Automated Truck Unloader for Unloading/Unpacking Product from Trailers and Containers

摘要

An automatic truck unloader for unloading/unpacking product, such as boxes or cases, from trailers and containers is disclosed. In one embodiment, a mobile base structure provides a support framework for a drive subassembly, conveyance subassembly, an industrial robot, a distance measurement subassembly, and a control subassembly. Under the operation of the control subassembly, an industrial robot having a suction cup-based gripper arm selectively removes boxes from the trailer and places the boxes on a powered transportation path. The control subassembly coordinates the selective articulated movement of the industrial robot and the activation of the drive subassembly based upon the distance measurement subassembly detecting objects, including boxes, within a detection space, and dimensions of the trailer provided to the control subassembly.

主权项

1. An automatic truck unloader for unloading/unpacking product from a trailer, the automatic truck unloader comprising:
a base structure having first and second ends; an industrial robot disposed at the second end of the base structure; a distance measurement subassembly disposed at the second end, the distance measurement subassembly configured to determine presence of objects within a detection space; a control subassembly mounted to the base structure, the control subassembly being in communication with the industrial robot, and the distance measurement subassembly, the control subassembly coordinating the selective articulated movement of the industrial robot and the activation of the drive subassembly based upon the distance measurement subassembly detecting objects within the detection space; and the control assembly including a memory accessible to a processor, the memory including processor-executable instructions that, when executed cause the processor to:
specify a search operation to identify a product skyline within a product space,specify a search operation to identify an active quadrant within the product space,specify a search operation to identify a protruding product within the active quadrant at the product skyline, andspecify a removal operation to unload the product corresponding to the protruding product.