Robot System with Shared Camera and Optical Data Transfer
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing robot systems for image inspection lack efficiency in sharing a single camera unit among multiple robots, leading to inconsistencies in image quality due to varying optical properties and increased complexity in cable management, which affects the accuracy and cost-effectiveness of inspections.
Innovation Solution
A robot system where a single camera unit with stored optical property data is shared among multiple robots, using a tool changer for attachment and detachment, and transmission cables for data transfer, ensuring consistent image quality and reducing cable interference by using a tool changer with connection parts for seamless data transmission.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If a single camera unit is shared among multiple robots, then cost is reduced and resource utilization is improved, but image inspection accuracy deteriorates due to varying optical properties across different camera units
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes a single camera unit universally compatible with multiple robots through standardized mounting interfaces and cable connections. The camera unit can be attached to any robot in the group and function consistently, eliminating the need for multiple specialized camera units while maintaining inspection accuracy through standardized optical property data management.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a digital copy of the optical property data (lens distortion, focal length, principal point) from the original camera unit calibration. This copied data is transmitted to each robot's controller, allowing each robot to process images as if the camera were permanently mounted, thereby maintaining inspection accuracy without physically duplicating the camera hardware.
2Measurement precision
If multiple camera units are used for each robot, then image inspection accuracy is maintained, but system complexity and cable management difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the optical property data from the physical camera unit and transmits it separately via transmission cables to the robot controllers. This separation allows the camera unit to remain physically connected to one robot while serving multiple robots through data transmission, reducing the need for extensive cable routing between multiple camera units and each robot.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces transmission cables as an intermediary medium that carries optical property data between the camera unit and robot controllers. This intermediary solution allows the system to maintain accurate image inspection without requiring direct physical connections between each camera unit and every robot, thereby simplifying cable management.
3Quantity of substance
If a single camera unit is shared among multiple robots, then cost is reduced, but attachment and detachment operations become more complex requiring tool changers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal mounting interface that allows the same camera unit to be attached to multiple different robots using the same mechanism. The standardized interface design means that while attachment/detachment operations are required, the complexity is reduced because the same simple mounting structure is used across all robots, and tool changers can be designed with consistent interfaces.
4Measurement precision
If optical property data is transmitted to each robot controller, then image inspection accuracy is maintained across different robots, but data transmission infrastructure is required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates and transmits a digital copy of the optical property data (calibration parameters) from the camera unit to each robot controller that will use the camera. This copied data enables each controller to process images with the correct optical corrections, maintaining inspection accuracy across multiple robots without requiring complex real-time data exchange systems during inspection operations.
Data Source
AI summary
A robot system is provided with: a plurality of robots; an image acquisition unit that can be attached and detached with respect to each of the robots and that acquires an image of an inspection target object; and a plurality of image inspection units that are respectively connected to the robots and that each inspect the inspection target object on the basis of the image acquired by the image acquisition unit. The image acquisition unit holds image-inspection data that includes optical property data indicating optical properties of the image acquisition unit and that is used in the inspection performed by the image inspection units, and transmits the image-inspection data to the image inspection unit that is connected to the robot to which the image acquisition unit is attached.