Mobile robot on-board vision system

• US 5,219,264 A
• Filed: 04/10/1990
• Issued: 06/15/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/1986
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Inventors: Chen, Nai-Yung, McClure, Virge W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Huppert, Michael S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): HIENZ III, WILLIAM
• Application Number:
  US07/508,504
• Time in Patent Office: 1,162 Days
• Field of Search: 414/730, 901/1, 901/6, 901/9, 901/46, 901/47, 250/222.1
• US Class Current: 414/730
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 15/02 servo-actuated
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 19/023 including video camera means
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 5/007 mounted on wheels
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0014 Image feed-back for automatic industrial control, e.g. robot with camera robots B25J19/023
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67796 with angular orientation of workpieces H01L21/67787 and H01L21/67793 take precedence

Abstract

A mobile robot or automatic guided vehicle having a multijointed robot arm. The robot arm has a gripper and charge coupled device camera mounted at the free end of the arm. The gripper is for engaging, holding and releasing workpieces. The robot arm transfers workpieces to and from process machines or storage areas. The robot arm finds the workpiece or the place to set it down by looking at two light emitting diodes placed a known distance and orientation away from the workpiece or set down place. The robot arm and camera are controlled by a computer on board the vehicle. The automatic guided vehicle and robot arm are used to transfer workpieces from place to place in an automated manufacturing environment.

Claims

1. An automatic robot system comprising:

an AGV transporting and transferring workpiece,

a control computer on board the AGV,

a process machine for working on workpieces,

a flexible robot arm with a gripper comprising two gripper fingers at one end of the arm, wherein the robot arm and gripper are controllable by the control computer for engaging a workpiece, picking it up, and setting it down and releasing it at a commanded location,

locating beacon means mounted on the process machine, wherein the locating beacon means are for locating on the process machine a place to pick up and set down workpieces,

vision means, including a camera fixed in the coordinate system of the gripper means, attached to the robot arm near the gripper, such that the space between said gripper fingers lies within the vision field of said vision means, for detecting the locating beacon means, wherein the vision means provides the control computer visual information relating to the location of the locating beacon means, from which information the computer is able to calculate the pick up and set down place on the process machine, wherein said place for picking up and setting down workpieces on the process machine is a nest means and further serves the function of holding a workpiece in place while it is worked on, the robot system further comprising nest beacon means located in the nest means detectable by the vision means for providing information to the control computer as to whether or not a workpiece is present in the nest means.