Ocado Innovation Limited

Graham Deacon

Osemwaro Jeremiah Pedro

Christos Makris

Andrew John Ingram-Tedd

David Sharp

Joseph Zammit

Sean Clark

Ben Thomas

Osemwaro Jeremiah Oghenetega Pedro

A control device is provided to reliably locate objects and calculate appropriate grasp points for each object to thereby effectively control a robot system. A grasp point calculation is based on, at least, properties of a surface of the object to be grasped by the robot system to more effectively calculate a grasp point for the surface of the object. An organised point cloud generator and a robot system having a suction cup end are to generate an organised point cloud of a storage. The robot system can grasp the object from the storage means. Normals of the organised point cloud and principal curvatures of the organised point cloud can be calculated. A grasp point can be calculated for the suction cup end effector of the robot system to grasp an object based on the organised point cloud, the calculated normal, the calculated principal curvatures, and a normal of a lower surface of the storage.

Control device and method for a robot system

A control device is provided to more quickly and efficiently verify which item has been grasped by a robot system whilst also providing a solution which is scalable. Verification of the item which has been grasped is achieved by measuring a dynamics property of the item. A control unit for operation with a robot system a sensor unit, the robot system arranged to grasp an item from a container. The control unit includes a verification unit arranged to receive identifying information of an item expected to be in the container, receive information from the sensor unit indicative of a dynamics property of the item grasped by the robot system and verify that the item grasped by the robot system matches the item expected to be in the container based on the received identifying information and the received dynamics property information.

Control device and method for item verification

A control device is provided to reliably locate objects and calculate appropriate grasp points for each object to thereby effectively control a robot system. grasp point calculation is based on, at least, properties of a surface of the object to be grasped by the robot system to more effectively calculate a grasp point for the surface of the object. An organised point cloud generator and a robot system having a suction cup end are arranged to generate an organised point cloud of a storage. The robot system can grasp the object from the storage means. Normals of the organised point cloud and principal curvatures of the organised point cloud can be calculated. A grasp point can be calculated for the suction cup end effector of the robot system to grasp an object based on the organised point cloud, the calculated normal, the calculated principal curvatures, and a normal of a lower surface of the storage.

A storage system as disclosed can maximize storage capacity whilst remaining scalable. A transporting device is arranged to form a cluster with a reconfigurable physical topology. A transporting device can cooperate with a portion of a surface, and with at least one other transporting device in a cluster with a reconfigurable physical topology. An item receiving space and a relocating unit permit relocation of the transporting device within the cluster by way of interaction with the portion of the surface.

Transporting device, storage system and method of relocating a transporting device

A robotic gripping device, system and method are disclosed. The robotic device includes an end effector having at least one finger, the fingers being configured for manipulating objects in the vicinity of the device under computer control. The device is configured for manipulating objects of varying sizes, dimensions and positions with reference to the device, without requiring information as to the precise location of the object with reference to the device.

Growing community of inventors

Hatfield, United Kingdom

Graham Deacon