Calibration Method for Automated Connector Mounting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional mounting devices for electrical line harnesses face inaccuracies due to mechanical tolerances in connector housings and contact-parts, leading to unreliable and inefficient mounting processes, especially when using robots with grippers, as camera observations often fail to account for position deviations during positioning and insertion.
Innovation Solution
A calibration method involving a marking carrier attached to the holder, where marking points are set and determined by a camera, and their positions are stored for compensation of mechanical tolerances, allowing precise alignment of the gripper's displacement movement, using a marking-device gripped by the same gripper used for mounting, and optionally referencing a sheet metal reference-body for accurate detection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional mounting devices use robots with grippers for mounting contact-parts, then automation and productivity are improved, but positioning accuracy deteriorates due to mechanical tolerances in connector housings and contact-parts
Solution Approach 1:
The calibration process is performed before actual mounting operations to establish reference data. Marking points are created on the holder using the gripper and marking device, and their positions are recorded by the camera. This preliminary calibration creates a reference framework that compensates for mechanical tolerances during subsequent mounting operations, allowing automated grippers to achieve accurate positioning despite manufacturing variations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces reliance on purely mechanical positioning with an optical measurement system. A camera captures images of marking points to determine their actual positions, and this optical data is used to calculate correction values. This substitution of optical measurement for mechanical precision allows the system to compensate for mechanical tolerances in the gripper and connector components.
2Measurement precision
If camera observation is used to monitor positioning, then measurement capability is improved, but reliability deteriorates because position deviations during insertion movement cannot be detected
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary calibration by creating marking points at known positions on the holder before mounting operations. The camera captures these marking points to establish a reference coordinate system. This preliminary action enables the system to predict and compensate for position deviations during insertion movements, improving reliability without requiring continuous observation during the actual insertion process.
Solution Approach 2:
The camera measures the actual positions of marking points and this measurement data is fed back to the control unit. The control unit calculates correction values based on the difference between expected and actual positions, and applies these corrections during mounting operations. This feedback loop ensures that position deviations are compensated, maintaining high reliability even when mechanical tolerances cause variations during insertion.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables exact, error-free, and fast mounting of connector housings with contact-parts attached to electrical lines by compensating for mechanical tolerances and deviations, improving the reliability and efficiency of the mounting process without additional equipment beyond a camera.
Implementation Method 1
the positions of the marking points on the marking carrier are determined by a camera
Data Source
AI summary
A method for calibrating a mounting-device used for automatically mounting a contact-part attached to an electrical line with a connector-housing includes the steps of providing the mounting-device, marking a plurality of marking-points, capturing an image of the plurality of marking-points, and determining the positions of the plurality of marking-points. The mounting-device comprises a holder for the connector-housing, a positioning-device that includes a moveable-gripper that includes a marking-device, a camera configured to capture an image of a portion of the holder, and a control unit in communication with the positioning-device, the camera, and the moveable-gripper. The control unit determines the positions of the marking-points based on the image. The positions are indicative of an actual insertion-position of the contact-part into the connector-housing by the moveable-gripper. The control unit stores the positions of the marking-points in a memory of the control unit.