Pick-and-Place Teach Alignment Using Reflective Vision Calibration

The patent replaces complex mechanical alignment and compensation systems with a vision-based optical system. A camera captures images of fiducial markers on the pick head and placement target, and software algorithms calculate precise position and orientation corrections. This optical-mechanical substitution eliminates the need for complex mechanical stack-up tolerance compensation models while achieving high precision alignment.

The patent creates a virtual copy of the physical alignment problem through image capture. By photographing fiducial markers and generating virtual images with calculated position data, the system replicates the alignment task in the digital domain where complex mathematical compensation can be applied more accurately than in the physical mechanical domain.

Instead of relying on precise mechanical orthogonality of the ball screw assembly, the patent uses vision-based detection to measure the actual pick location and calculate positional corrections. The camera captures the position of fiducial markers, and software algorithms compensate for any angular deviations, replacing mechanical precision requirements with optical-mechanical measurement and computational correction.

The patent implements a feedback loop where the vision system continuously measures the actual pick location relative to the placement target, and the system uses this feedback information to calculate and apply position corrections. This closed-loop feedback mechanism compensates for mechanical imperfections like non-orthogonal ball screw alignment without requiring complex mechanical adjustments.

The patent uses fiducial markers mounted on the pick head and placement target as reference objects. The camera captures images of these markers, and the system calculates the actual orientation and position of the camera optical axis relative to the pick and place plane. This feedback information is used to generate accurate coordinate transformation matrices that compensate for any non-orthogonal camera mounting, eliminating the need for precise mechanical camera alignment.

The patent performs preliminary characterization of the camera mounting geometry by capturing images of fiducial markers during system setup. The system pre-calculates coordinate transformation parameters and correction factors based on the actual camera orientation, storing these for use during operation. This preliminary action eliminates the need for complex real-time mechanical adjustments during pick and place operations.

The patent replaces multi-component mechanical alignment systems with a vision-based measurement system. Instead of relying on the cumulative precision of multiple mechanical components (ball screw, camera mount, pick head), the system uses a camera to directly measure the position and orientation of the pick head and placement target, eliminating stack-up tolerance accumulation. The vision system provides a direct measurement path that is not subject to mechanical tolerance propagation.

The patent creates a digital replica of the mechanical alignment problem through image capture and processing. By generating virtual images of fiducial markers with precise coordinate data, the system transfers the alignment task from the physical mechanical domain to the digital computational domain, where precision is not degraded by mechanical stack-up tolerances.