System for the automatic handling of components in an assembly process

Abstract

The invention relates to a system for the automatic handling of components, each having a mechanical interface for fastening the component on a support rail of the electrical installation technology, in an assembly process for mounting the components on the support rail, wherein the components are provided in a component storage area.

Description

The invention relates to a system for the automatic handling of components, each of which has a mechanical interface for fastening the component on a mounting rail of electrical installation technology, in an assembly process for the assembly of the components on the mounting rail, wherein the components are provided in a component storage region.EP 3 127 200 B1 discloses a system and a method for the order-specific fitting of mounting rails with components. The object of the invention is to specify an improved system for the automatic handling of components in an assembly process, for example for the automatic fitting of mounting rails with the components.In a first embodiment of the invention, this object is achieved by a system for the automatic handling of components, which each have a mechanical interface for fastening the component on a support rail of the electrical installation technique, in an assembly process for the assembly of the components on the support rail, wherein the components are provided in a component storage area, having the following features: a) at least one industrial robot having at least one robot arm, b) at least one camera for detecting the components in the component storage area, c) a controller, d) wherein the controller is configured to carry out the following steps:d1) recording and evaluating one or more images of the component storage region by means of the at least one camera,d2) comparing the image data of the at least one camera with comparison data assigned to a respective component, with which the components present in the component storage area are specified in terms of data,d3) identifying at least one individual component in the component storage area on the basis of the comparison in step d2),d4) Actuating the at least one industrial robot in such a way that the individual component identified in the image data is removed from the component storage region by means of the at least one robot arm and transported by means of the at least one robot arm,d5) Actuating the at least one industrial robot in such a way that the component is mounted with its mechanical interface on the support rail.Advantageously, the system can thus automatically identify the components in the component storage area on the basis of the CAD data from the CAD system and the comparison with the image data of the camera (CAD-computer aided design). In this way, the system can transport the desired components to a first target position, wherein reliable component recognition of any desired components is possible due to the unambiguous identifiability of the components in the image data on the basis of the CAD data. The CAD data can be, for example, computer-generated design data of the component, which are generated in a computer aided design process in the computer, i.e. the CAD system. These can be supplied to the system according to the invention, for example, via an interface.From the point of view of the user of the system according to the invention, the advantage results that the handling of the system when providing the components in the component storage area can be designed very simply and user-friendly. The components can be placed, for example, directly from the product packaging in the component storage area, e.g. in a receiving container into which the components from the product packaging are simply poured. The components in this bulk material arrangement can then be separated automatically by the system according to the invention by means of the robot arm, i.e. the robot arm removes a component of a specific component type defined according to a predefined specification from the receiving container.In particular, no magazine or the like specifically shaped for the geometry of the component is required for the provision of the components, which magazine or the like is additionally relatively complicated to fill. In addition, no such component-specific magazines have to be developed, manufactured and mounted for the system according to the invention before the assembly process. The components can be, for example, components of electrical installation technology, such as, for example, terminal blocks and other devices to be fastened to mounting rails. The support rail can be a conventional support rail of electrical installation technology, for example a top hat rail. The components can have, as a mechanical interface for fastening on the support rail, for example support rail fastening elements, for example support rail fastening elements for latching on the support rail.The identification of an individual component in step d 3) can be effected directly by image comparison, for example by identifying a desired component on the basis of its housing shape. It would also be conceivable to identify an individual component on the basis of other component-specific criteria, for example on the basis of a code attached to the component, for example a barcode.Advantageously, in step d 4), the actuation of the at least one industrial robot can take place depending on a detected position and position of the component in the component storage area. This has the advantage that the components in the component storage area may have any desired position and position and can nevertheless be removed in a targeted manner by means of the robot arm. Advantageously, the components can therefore be provided simply as bulk material, for example by pouring them into the component storage region. Furthermore, the components may have arbitrary and in particular different geometries and can nevertheless be automatically detected and gripped by the robot arm in the position and position in which they are detected.The control can be formed in one part or in multiple parts. Each part of the controller may comprise a computer. The controller can be designed as a single control unit, i.e. a central controller, or as a controller with distributed control components. For example, a portion of the controller may be integrated into the camera, e.g., when a smart camera is deployed. Then, for example, step d 1) may be performed directly by the control component in the camera. The controller may have control software comprising one or more control programs. In particular in the case of distributed control, individual control program parts may be present in each component of the control. The controller is configured to perform the aforementioned steps by executing its control program.The at least one camera can be designed as a 2D camera or a 3D camera or another multidimensional camera. The camera can be configured as a monochrome camera or as a color camera. The at least one camera can be configured to capture light in the daylight spectrum and / or in the infrared spectrum and / or in the ultraviolet spectrum. The at least one camera can have an integrated image evaluation, e.g. in order to compare the recorded image data directly with the comparison data of the components. The at least one camera can also be designed without such an image evaluation.If it is described that specific steps are carried out by controlling the industrial robot, so that specific actions are carried out by means of the at least one robot arm, this includes one or more robot grippers arranged on the robot arm being controlled accordingly, so that the corresponding actuating step is carried out.According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that in step d 1) a point cloud of the recorded components is generated in the image recording and in step d 2) the comparison data of the components are compared directly or after conversion into component image data with the point cloud of the components in the image recording. Processing as a point cloud allows the configuration effort for the user to be minimized. In addition, already existing program components of the image recognition can be used advantageously, which are available, for example, in a program library. For example, the point cloud may be generated as a 2D point cloud and compared to 2D component image data. Alternatively, the point cloud may be generated as a 3D point cloud and compared to 3D component image data.The abbreviation "2D" used in connection with the camera, the point cloud, and the component image data stands for two-dimensional, "3D" stands for three-dimensional.The components are recognized by computing within the point cloud recorded in the image data and determined with regard to their position and position. A computing unit is required for this method step. Corresponding software and / or hardware, e.g. a graphics processor, can be used for the recognition and determination.According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the comparison data in step d 2) are at least partially CAD data or are determined from CAD data which originate from a CAD system, e.g. from a CAD design database. As a result, the comparison data can be provided with little effort, for example by exporting from a CAD system.Through the use of algorithms for CAD data-based component recognition, the system does not have to be specially programmed or parameterized by the user. The CAD data can be obtained via an interface to the data provider, in particular the manufacturer, via a network such as the Internet. The system can be used advantageously for assembly processes of different orders of magnitude, up to very small batch sizes and in particular also for single-piece production. The system can be adapted to this easily and quickly when expanding and / or changing the product portfolio or the manufacturing steps.For example, the comparison data generated from the CAD system, e.g. in the form of a point cloud generated by the CAD system, can be supplied to the system according to the invention via the interface. Alternatively, it is conceivable that the CAD data is only converted into the comparison data in the system according to the invention or in an interface connected in between.Alternatively, the comparison data can also be generated in another manner, for example according to a rule-based model, for example by manual programming. It is also possible to initially train the system in a learning mode and to generate the comparison data in a targeted manner in the learning mode by recording images by the at least one camera. Further, it is possible to generate the comparison data by generating appropriate image pickups by means of any other camera. For example, the comparison data can be generated using a reference component with a camera.According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that in step d 3) the at least one component is identified with regard to its position and position in the component storage area and in step d 4) the robot arm is controlled for removing the component in the identified position and position. In this case, for example, the determined coordinates of a component can be converted to a coordinate system of the industrial robot, so that the latter can then move to the component to be removed in a targeted manner. For this purpose, position markers on the component storage area can be used, for example.According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that in step d5) the robot arm is controlled to set a predetermined position and position of the mechanical interface of the component relative to the support rail. As a result, the component with its mechanical interface is placed in front of the support rail in such a way that in the next movement step of the robot arm, a rapid mounting can take place, for example by latching onto the support rail. In this position and position, the component can thus be mounted directly on the support rail.The system described thus far can also be configured directly for carrying out further steps, e.g. for carrying out an assembly of the component accommodated by means of the at least one robot arm at a predefined assembly position. In this respect, the system can also contain the functionalities of the system described below as a further embodiment of the invention. The systems can, however, also be designed as separate systems. If the system is designed as a unitary system which also carries out the mounting of the component at the mounting position at the same time, the above-mentioned first target position can be, for example, the mounting position.According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the controller is configured to deposit the respective component in a position-oriented manner at a first target position by controlling the at least one robot arm, said first target position being designed as a transfer station for further process steps, in particular for further processing by a further robot gripper of the same robot arm or a further robot arm of the same robot or a further robot. In this embodiment, the system is particularly suitable for cooperation with a further system, which is described below as a further embodiment of the invention. The further system can then pick up the component deposited at the transfer station and mount it at the desired mounting position.In a second embodiment of the invention, the object mentioned at the beginning is achieved by a system for the automatic handling of components, which each have a mechanical interface for fastening the component on a support rail (81) of the electrical installation technology, in an assembly process for the assembly of the components on the support rail, wherein the components are provided in a component storage area: a) at least one industrial robot having at least one robot arm, b) at least one camera for detecting the components, c) a controller, d) wherein the controller is configured to,data from a computer design database in which the arrangement and assembly sequence of the components in the assembly process are specified,controlling the at least one industrial robot based on the data such that a component matching according to the mounting sequence is mounted with its mechanical interface on the support rail at a mounting position indicated in the computer design data by means of the at least one robot arm.Such a system allows the automatic mounting of a plurality of components at the desired mounting positions, for example on a support rail of the electrical installation technology. For example, the components can be latched onto the support rail by a tilting movement. Advantageously, the planning of the components to be mounted can be carried out in advance in a computer design process, i.e. by means of a computer design program in which the arrangement and mounting sequence of the components is predefined by the user. Corresponding data specifying the arrangement and mounting order is then stored in a computer design database. Advantageously, the system according to the invention can use the data from this computer design database directly in order to carry out the automated assembly process, i.e. to generate the corresponding control commands for the industrial robot. By means of the data from this computer design database, the mounting position of the component on the support rail can also be calculated automatically. For example, in the computer design database, not only the order of the components can be specified by the user. The computer design database also has the geometries of the components and can thus calculate the later position and position of the components on the support rail and automatically determine the mounting position for the robot arm without this having to be configured by the user.As a program for creating the computer design database, for example, a program can be used in which the user can compile, check and visualize a node (system) by means of digital twins of the components and export it as a whole (e.g. for an order)If this second embodiment of the invention is formed as a common system with the first embodiment, first steps d1), d2), d3) and d4) of the first embodiment are carried out, and then the steps in feature d) of the second embodiment are carried out. In this case, the industrial robot can be controlled in such a way that it removes a desired component to be mounted at the mounting position directly from the component storage area.If this second embodiment of the invention is designed as a separate system, the industrial robot can be controlled in such a way that it receives the component to be mounted at a transfer station at which the system according to the first embodiment of the invention deposits the component.According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the controller is configured to record and evaluate images of an environment of the mounting position by means of the at least one camera and to mount the component at the mounting position on the basis of the evaluated images by controlling the at least one robot arm. The industrial robot, which is thus designed as a "vision" robot, can therefore be controlled directly by the controller in such a way that the component is mounted in the correct position at the desired mounting position by the robot arm. In this case, information from the computer design database can be evaluated in the control program, which information specifies the mounting position in more detail, in particular also the environment of the mounting position. For example, when mounted on a support rail, the support rail itself can be described in the form of CAD data.According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the computer design database defines a configurable sequence of the components to be picked up by the robot arm and to be mounted at the mounting position. Thus, the user can already prepare the sequence during the computer design process to such an extent that the components can also be mounted in the desired manner and the mounting process is not disturbed by components mounted in the wrong sequence.According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the controller is configured to receive the component to be mounted in each case from the component storage region or from a transfer station by controlling the at least one robot arm.According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the controller is configured to mount the removed component on a support rail of the electrical installation technology by controlling the at least one robot arm. In this way, such support rails can be automatically equipped with the system according to the invention. Since the numbers of support rails to be fitted in the same way are often relatively small, the system according to the invention can advantageously be used to produce even small batch sizes at favorable costs.According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the controller is configured to mount the removed component on the support rail by latching it onto the support rail by controlling the at least one robot arm. This allows simple and quick mounting of the component on the support rail. In particular, no complicated screwing or other fastening is required. The locking can be effected by a tilting movement which is simple to carry out by the robot arm.According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the at least one camera is arranged on the at least one industrial robot, in particular on the robot arm, in particular on the free end of the robot arm. This has the advantage that the area to be detected by means of the camera can be varied by controlling the robot arm. The robot can thus always look, for example, in the direction in which it can pick up components with a gripper. Alternatively, the camera can also be automatically adjustable with respect to the detection direction and or the detection range.According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the robot arm has at least one gripper which, for removing the component from the component storage region, uses the mechanical interface of the component for gripping, which interface later serves for attaching the component to the support rail. The component is thus gripped by the gripper at the mechanical interface of the component. For the mounting of the component on the support rail, the component must then be gripped at another location, for example by another gripper or by depositing the component on a transfer station or intermediate deposition and subsequent take-up by the same gripper or another gripper, so that the mechanical interface is free for attachment to the support rail.According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the at least one industrial robot is designed as a universal robot with five or more joint degrees of freedom. This has the advantage that the system according to the invention is suitable for universal assembly tasks and does not have to be adapted specifically to a specific type of assembly task, at least not with regard to the hardware equipment. With such a robot arm, component storage areas can be reached almost 360° around the robot, with the exception of the areas for mounting on the support rail and the intermediate storage.According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the at least one industrial robot is designed as a cobot and / or collaborative robot with sensors for sensing obstacles to movement. This allows an automated assembly process to be carried out in the presence of persons in the area of the robot, e.g. for filling the component storage areas. In addition, such an industrial robot does not have to be shielded from the environment in a complicated manner by protective grids or the like.According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the at least one robot arm has an adheso gripping pad and / or a jaw gripper for gripping at least one component. Such a bionically aspirated gripper technology is based on the principle of adhesion and uses the intermolecular van der Waals forces for the handling of a wide variety of types of components. This allows reliable and rapid gripping of components, in particular components of electrical installation technology, such as terminal blocks and other devices to be fastened to mounting rails.According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the components are provided as bulk material in the component storage region. This has the advantage that the components can easily be provided by the user and can likewise easily be replenished. The components need only be poured out of the product packaging into the component storage area.According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the components are provided in the component storage area with low sorts, in particular with clean sorts. This simplifies the automatic identification of the components for the system. Here, "single-grade" means that the components are stored separately in the component storage area according to types, for example in different receptacles.If the components are provided with low sorts, this means that a number of different component sorts is relatively small, for example a maximum of ten sorts or a maximum of five sorts or a maximum of two sorts. In terms of type means that only one type of component is provided.According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the component storage region has a plurality of individual receiving containers, wherein components having a low grade, in particular a clean grade, are provided in each receiving container. Such receiving containers can advantageously be designed relatively simply, for example as a receiving tray open towards the top or in box form. For example, a plurality of receiving containers can also be arranged in a cabinet or a mobile trolley in the manner of drawers which can be pushed up and down. The pushing on and pushing on of the drawers can be automated by the robot arm.According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the receiving containers are provided in a magazine in the manner of drawers, wherein the controller is configured to open a receiving container by controlling the at least one robot arm, in which receiving container components of the type required for the next assembly step at the target position are provided. For example, a desired drawer can be pulled out by the robot arm, a component can be removed by means of the robot arm and the drawer can then be closed again by means of the robot arm. It is also conceivable that the drawers can be opened and closed by a separate drive mechanism, so that no action of the robot arm is required for this purpose. The opening and closing of the drawers can be controlled, for example, by the controller and its control program. In an advantageous embodiment, such a drawer can have at least one marking for a reference position, e.g. a position up to which the drawer is to be opened. The marking can be automatically captured by means of the at least one camera and evaluated for the further steps.According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that step d 2) is carried out for each type of component, wherein the controller is configured to determine a predefined sequence of the types of components from a database. As database, for example, a CAD database can be used in which the mounting of the support rails was initially planned on the computer. For example, the aforementioned computer design database can be used for this purpose. Accordingly, the further steps d 3), d 4) and d 5) are then likewise carried out with the type of components taken into account in step d 2).The invention also relates to a method for providing different types of components for a system of the type explained above, wherein each individual receptacle is filled with components in a single type by pouring the components directly from the product package in a single type into the respective receptacle. This filling process can be carried out in a particularly simple manner by operating personnel. However, the filling process can also be automated, for example by a further robot.Advantageously, the system according to the invention can be composed of commercially available standard components, in particular with respect to the at least one industrial robot, the at least one camera and the controller. The controller may be wholly or partly formed by, for example, an PLC (programmable logic controller). The controller may have one or more computers for executing the control program. The control program may be a computer program.In the sense of the present invention, the indefinite term "a" is not to be understood as a numerical word. Thus, if, for example, a component is mentioned, this is to be interpreted in the sense of "at least one component". Insofar as angle specifications are given in degrees, these refer to a circular dimension of 360 degrees (360°).Insofar as a computer is mentioned, it can be configured to execute a computer program, for example in the sense of software. The computer can be designed as a commercially available computer, e.g. as a PC, laptop, notebook, tablet or smartphone, or as a microprocessor, microcontroller or FPGA, or as a combination of such elements.The invention is explained in more detail below on the basis of exemplary embodiments using drawings. They show FIG. 1 shows an industrial robot, FIG. 2 shows the distal part of a robot arm, FIG. 3 shows a system according to the invention in schematic representation, FIG. 4 shows a system architecture with details concerning the individual functional components, FIG. 5 shows an automated assembly process in a first variant, FIG. 6 shows an automated assembly process in a second variant, FIG. 7 shows a control-technology sequence of the assembly processes, FIG. 8 shows a robot gripper in a first perspective view FIG. 9 shows the robot gripper according to FIG. 9 in a second perspective view, FIG. 10 shows the robot gripper according to FIG. 9 with a component, FIG. 11 shows the gripping of a component by means of the robot gripper according to FIG. 9, FIG. 12 shows a component storage area.FIG. 1 shows, as part of a system according to the invention, an industrial robot 1 with a robot arm 10. The camera 2 can be rigidly fastened to the robot arm 10, i.e. immovable, or can have a positioning device, by means of which the position and detection direction of the camera 2 can be automatically adjusted relative to the robot arm 10. The camera 2 generates image data which is output to a control system explained below. The camera 2 may be, for example, an industrial 3D camera. The robot arm is preferably movable in 6 axes, the degrees of freedom enabling almost any movement in space. This achieves a long reach of the gripper of approximately 1.6 m, so that the robot arm can also reach component storage areas that are further away.FIG. 1 additionally shows, by way of example, a component storage region 6, for example with a receiving container 60, in which components 7 to be mounted are provided. The components 7 are captured pictorially by the camera 2, so that the components can be identified in the image data generated by the camera 2.FIG. 2 illustrates how a component 6 is gripped in a targeted manner at its mechanical interface by a special robot gripper 11 and is attached to a support rail 81 in the mounting region 8, for example by latching onto the support rail 81.FIG. 3 shows a system for the automatic handling of components 7 in an assembly process. The system has an industrial robot 1, a camera 2 and a controller 3. For example, the industrial robot 1 shown in FIG. 1 with (the) camera 2 mounted therein can be used for this purpose.The controller 3 may comprise one or more individual functional units. FIG. 2 shows an embodiment in which the controller 3 for controlling the industrial robot 1 has an PLC 31 in which a control program is stored. The evaluation of the image data of the camera 2 can be effected, for example, by means of a graphics processor, graphics software and / or by an evaluation function integrated into the camera 2. Furthermore, a second unit 32 is present, which has access to CAD data from a CAD system, which are stored in a database 4. By the CAD data, the components 7 present in the component storage area 6 are specified by data, for example, by design data. Furthermore, the unit 32 has access to a computer design database 5 in which the arrangement and mounting order of the components to be mounted is specified. The unit 32 coordinates the actions to be performed by the PLC 31, for example, by the unit 32 sequentially generating job data for individual assembly jobs to be performed and transmitting them to the PLC 31. The PLC 31 respectively executes an assembly job by controlling the industrial robot 1 after evaluating the image data of the camera 2 and, after executing the assembly job, outputs corresponding feedback to the unit 32.FIG. 4 shows a variant of the system in which the industrial robots 1 are controlled via an edge computer 40, e.g. via a field bus. A graphics computer 41 can be used for the evaluation of the image data of the camera 2. By means of a further edge computer 42, the edge computer 40 can be supplied with control data for controlling the industrial robot 1. In addition, the further edge computer 42 can transmit the comparison data, e.g. data from a CAD design database or from comparison images recorded by means of a camera, to the graphics computer 41. In a computer design program 43, the computer design data for the component fitting of the mounting rail can be generated and stored. In addition, further data, for example for foreign articles from suppliers, can also be supplied from the outside via a cloud application 44.FIG. 5 shows the use of the system according to the invention in an assembly process in which components 7 are to be assembled in an assembly region 8 at a respective assembly position 80, e.g. on a support rail 81, The components 7 are arranged in a component storage region 6 as bulk material, which can have, for example, a plurality of magazines 61 in which a plurality of receiving containers 60 is present in the manner of drawers, wherein each receiving container 60 is stored with low sorts, for example components of one sort with different sorts or mixed components of a (low) number of sorts. If the components are to be stored in a single type, the system can automatically output an error message if the components are identified as not having a single type.In this case, the system has a first industrial robot 1 b, which is responsible for removing the respectively required component 7 from a receiving container 60 and then deposits the removed component 7 at a transfer station 9. Furthermore, a second industrial robot 1 ais present, which receives the components 7 deposited at the transfer station 9 one after the other and mounts them at the mounting positions 80 indicated in each case by the computer design database 5. Alternatively, a single robot can also be provided for both tasks, e.g. with 2 grippers or gripper changes.The control of the industrial robots 1 a, 1 bmay be effected by the controller 3, but different controls may also be present for the industrial robots 1 a, 1 b, which controls are connected to one another for data exchange, for example via an interface.FIG. 6 shows the use of the system according to the invention in an assembly process in which only one industrial robot 1 is used. In a mounting region 8, components 7 are to be mounted in each case at a mounting position 80, for example on a mounting rail 81, The components 7 are arranged in this case in a component storage region 6 as bulk material, which can have, for example, a plurality of magazines 61 in which a plurality of receptacles 60 are present in the manner of drawers, wherein each receptacle 60 has low types of material, for example components of one type of material or mixed components of a (low) number of types of material. The industrial robot 1 may be placed at the center of these components.FIG. 7 shows the sequence during an assembly process in a system according to the invention. In the computer design database 43, the assembly data for mounting a support rail 81 are released by the corresponding data being transmitted to the cloud server 44 as a backend. The cloud server 44 first performs plausibility checks, e.g., a gripper and component compatibility check. If compatibility is established, an order is transmitted to the further edge computer 42, for example in order to equip a first mounting rail 81. In the further edge computer 42, individual work orders (jobs) are generated therefrom, e.g. in each case to remove a component from the component storage region 6 and to mount it on the support rail 81 by means of the industrial robot 1. A respective work order is then transmitted to the edge computer 40, which actuates the industrial robot 1 according to the data of its work order. If the work order is completed, the edge computer 40 provides a corresponding feedback to the further edge computer 42; this then provides the next work order to the edge computer 40.FIGS. 8 to 9 illustrate an advantageous configuration of a robot gripper 11 in the form of a jaw gripper. The robot gripper 11 has two adjustable jaws which can be placed at different distances from each other. A gripping finger 13 is attached to each jaw 12. The gripping fingers 13 serve for engaging in the mechanical interface 70, i.e. in particular the mounting rail fastening elements, of a component 7, as illustrated in FIG. 10. By moving the jaws 12 apart accordingly, the component 6 is held reliably by the fingers 13.FIG. 11 shows the gripping of a component 7 in the component storage region 6, in which the components 7 are stored as bulk material. The components 7 each have a mechanical interface 70 at which they are gripped by the three fingers 13.FIG. 12 shows a magazine 61 in an enlarged illustration. It can be seen that the magazine 61 has a multiplicity of drawers 62 arranged one above the other, in each of which one or more receiving containers 60 with the components are arranged.The first industrial robot 1 bfirst positions its camera 2 at a suitable distance and angle above a receptacle 60. After a short waiting time for the system to oscillate, the image is recorded by the camera 2. Subsequently, with the aid of CAD-based image processing algorithms, the recording situation (point cloud) is matched to the CAD data of the component 7. In the next step, the coordinates of a component 7 are communicated to the robot controller of the first industrial robot 1 band converted to the robot coordinate system (offset), so that the robot coordinate system can then move to the position of the component 7 to be removed for removal.For this purpose, the components in the component storage area 6 are deposited with low sorts, in particular with single sorts, onto the individual receiving containers 60 by the user simply pouring them into / onto the receiving container 60 after opening the product packaging. The dimensions of a receptacle 60 may be, for example, about 300 mm*400 mm*50 mm and may be optically similar to a gastronormal container or tray. In order to be able to magazine as large a number of components 7 as possible on as small a surface as possible, the above-mentioned magazines are stored one above the other within a rollable frame (for example similar to a tray carriage). The carriage can accommodate about 20 magazines and have dimensions of about B 550 mm*T 800 mm*H 1600 mm, for example. In order to be able to provide an assignment of the components 7 to the magazine location, a code can be arranged on the compartments and / or on the magazines (for example QR code, data matrix, RFID or the like). By scanning the magazine location and article ID, the component and the storage surface can thus be correlated by software.The top and both side surfaces of the magazines 61 may be sealed (sheet metal or Plexiglass) to protect the magazines from contamination. Handles are attached to the operator-side end face in order to be able to push the carriage manually. The magazines 61 are accommodated within the carriage by means of positively locking frames on telescopic extensions, so that on the one hand the corresponding magazine can be manually extended for filling. On the other hand, the magazine can also be drawn out to the end face on the placement side, so that the components 7 can then be automatically removed from the removal handler. In order to avoid uncontrolled extension of the extensions, e.g. telescopic extensions with middle latching are selected. In addition, the extensions can be additionally secured via a mechanical locking mechanism, which facilitates handling, in particular during transport, and prevents uncontrolled extension of the extensions. In order to enable and facilitate the manual and as positionally accurate as possible insertion into the removal position of the separating and mounting unit, the carriage is positioned by means of insertion aids and additionally mechanically locked at the processing position. In addition, the mechanical locking mechanism can be lifted out by a wedge piece, so that the extensions can be extended.The implementation of the task of automated mounting rail assembly can be subdivided into various sub-functions.• Storage of products to be processed (terminal blocks etc...)• Recognition of Components• Dicing and Handling of Components• Picking of components• Assembly of Components• Receiving of carrying notes and / or mounting plates• Quality Check• Wiring of switch cabinetsSince customer requirements for an automated mounting system for support rails are very varied (e.g. in puncto automation level, investment, component spectrum), one approach is to consider the system not as a unit but as a interaction of separate modules. Moreover, the use of standard mechanical components is always used, if possible and meaningful. There is no mechanical coupling in interaction between the modules, and there is coupling via standardized interfaces using software. This free architecture allows the system to be changed / expanded even in the life cycle, so that the user can adapt the system to his current requirements. In addition, it is possible to use redundancies. If, for example, there is a requirement to increase the production quantity due to growth or the like, magazine modules or assembly modules can be inserted into the existing system, for example.The components 7 are stored in the magazines 61. The required components 7 are then removed from the corresponding magazine location by means of the first industrial robot 1 b. For this purpose, the component magazines 61 are placed in the working area of the first industrial robot 1 b. By using a collaborative robot, e.g. a robot of the type Fanuc CRX-20iA, the use of protective enclosures can be dispensed with to the greatest possible extent. The removal of the component 7 from the magazine 61 requires first that the required drawer 62 must be opened from the magazine carriage 61. For this purpose, a corresponding device in the form of a claw is attached to the first industrial robot 1 b,with the aid of which device the drawer 62 can be extended and inserted in a positive-locking manner. In order to be able to process a component spectrum that is as wide as possible, an adheso gripping pad is mounted on the first industrial robot 1 b. The bionically aspirated gripper technology is based on the principle of adhesion and uses the intermolecularly acting van der Waals forces for the handling of a wide variety of workpieces. Finally, the workpieces are deposited in a position-oriented manner at the transfer station 9 for the further process steps. The support rails or mounting plates are placed on a mounting and commisioning cart. The components 7 are subsequently mounted by the second industrial robot 1 a, the required information for this (component, position, geometric data, etc.) is automatically exported from the CAD design database, enriched and modified in such a way that readable data are generated for the robot control and no job-specific programming is required.For the robot, this export data can be converted because the robot must calculate the components in a specific sequence with a specific position and the associated movements in order for the node to correspond to the digital twin. This need not be configured by the user, but can be automatically carried out by the system.Any components 7 which are expediently further mounted downstream can be picked up manually with the system and deposited on / in the assembly and commisionizing cart in a manner related to the order. Following the mounting, the support rail / mounting plate can still be wired automatically by a wiring module.List of reference characters1 Industrial robot 1 aSecond industrial robot 1 bFirst industrial robot 2 Camera 3 Controller 4 Database 5 Computer design database 6 Component storage area 7 Components 8 Mounting area 9 Transfer station 10 Robot arm 11 Robot gripper 20 Image acquisition area 31 PLC 32 Unit 60 Receiving container 61 Magazine 62 Drawer 70 Mechanical interface 80 Mounting position 81 Support railReferences included in the specificationThis list of documents cited by the applicant has been produced in an automated manner and is only included for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent application or utility model application. The DPMA does not take any adhesion for any faults or omissions.Patent Literature citedEP 3 127 200 B1

[0002]

Claims

System for the automatic handling of components (7) which each have a mechanical interface (70) for fastening the component (7) on a mounting rail (81) of the electrical installation technique, in an assembly process for the mounting of the components (7) on the mounting rail (81), wherein the components (7) are provided in a component storage area (6), having the following features: a) at least one industrial robot (1, 1a, 1b) having at least one robot arm (10), b) at least one camera (2) for detecting the components (7) in the component storage area (6), c) a controller (3), d), wherein the controller (3) is configured to carry out the following steps: d1) recording and evaluating one or more images of the component storage area (6) by means of the at least one camera (2), d2) comparing the image data of the at least one camera (2) with comparison data assigned to a respective component (7), with which the components (7) present in the component storage area (6) are specified in terms of data, d3) identifying at least one individual component (7) in the component storage area (6) on the basis of the comparison in step d2), d4) actuating the at least one industrial robot (1, 1a, 1b) in such a way that the individual component (7) identified in the image data is removed from the component storage area (6) by means of the at least one robot arm (10) and transported by means of the at least one robot arm (10), d5) actuating the at least one industrial robot (1, 1a, 1b) in such a way that the component (7) is mounted on the support rail (81) with its mechanical interface (70).System according to Claim 1, characterized in that in step d1) a point cloud of the recorded components (7) is generated in the image recording and in step d2) the comparison data of the components (7) are compared directly or after conversion into component image data with the point cloud of the components (7) in the image recording.The system of claim 2, characterized in that the point cloud is generated as a 2D point cloud and is compared to 2D component image data.The system of claim 2, characterized in that the point cloud is generated as a 3D point cloud and is compared to 3D component image data.System according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the comparison data in step d2) are at least partially CAD data or are determined from CAD data which originate from a CAD system.System according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that in step d3) the at least one component (7) is identified with regard to its position and position in the component storage region (6) and in step d4) the robot arm (10) is controlled for removing the component (7) in the identified position and position.System according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that in step d5) the robot arm (10) is controlled to set a predetermined position and position of the mechanical interface (70) of the component (7) relative to the mounting rail.System according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that in step d4), the individual component (7) identified in the image data is removed from the component storage region (6) by means of the at least one robot arm (10) and transported to a first target position by means of the at least one robot arm (10).System according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the controller (3) is configured to store the respective component (7) in a positionally oriented manner at a first target position, which is designed as a transfer station (9) for further process steps, in particular for further processing by a further robot gripper, by controlling the at least one robot arm (10).System according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the controller (3) is configured to mount the removed component (7) on the mounting rail by latching onto the mounting rail by controlling the at least one robot arm (10).System according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least one camera (2) is arranged on the at least one industrial robot (1, 1a, 1b), in particular on the robot arm (10), in particular on the free end of the robot arm (10).System according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least one industrial robot (1, 1a, 1b) is designed as a universal robot with five or more joint degrees of freedom.System according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least one industrial robot (1, 1a, 1b) is designed as a cobot and / or collaborative robot with sensors for sensing movement obstacles.System according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least one robot arm (10) has an adheso gripping pad and / or a jaw gripper for gripping at least one component (7).System according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the components (7) are provided as bulk material in the component storage region (6).System according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the components (7) are provided in the component storage region (6) with low sorts, in particular with clean sorts.System according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the component storage region (6) has a multiplicity of individual receiving containers (60), wherein components (7) with low types, in particular with pure types, are provided in each receiving container (60).System according to claim 17, characterised in that the receiving containers (60) are provided in the manner of drawers in a magazine (61), wherein the controller (3) is configured to open a receiving container (60) by controlling the at least one robot arm (10), in which components (7) of the type required for the next assembly step are provided.System according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that step d2) is carried out for each type of component (7), wherein the controller is configured to determine a predefined sequence of the types of components (7) from a database.

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