Multifunctional Shelf and Magnetic Marker for Stock and Disposal Tasks in Convenience Stores

Abstract

Product management using a multifunctional shelf, and manipulation using an electromagnet hand and a magnetic marker, are proposed for stock and disposal tasks. The multifunctional shelf manages the type, position, and number of products on the shelf, and plans display and disposal operations. The shelf provides directions to a mobile manipulator for moving products on the shelf according to the display and disposal plan. The proposed multifunctional shelf has a camera on each level that helps the mobile manipulator recognize the product. By optimizing the movement of products, the display and disposal work can be performed much more efficiently. To quickly grasp the product, a new manipulation strategy using a magnetic marker and an electromagnet hand is proposed. The electromagnet hand has two electromagnets and can quickly grasp and release the magnet marker by changing the S/N pole pair. Experiments using the proposed multifunctional shelf and electromagnet hand were conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed system.