Pick and place machine with improved component pick image processing
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A pick and place machine comprising:
- a placement head having a nozzle for temporarily adhering a component thereto;
a robotic system for generating relative movement between the placement head and a workpiece;
a sensor having an illuminator disposed to direct illumination at the component, the sensor also having image acquisition system disposed to acquire a two-dimensional before-pick shadow image of the nozzle, and to acquire at least one two-dimensional after-pick shadow image of the nozzle and the component; and
a processor adapted to process the before and after-pick images to characterize a pick operation.
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Abstract
A pick and place machine includes a sensor disposed to acquire an image of a nozzle before a pick operation, and one or more images after the pick operation. Image analytics based upon these images reveal important characteristics that can be used to classify the pick operation. In some embodiments, a plurality of after-pick images are acquired at different poses (angular orientations).
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Citations
31 Claims
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1. A pick and place machine comprising:
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a placement head having a nozzle for temporarily adhering a component thereto;
a robotic system for generating relative movement between the placement head and a workpiece;
a sensor having an illuminator disposed to direct illumination at the component, the sensor also having image acquisition system disposed to acquire a two-dimensional before-pick shadow image of the nozzle, and to acquire at least one two-dimensional after-pick shadow image of the nozzle and the component; and
a processor adapted to process the before and after-pick images to characterize a pick operation. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A sensor for sensing a pick operation in a pick and place machine, the sensor comprising:
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an illuminator disposed to direct illumination at a component held upon a nozzle of the pick and place machine;
an image acquisition system disposed to acquire a two-dimensional before-pick shadow image of the nozzle, and to acquire at least one two-dimensional after-pick shadow image of the nozzle and the component; and
a processor adapted to process the before and after-pick images to characterize a pick operation. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A method of characterizing a pick operation of a pick and place machine, the method comprising:
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obtaining a before-pick shadow image of a nozzle of the pick and place machine;
obtaining at least one after-pick shadow image of the nozzle;
subtracting the before-pick image from the at least one after-pick image to generate at least one difference image;
determining at least one metric based upon the difference image; and
characterizing the pick operation based upon the at least one metric. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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Specification