Graph models for identifying robot-packable patterns of pallet loading

In the logistics processes of trade business, goods delivered from warehouses to retailers are often transported on pallets. The paper concerns the issue of using a robot for automatic palletizing. In order to put an item in a given place on a partially loaded pallet, the robot must have free access to that place, i.e., the place must not be covered. A graph model and a formalized method for determining the sequence of putting goods on a pallet is proposed to avoid such collisions. It is also shown that not every packing pattern can be loaded by a robot. However, some pallet loading approaches have been identified that always guarantee a feasible robot packing.