Workpiece picking apparatus

• US 7,966,094 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2007
• Issued: 06/21/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fanuc Ltd (Fanuc Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fanuc Ltd (Fanuc Corporation)
• Inventors: Watanabe, Keisuke, Kanno, Ichiro, Ban, Kazunori
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Khoi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kim; Kyung J
• Application Number:
  US11/863,670
• Publication Number:
  US 20080082213A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,362 Days
• Field of Search: 700/260, 700/213, 700/217, 700/223, 901/50
• US Class Current: 700/260
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1697 Vision controlled systems
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40038 Black list, exclude operation on workpiece when not possible, collision, error
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40053 Pick 3-D object from pile of objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30164 Workpiece; Machine component
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0004 Industrial image inspection
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/73 using feature-based methods

Abstract

A workpiece picking apparatus includes a robot, a workpiece recognition device for recognizing the workpieces located in a wide area, an accurate measurement device for accurately measuring the three-dimensional position of the workpiece, a workpiece select device for selecting the workpiece to be picked, and an NG workpiece storage device for storing information on the rough position of an failed NG workpiece when the measurement of the three-dimensional position or the picking for the workpiece has failed. The workpiece select device excludes the NG workpiece stored in the NG workpiece storage device and selects the next workpiece to be measured. The robot picks the selected workpiece based on the three-dimensional position of the workpiece measured by the accurate measurement device.

Claims

1. A workpiece picking apparatus comprising a robot for holding the workpiece, a workpiece recognition device for recognizing the rough positions of individual workpieces included in a group of workpieces located within a relatively wide area, an accurate measurement device for accurately measuring the three-dimensional position of a workpiece in a relatively narrow area, and a workpiece select device for selecting the workpiece to be picked from the group of workpieces, said accurate measurement device accurately measuring the three-dimensional position of the workpiece selected by said workpiece select device, said robot picking the selected workpiece from the group of workpieces based on the three-dimensional position of the workpiece measured by said accurate measurement device,

wherein said workpiece picking apparatus further comprises an NG (no good) workpiece storage device storing information on the rough position of a failed workpiece when said accurate measurement device has failed the measurement of the three-dimensional position of the workpiece or said robot has failed the picking of the workpiece, said workpiece select device excluding the failed workpiece, for which the measurement of the three-dimensional position or the picking has failed, from the group of workpieces recognized by said workpiece recognition device, based on the information on the rough position of individual workpieces recognized by said workpiece recognition device and the information stored in said NG workpiece storage device, and selecting the next workpiece to be measured by said accurate measurement device.

2. The workpiece picking apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said accurate measurement device is configured to further measure the orientation of the selected workpiece.

3. The workpiece picking apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said NG workpiece storage device is configured to compare the information on the rough position of the failed workpiece stored in said NG workpiece storage device with the information on the rough position of each of the group of workpieces recognized by said workpiece recognition device and, when the workpiece corresponding to the failed workpiece stored in said NG workpiece storage device does not exist in the group of workpieces recognized by said workpiece recognition device, delete the information on this failed workpiece.

4. The workpiece picking apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said NG workpiece storage device is configured to compare the information on the rough position of the failed workpiece stored in said NG workpiece storage device with the information on the rough position of each of the group of workpieces recognized by said workpiece recognition device and, when it is continuously confirmed a predetermined number of times that the workpiece corresponding to the failed workpiece stored in said NG workpiece storage device does not exist in the group of workpieces recognized by said workpiece recognition device, delete the information on this failed workpiece.

5. The workpiece picking apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said NG workpiece storage device is configured to delete the information on the failed workpiece when a cycle from the step of recognizing the group of workpieces by said workpiece recognition device to the step of picking the workpiece by said robot is repeated a predetermined number of times after the information on the rough position of the failed workpiece for which the measurement of the three dimensional position or the picking has failed is stored.

6. The workpiece picking apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said workpiece recognition device and said accurate measurement device are incorporated in the same device.

7. The workpiece picking apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said NG workpiece storage device is configured to compare the information on the rough position of the failed workpiece stored in said NG workpiece storage device with the information on the rough position of each of the group of workpieces recognized by said workpiece recognition device and, when the workpiece corresponding to the failed workpiece stored in said NG workpiece storage device does not exist in the group of workpieces recognized by said workpiece recognition device, delete the information on this failed workpiece.

8. The workpiece picking apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said NG workpiece storage device is configured to compare the information on the rough position of the failed workpiece stored in said NG workpiece storage device with the information on the rough position of each of the group of workpieces recognized by said workpiece recognition device and, when it is continuously confirmed a predetermined number of times that the workpiece corresponding to the failed workpiece stored in said NG workpiece storage device does not exist in the group of workpieces recognized by said workpiece recognition device, delete the information on this failed workpiece.

9. The workpiece picking apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said NG workpiece storage device is configured to delete the information on the failed workpiece when a cycle from the step of recognizing the group of workpieces by said workpiece recognition device to the step of picking the workpiece by said robot is repeated a predetermined number of times after the information on the rough position of the failed workpiece for which the measurement of the three dimensional position or the picking has failed is stored.

10. The workpiece picking apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said workpiece recognition device and said accurate measurement device are incorporated in the same device.