Robotic Forklift for Stacking Multiple Pallets with RGB-D Cameras

We propose a robotic forklift system for stacking multiple mesh pallets. The stacking of mesh pallets is an essential task for the shipping and storage of loads. However, stacking, the placement of pallet feet on pallet edges, is a complex problem owing to the small sizes of the feet and edges, lead...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of robotics and mechatronics 2021-12, Vol.33 (6), p.1265-1273
Main Authors: Iinuma, Ryosuke, Hori, Yusuke, Onoyama, Hiroyuki, Kubo, Yukihiro, Fukao, Takanori
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Algorithms
Cameras
Complexity
Control theory
Pallets
Position sensing
Stacking
Trajectory planning
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:We propose a robotic forklift system for stacking multiple mesh pallets. The stacking of mesh pallets is an essential task for the shipping and storage of loads. However, stacking, the placement of pallet feet on pallet edges, is a complex problem owing to the small sizes of the feet and edges, leading to a complexity in the detection and the need for high accuracy in adjusting the pallets. To detect the pallets accurately, we utilize multiple RGB-D (RGB Depth) cameras that produce dense depth data under the limitations of the sensor position. However, the depth data contain noise. Hence, we implement a region growing-based algorithm to extract the pallet feet and edges without removing them. In addition, we design the control law based on path following control for the forklift to adjust the position and orientation of two pallets. To evaluate the performance of the proposed system, we conducted an experiment assuming a real task. The experimental results demonstrated that the proposed system can achieve a stacking operation with a real forklift and mesh pallets.
ISSN:0915-3942
1883-8049
DOI:10.20965/jrm.2021.p1265