Robot Vision Rivet Placement for Crossed and Stacked Fasteners
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current automatic rivet placement systems face challenges in accurately unpacking and placing diverse rivet specifications, leading to low efficiency and reliability, especially when rivets are crossed or stacked, and existing solutions like vibrating plates and binocular vision systems are inefficient and prone to errors.
Innovation Solution
A robot vision-based automatic rivet placement system utilizing an industrial robot, a multi-functional end effector with a CCD camera and laser displacement sensor, a rivet blowing mechanism, and a vacuum generator to accurately identify, pick up, and convey rivets of various specifications, ensuring precise positioning and feeding them into a rivet placement pipe.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a traditional vibrating plate system is used for rivet arrangement and sorting, then rivets can be directionally arranged and sorted by specification, but the system produces large volume, high noise, severe vibration, and affects drilling and riveting accuracy
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the rivet sorting function from the traditional vibrating plate system and implements it separately using a robot with vision recognition. The robot picks rivets one by one from the storage box based on vision-identified positions and places them in sequence in the rivet tray, eliminating the need for vibrating plates and their associated harmful vibrations and noise while maintaining sorting capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical vibrating plate system with a robot-based automated picking system controlled by vision recognition. Instead of using mechanical vibration to arrange and sort rivets, the system uses a robot equipped with vision recognition to identify rivet positions and specifications, then mechanically picks and places them in the correct sequence, eliminating vibration and noise while improving precision.
2Adaptability or versatility
If binocular vision is used to identify rivets in crossed or stacked states, then rivet identification can be attempted, but the system is prone to errors and has low identification rate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a top-view imaging approach that creates a two-dimensional planar copy of the rivet arrangement in the storage box. This top-view image processing method accurately captures the positions and specifications of rivets without the complexity of three-dimensional binocular vision, enabling reliable identification even when rivets are crossed or stacked by analyzing their projected positions and orientations in the top view.
3Adaptability or versatility
If manual intervention is used for rivet placement, then flexibility and adaptability are maintained, but productivity and efficiency are low
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements an automated system where the robot performs rivet picking and placement operations autonomously based on vision recognition results. The system automatically identifies rivet positions and specifications, calculates optimal picking paths, controls the robot to pick rivets in the correct sequence, and places them in the rivet tray without manual intervention, thereby dramatically improving productivity while maintaining adaptability to different rivet types.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates vision recognition that continuously monitors and identifies rivet positions and specifications in the storage box, providing real-time feedback to the control system. Based on this feedback, the system dynamically adjusts the robot's picking path and sequence to handle different rivet arrangements and specifications, enabling automated operation with high adaptability and efficiency.
4Ease of operation
If rivets are conveyed through a thin pipeline wound on the mechanical arm, then rivets can be delivered to the drilling and riveting end effector, but rivets are prone to locking and system failures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the rivet placement function from the traditional pipeline-based system and implements it directly at the end effector. The robot picks rivets from the storage box and places them directly into the rivet tray positioned at the end effector, eliminating the thin pipeline that winds around the mechanical arm and is prone to locking and failures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a rivet tray as an intermediary component between the robot and the drilling/riveting process. The robot places rivets into this tray which then feeds them to the drilling and riveting end effector, providing a stable and reliable interface that eliminates the problematic thin pipeline while maintaining smooth rivet supply.
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
The system significantly improves rivet placement efficiency, enabling the handling of up to 35 specifications of rivets with high accuracy and reliability, eliminating the need for manual intervention and reducing errors, thus enhancing the overall performance of automatic drilling and riveting operations.
Implementation Method 1
a vacuum generator (6), a valve group (7)
Implementation Method 2
a laser displacement sensor (15)
Implementation Method 3
an industrial CCD camera (14)
Implementation Method 4
a rivet blowing mechanism (4)
Data Source
AI summary
A robot vision-based automatic rivet placement system and method. The automatic rivet placement system includes: an industrial robot installed on a frame, a multi-functional end effector, a rivet blowing mechanism, a detection disk, and a rivet holding tray. The multi-functional end effector consists of a flange disk, a support frame, an industrial CCD camera, a laser displacement sensor, a spring, a mixing rod, and a vacuum nozzle. The multi-functional end effector is connected to a terminal end of the industrial robot via the flange disk. The industrial CCD camera is installed directly in front of the support frame, and is used to acquire a rivet image and measure a rivet parameter. The laser displacement sensor is installed at a side surface of the support frame, and is used to measure a rivet depth.