Object Dimension and Location Determination in Gantry Robots and Conveyor Systems: A Review

A​‍​‌‍​‍‌ gantry robot is one of the most common types of industrial robots with linear movement. This type of robot is also known as a Cartesian or linear robot. It is an automated industrial system that moves along linear paths, enabling it to create a 3D envelope of the space in which it operates. A robot of this type has a standardised configuration process because it can have several sets of axes, such as X, Y and Z. The gantry robot picks up products from several places, so it can search through various locations. Afterwards, it carefully deposits the products on a conveyor belt for the next stage of the procedure or final ​‍​‌‍​‍‌shipment. This integration enables continuous and automated material flow, increasing overall productivity and efficiency in manufacturing operations. Dimension measuring and object placement are critical tasks in robot and conveyor systems that depend substantially on the types of sensors. Progress in sensors and camera technologies has markedly enhanced precision, efficacy, productivity and adaptability. Sensors are commonly classified as range and vision sensors on the basis of their mode of measurement. This review article offers useful knowledge on gantry robots and conveyor systems and their historical background. It examines recent research that has reported on the advantages and disadvantages of gantry robots. Moreover, literature on object dimensioning and positioning via sensors and cameras in gantry robots is presented. This review elucidates the advantages and disadvantages of several sensing types, including cameras and conventional sensors. Comparisons of robotic systems in terms of accuracy, speed, cost, energy efficiency and other aspects are also performed. Many studies have been conducted on body detection via vision technology and sensors, but the use of laser sensors has received minimal attention and needs further focus in the future.