [0157] 9a . . . 9e container (goods carrier) [0158] 10a, 10b conveying device(s) (goods carrier) [0159] 11a, 1 1b robot controller [0160] 12 robot database [0161] 13 central computer [0162] 14 central database [0163] 15 storage and order-picking system [0164] 16 building wall [0165] 17 incoming goods department [0166] 18 outgoing goods department [0167] 19 first conveying path (goods carrier) [0168] 20a, 20b second conveying path (goods carrier) [0169] 21 storage area [0170] 22 storage rack [0171] 23a, 23b storage-and-retrieval unit [0172] 24 third conveying path (goods carrier) [0173] 25 fourth conveying path (goods carrier) [0174] 26a . . . 26g good(s) [0175] 27 bottom [0176] 28 side wall [0177] 29 gripping surface [0178] p pressure exerted by the gripping unit [0179] P1, P2 releasing position [0180] PA projectile motion [0181] v speed of the gripping unit at the releasing position [0182] ZB target region [0183] ZP target position