Orientation and control system for robots

• US 4,613,942 A
• Filed: 10/22/1984
• Issued: 09/23/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/1982
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Richard M. Chen
• Original Assignee: Richard M. Chen
• Inventors: Chen, Richard M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Jerry
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lastova, John R.
• Application Number:
  US06/663,089
• Time in Patent Office: 701 Days
• Field of Search: 364/513, 364/468, 364/478, 364/474, 235/375, 235/383, 235/465, 235/454, 235/458, 235/469, 235/494, 358/101, 358/102, 358/106, 358/107, 250/221, 250/222.1, 250/566, 250/568, 250/557, 901/47
• US Class Current: 700/259
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1697 Vision controlled systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0014 Image feed-back for automatic industrial control, e.g. robot with camera robots B25J19/023

Abstract

An orientation and control system for use with robots provides identification, orientation and operating instructions coded indicia on diverse parts, which indicia are viewed by a camera and are digital image processor recognizable, so that the indicia are converted into information for computer control of a robot in utilizing the diverse parts in assembly operations. The present system is useful in assembly operations wherein the parts can be randomly presented, without special orientation or alignment fixtures, to a robot and yet the robot can utilize the parts in a programmed manner to perform the programmed assembly operations.

Claims

1. An orientation and control system for robots comprising:

a random oriented part having coded indicia being digital image processor recognizable;

a camera being positioned so as to view the coded indicia, a digital image processor interconnected to said camera for recognizing the indicia image and further comprising a computer for decoding the indicia so as to provide an x y z axes orientation input signal;

a robot having an arm for performing an operation with said part, said robot arm having coded indicia operatively associated therewith, said robot indicia being viewable by said camera and said robot indicia being processable by said processor and computer for comparison of said robot indicia with said part indicia, and means to actuate said arm, said processor and computer providing said input signal to said actuating means for controlling the robot arm in performing the operation on said part.

2. The system of claim 1, said part indicia comprising part identification indicia and part orientation indicia, and said robot arm indicia comprising operating instructions for using said part by said robot arm.

3. The system of claim 2, said part being formed and sid robot arm being cooperatively adaptable to engage said part.

4. The system of claim 3, said robot arm and part indicia being in continuous view, and said computer input to said actuator being continuous, so that there is a docking action of the part with the robot arm.

5. The system of claim 4, further comprising conveyor means for moving said part to said robot arm.

6. The part of claim 2, said identification indicia comprising a plurality of colors.

7. The part of claim 6, said symbols comprising geometric shapes.

8. The part of claim 2, said orientation indicia being of a geometric shape.

9. The part of claim 2, said indicia being disposed on a plurality of sides of said part.

10. The system of claim 2, said part comprising operating instruction indicia.

11. The part of claim 1, each of said indicia comprising geometric shapes.

12. The part of claim 11, said indicia comprising a plurality of differently colored symbols, whereby the juxtaposition of the symbol is coded for a specific part.

13. The part of claim 1, further comprising a label on said part, said label being adhesively removable from said part, said label bearing said indicia.

14. The part of claim 1, said indicia comprising geometric shapes and a plurality of colors.

15. The system of claim 1, further comprising an indicia application station spacedly disposed from said robot arm, and means to apply said indicia to said part or robot arm.

16. The system of claim 15, said indicia application station further comprising label applying means and a plurality of labels applied to said part at said station, said indicia appearing on one side of the label, and adhesive means on the other side of the label, for application to said part.

17. The system of claim 15, said indicia application means comprising a projector with means to focus an image of said indicia on said part so that said camera can view said projected image;

said projector including a computer with memory storage means, said memory storage means stores said indicia image so as to provide input to the projector for indicia image projection on the part.

18. The system of claim 15, further comprising conveyor means to convey said part to said robot arm.

19. The system of claim 1, said indicia is formed on said part.

20. An orientation and control system for robots comprising;

a part having coded indicia on said part, said coded indicia being digital image processor recognizable;

a camera being positioned so as to view the coded indicia;

a digital image processor interconnected to said camera for recognizing the indicia image and further comprising a computer interconnected to said processor for decoding the indicia so as to provide an input signal;

a robot having an arm for performing an operation with said part, and means to actuate said arm, said processor and computer providing said input signal to said actuating means for controlling the robot arm in relation to said operation on said part; and

indicia application means comprising a projector with means to focus an image of said indicia on said part so that said camera can view said projected image;

said projector being interconnected to said computer, so as to provide computer input to the projector for indicia image projection on the part.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein said camera views the projected image at the same time the image is projected by the projector so as to form a closed loop.

22. The system of claim 21, further comprising a plurality of parts, a plurality of cameras and a plurality of projectors, said cameras and projectors being integrated with said computer so as to provide dynamic operations.

23. The system of claim 22, comprising a second part, said first part being disposed and said second part being movable by said robot arm in relation to an operation of said first part.

24. The part of claim 20, said indicia comprising a circle.

25. The part of claim 24, said circle image being an ellipse and said processor including means to determine the distance of the diameters of the ellipse from the camera.

26. A robot assembly system for the assembly of unoriented parts without using parts fixtures and parts positioning equipment, comprising:

a part having random orientation, said part having orientation indicia on said part to provide three dimensional disposition data of said part, and

identification indicia on said part;

camera means to form an image of said orientation indicia and to form an image of said identification indicia;

computer means to determine the three dimensional disposition of said orientation indicia from said image of said orientation indicia;

manipulator means to manipulate said part;

means to make identification of said part from said image of identification indicia; and

assembly means to assemble said part using said manipulator means without the first use of part positioning mechanisms, whereby the manipulator manipulates said part according to said computer determined disposition without pre-orientation of the part before said part is manipulated.