Component feeder and system for picking components comprising component feeder

Abstract

The invention relates to a component feeder (1) comprising a stationary picking surface (2) for receiving components (14) to be picked, a vision system including an image unit arranged to take imagesof components distributed on the picking surface and a load device (5) including one or more load sensors adapted to detect the presence of a component on the picking surface and the vision system isconfigured to automatically trigger the image unit to take an image upon detecting the presence of the component on the picking surface.

Description

technical field [0001] The invention relates to a component feeder comprising a picking surface component for receiving components to be picked up, and a vision system comprising an imaging unit arranged to take images of the components distributed on the picking surface, and the imaging system It is configured to locate the components distributed on the pick-up surface based on the image from the image unit. [0002] The invention also relates to a system for picking components comprising a component feeder and an industrial robot configured to pick components from the component feeder. Background technique [0003] In automated industrial systems, such as production lines (where eg industrial robots are used), parts stored in unordered bulk storage need to be fed sequentially as individual parts for performing various operations. There are many feeding devices that use different principles and are suitable for different specific tasks. One type of feeder is that in which...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

This complicates the task of programming the robot, affects cycle time and increases integration effort

If a hand-held camera is used to position the part on the input buffer then this can also result in a loss of cycle time

The use of fixtures to avoid the need for a vision system places additional demands on the human operator, which can also impact overall cycle times

Additionally, engineering effort is required to design and install fixtures, which both increases system cost and reduces flexibility

Fixtures are non-adjustable devices and are therefore impractical since items on the part feeder may come in a variety of shapes and sizes

Finally, if the camera is mounted on the robot itself, this also slows down the positioning of the part, and thus the cycle time

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