Patent ID: 7657346

Claim:
An object picking system comprising: a detecting section detecting, as an image, an object to be picked, among a plurality of objects placed in a manner as to be at least partially superimposed on each other; a storage section storing appearance information of a predetermined portion of a reference object having an outward appearance identical to an outward appearance of said object to be picked; a determining section determining, in said image of said object to be picked detected by said detecting section, whether an inspected portion of said object to be picked, corresponding to said predetermined portion of said reference object, is concealed by another object, based on said appearance information of said reference object stored in said storage section; a control section deciding a picking motion that is performed while holding said object to be picked and outputting a control signal of said picking motion, based on a determination result of said determining section; and a picking mechanism for grasping said object to be picked in a basic holding orientation and then performing said picking motion while holding said object to be picked in accordance with said control signal output from said control section; wherein, if said determining section determines that said inspected portion is not concealed by another object, said control section decides said picking motion such that said picking mechanism picks the object by maintaining the basic holding orientation defined at a time when said picking mechanism holds the object, and if said determining section determines said inspected portion is concealed by another object, said control section decides said picking motion such that said picking mechanism picks the object by changing said basic holding orientation.