Robot Control Using Pre-calculated Conveying Velocity
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing robot systems struggle to maintain continuous operation when articles or marks are not continuously supplied, leading to synchronization issues and potential stoppages during article processing.
Innovation Solution
A robot system that includes a camera capturing images of articles or marks at an upstream position, a conveying-velocity calculating portion determining the position and velocity of conveyed articles, and a control unit controlling the robot based on calculated data, even when articles or marks are absent, using previous velocity and position data to ensure continuous processing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the robot synchronizes based on articles or marks imaged by the camera, then the position and velocity of articles can be detected, but the system cannot operate when articles or marks are not continuously supplied
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-calculates and stores the conveying velocity based on articles or marks that pass through the camera field of view. This pre-calculated velocity data is then used as a reference for subsequent robot control even when new articles or marks are not detected, allowing the system to maintain operation during gaps in article supply.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a virtual reference of the conveying velocity based on previously detected articles or marks. This virtual velocity reference is maintained and used for robot synchronization even when physical articles or marks are absent from the camera field, effectively copying the motion pattern for continued control.
2Manufacturing precision
If the robot waits for continuous article supply to synchronize, then accurate tracking can be maintained, but productivity decreases due to stoppages
Solution Approach 1:
The system maintains continuous robot operation by using pre-calculated conveying velocity data. When articles or marks are detected, the velocity is updated; when they are not detected, the robot continues using the stored velocity information, ensuring uninterrupted processing and eliminating stoppages that would otherwise occur during gaps in article supply.
Solution Approach 2:
The conveying velocity is calculated and stored in advance when articles or marks are present, creating a buffer of velocity data that enables the robot to continue operation without interruption during subsequent periods when articles may be absent from the detection field.
3Ease of operation
If the camera is positioned upstream to capture images, then the robot can be controlled based on article position, but the system requires continuous article presence for synchronization
Solution Approach 1:
The upstream camera captures images of articles or marks to pre-determine conveying velocity before the robot reaches the processing position. This velocity information is stored and used for robot control even when subsequent articles are not detected, preventing time loss due to stoppages while maintaining ease of operation through image-based control.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a temporal copy of the conveying velocity information obtained from upstream camera images. This copied velocity data is maintained and applied for robot synchronization during periods when articles are absent from the camera field, eliminating idle time while preserving the benefits of vision-based control.
Data Source
AI summary
A robot system provided with: a conveying apparatus; a robot that performs processing on an article being conveyed; a camera that captures images of the article being conveyed; a conveying-velocity calculating portion that calculates at least one of a position of the article on the conveying apparatus and a velocity at which the article is conveyed by the conveying apparatus on the basis of the plurality of images captured by the camera; and a control unit that controls the robot on the basis of at least one of the position and the conveying velocity. The control unit determines whether or not the article is present in the images, and, in the case in which the article is absent, controls the robot on the basis of at least one of the position and the conveying velocity calculated by the conveying-velocity calculating portion immediately therebefore.