Article Transfer System with Periodic Image Capture
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing robot systems face challenges in accurately detecting the position and orientation of articles during transfer, leading to potential interference when detection fails, especially due to ambient light or extraction failures, which can hinder task performance.
Innovation Solution
An article transfer system equipped with a travel distance detecting unit, an article sensing unit, an image capturing unit, and a removal unit, where the image capturing unit is downstream of the sensing unit, allowing for efficient detection and removal of undetected articles, preventing interference with the robot's operation region.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the image capturing unit continuously photographs the article, then the position and orientation detection accuracy is improved, but the detection time increases and productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses periodic image capture triggered by the article sensing unit instead of continuous capture. The image capturing unit photographs the article only when the sensing unit detects an article passage, creating a periodic action that reduces detection time while maintaining detection accuracy for actual articles.
Solution Approach 2:
The article sensing unit performs preliminary detection before the image capturing unit operates. By detecting article passage in advance, the system triggers image capture only when necessary, eliminating wasted capture cycles and reducing overall detection time while preserving accuracy for real articles.
2Measurement precision
If the image capturing unit continuously photographs the article, then the position and orientation detection accuracy is improved, but the energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system switches from continuous image capture to periodic capture triggered by article detection. The image capturing unit operates only when the sensing unit detects an article, significantly reducing energy consumption while maintaining detection accuracy for actual articles passing through the system.
Solution Approach 2:
The article sensing unit automatically triggers the image capturing unit based on detected article passage. This self-service mechanism eliminates the need for continuous operation, allowing the system to conserve energy by activating image capture only when an article is present to be detected.
3Productivity
If the robot operates in the operation region, then task performance is achieved, but undetected articles may interfere with the robot operation
Solution Approach 1:
The removal unit performs preliminary removal of undetected articles before the robot enters the operation region. By eliminating potential interfering articles in advance, the system ensures reliable robot operation while maintaining high productivity through continuous article processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies preliminary anti-action by removing undetected articles that could potentially interfere with robot operation. This preventive measure eliminates harmful factors before they can affect the robot, ensuring operational reliability without sacrificing productivity.
4Reliability
If the removal unit removes all sensed articles, then interference with robot operation is prevented, but useful articles are also removed reducing productivity
Solution Approach 1:
The removal unit applies local quality by selectively removing only undetected articles that fail position and orientation extraction, while preserving articles that are successfully detected and processed. This targeted approach maintains operation reliability by removing only problematic articles while preserving useful ones for robot processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback from the position-and-orientation detecting unit to control the removal unit. Articles that fail extraction are identified through feedback and removed, while successfully detected articles continue to the robot. This feedback mechanism ensures reliable operation by removing only interfering articles while maintaining high productivity.
Data Source
AI summary
An article transfer system including: a transfer device that transfers an article in one direction; a travel distance detecting unit that sequentially detects a distance the article transferred by the transfer device has traveled; an article sensing unit that senses passage of the article transferred by the transfer device; an image capturing unit that photographs the article, the image capturing unit being disposed downstream of the article sensing unit in a transfer direction of the transfer device; a position-and-orientation detecting unit that processes an image captured with the image capturing unit to extract the article and detect a position and an orientation of the article; and a removal unit that removes the article, which has been sensed with the article sensing unit but not extracted by the process performed in the position-and-orientation detecting unit, from the transfer device, the removal unit being disposed downstream of the image capturing unit.