Efficient Depalletizing with Ai Vision technology

Depalletizing boxes or crates is a common task within the food industry. A task that requires precision, efficiency and accuracy. However, it can also be a time-consuming and error-prone process, especially when done manually. Fortunately, depalletizing robots and artificial intelligence (AI) vision techniques can significantly improve this process by automating it, reducing errors and increasing efficiency.

Depalletize pattern recognition

One way AI vision techniques can improve box or crate depalletization is through object detection. AI algorithms can identify the position and orientation of the boxes on the pallets, making it easier for robots to pick them up. Object detection can also detect damaged or misplaced boxes, which can be removed from the line, ensuring quality control.

However, you soon run into a challenge here: how do you ensure that the robot recognizes the correct and incorrect patterns, without judging them incorrectly?

Of course you can build a number of different stacking patterns in the robot. When the robot recognizes the pattern on the pallet, it picks it up and continues the work process. If the pattern is not recognized by the robot depalletiser, it will indicate an error and the line will be stopped or the pallet will be removed. But you guessed it: when a box or crate is slightly different from the built-in pattern, the robot gives an error message and the pallet is incorrectly rejected. As a result, the process stops more often and there is a high chance of false error messages.

How is it possible? With AI Vision technology that applies machine learning algorithms. This improves the accuracy of object detection over time. As the AI ​​model receives more data, it can teach itself to recognize more patterns. This reduces false error messages and increases efficiency within the process. Less labor is also needed and pallets are rejected less quickly.

In conclusion, the robot palletiser with AI vision can offer a solution for a more efficient work process. Especially for production companies that work with many different boxes and therefore various stacking patterns. In collaboration with Viroteq, DGS is able to supply entire (de)palletizing lines, from pallet transport and internal logistics to the (de)palletizing robot and vision technology. In addition, the DGS robot can achieve a capacity of at least 1250 boxes per hour by packing entire layers instead of a few pieces. This keeps the output high, and the required resources such as time and labor low.