Design of a Conveyor Belt Manipulator for Reposition of Boxes in Logistics Centers

This paper describes the design of a conveyor belt manipulator for repositioning boxes to locate the bar code side in the right position to be sensed in a logistic center. The general rule is that a few pairs of hands touch the package as possible in parcel logistics centers, ideally just three. First for loading, second for unloading the containers, and third for a worker has to place the packages on the conveyor logistic system in the right position, i.e., the bar code must be visible by the vision system. The correct position of the bar code is essential for the vision systems to check the delivery information and manage the package automatically through the correct conveyor in the logistics centers. That process needs to be automated using a collaborative robot (COBOT) and a specific manipulator design for that task. In this work, we present a reposition boxes methodology with a novel conveyor belt manipulator. Our novel design has been achieved by analyzing the manipulation characteristics needed to control, rotate, and flip boxes in a real logistic industry. Then, a prototype was built and tested in the laboratory.