System and process for picking tires in an unknown arrangement
A tire picking system ( 100 ) performs a process for picking one or more tires stored in an unknown arrangement and for which a target location must be realized. A gripper ( 108 ) and a robot ( 102 ) including a gripping device ( 104 ) supported by a pivotable elongated arm ( 106 ), the gripping device extending from the elongated arm to a free end ( 104 a ) where the gripper is disposed, form part of the system ( 100 ). An image processing module applies data representative of the physical environment around the robot ( 102 ) to a deployed neural network in order to determine one or more parameters of a target tire (P*); the robot is set in motion based on the determined parameters of the target tire, so that the gripper can pick a target tire (P*) selected by the system ( 100 ) from among the stored tires.
1 . A tire picking system that performs a process for picking one or more tires stored in an unknown arrangement and for which a target location must be realized, the system comprising:
a robot with a gripping device supported by a pivotable elongated arm, the gripping device extending from the elongated arm to a free end;
a gripper arranged along a longitudinal axis at the free end of the gripping device;
a detection system having one or more sensors that capture one or more images of a physical environment around the robot incorporating the stored tires and that collect representative data in a field of view of the sensors; and
a processor comprising an image processing module that applies the representative data to a deployed neural network and that analyzes the captured images in order to determine, using the deployed neural network, one or more parameters of a target tire imaged in the field of view of the sensors,
such that the robot is set in motion based on the determined parameters of the target tire, so that the gripper can pick the target tire selected by the system from among the stored tires along an inner boundary of a sidewall of the selected target tire,
wherein the gripper comprises:
a platform with a predetermined length between an attachment end, at which the platform is removably attached to the robot, and an opposite free end, the platform comprising:
a substantially planar outer face with an exterior side that protects the platform and an opposite interior side; and
a substantially planar inner face with an exterior side and an opposite interior side, the internal face incorporating a path from the free end as far as a stop of the platform,
with each of the substantially planar outer face and the substantially planar inner face having a predetermined width and a predetermined length that extends between the attachment end and the free end of the platform, and the two faces being separated by a predetermined distance between the interior side of the substantially planar outer face and the interior side of the substantially planar inner face; and
an internal finger and an external finger housed in the platform, each of the internal finger and the external finger comprising a pivotable and retractable member of predetermined length that extends between an actuation end and an opposite engagement end,
with each finger being movable along the path of the inner face of the platform between a standby position, in which each finger is folded into a position substantially parallel to the plane of the substantially planar inner face, and an engagement position, in which each finger is unfolded into an angular position with respect to the plane of the substantially planar inner face so that it is ready to engage the target tire along the inner boundary of the sidewall of the selected target tire.
2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the parameters of the imaged target tire comprise at least one of the following parameters:
the inner boundary and an outer boundary of the sidewall that together define the boundaries of the sidewall of the target tire;
a rim radius defined as being a distance between a central point of the tire and the inner boundary of the sidewall;
a sidewall internal diameter defined as being twice the rim radius;
a tire radius defined as being a distance between the central point and the outer boundary of the sidewall; or
a tire diameter defined as being twice the tire radius.
3 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the gripper is configured such that the engagement end of the internal finger grips a first engagement point along the inner boundary of the sidewall of the target tire, and the engagement end of the external finger grips a second engagement point along the inner boundary of the sidewall of the target tire so that the gripper engages the target tire along the inner sidewall diameter of the target tire.
4 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising a control system that directs movement of the robot based on the data representative of the physical environment obtained by the detection system.
5 . A gripper forming part of a tire picking system that performs a process for picking one or more tires stored in an unknown arrangement and for which a target location must be realized, the gripper comprising:
a platform with a predetermined length between an attachment end, at which the platform is detachably attached to a robot, and an opposite free end, the platform comprising:
a substantially planar outer face with an exterior side that protects the platform and an opposite interior side; and
a substantially planar inner face with an exterior side and an opposite interior side, the inner face incorporating a path from the free end to a stop of the platform,
with each substantially planar outer face and each substantially planar inner face having a predetermined width and a predetermined length that extends between the attachment end and the free end of the platform, and the two faces being separated by a predetermined distance between the interior side of the substantially planar outer face and the interior side of the substantially planar inner face; and
an internal finger and an external finger housed in the platform, each of the internal finger and the external finger comprising a pivotable and retractable member of predetermined length that extends between an actuation end and an opposite engagement end,
with each finger being movable along the path of the substantially planar inner face of the platform between a standby position, in which each finger is folded into a position substantially parallel to the plane of the substantially planar inner face, and an engagement position, in which each finger is unfolded into an angular position with respect to the plane of the substantially planar inner face so that it is ready to engage a target tire selected from the stored tires along an inner boundary of a sidewall of the selected target tire corresponding to an inner sidewall diameter of the target tire.
6 . The gripper of claim 5 , wherein the gripper is configured such that the engagement end of the internal finger engages a first engagement point along the inner boundary of the sidewall of the target tire, and the engagement end of the external finger engages a second engagement point along the inner boundary of the sidewall of the target tire so that the gripper engages the target tire along the inner sidewall diameter of the target tire.
7 . The gripper of claim 5 , wherein a processor of the system comprising a module for processing images of a physical environment around the gripper applies representative data of the physical environment to a deployed neural network and analyzes the captured images to determine, using the deployed neural network, one or more parameters pertaining to the target tire so that the gripper can pick the target tire on the basis of the determined parameters.
8 . The gripper of claim 7 , wherein the determined parameters comprise at least one of the following parameters:
the inner boundary and an outer boundary of the sidewall that together define the boundaries of the sidewall of the target tire;
a rim radius defined as being a distance between a central point of the tire and the inner boundary of the sidewall;
an inner sidewall diameter defined as being twice the rim radius-;
a tire radius defined as being a distance between the central point and the outer boundary of the sidewall; or
a tire diameter defined as being twice the tire radius.
9 . A robot comprising a gripping device supported by a pivotable elongated arm, the gripping device extending from the elongated arm to a free end where the gripper of claim 5 is disposed.