Pallet and Pocket Detection Based on Deep Learning Techniques

The high level of precision and consistency required for pallet detection in industrial environments and logistics tasks is a critical challenge that has been the subject of extensive research. This paper proposes a system for detecting pallets and its pockets using the You Only Look Once (YOLO) v8 Open Neural Network Exchange (ONNX) model, followed by the segmentation of the pallet surface. On the basis of the system a pipeline built on the ROS Action Server whose structure promotes modularity and ease of implementation of heuristics. Additionally, is presented a comparison between the YOLOv5 and YOLOv8 models in the detection task, trained with a customised dataset from a factory environment. The results demonstrate that the pipeline can consistently perform pallet and pocket detection, even when tested in the laboratory and with successive 3D pallet segmentation. When comparing the models, YOLOv8 achieved higher average metric values, with YOLOv8m providing better detection performance in the laboratory setting.