Component manipulating method, component extracting method, component assembling method, component manipulating apparatus, component extracting apparatus, and component assembling apparatus

• US 8,319,831 B2
• Filed: 08/17/2009
• Issued: 11/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Koike, Naoki, Furuki, Taketoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): DONAGHUE, LARRY D
• Application Number:
  US12/542,378
• Publication Number:
  US 20100245558A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,198 Days
• Field of Search: 700/245, 382/274, 348/86
• US Class Current: 348/86
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/03 by measuring coordinates of points

Abstract

A component manipulating method includes recognizing, computing, and manipulating. The recognizing is a process in which a position and an attitude of a measured object is recognized by taking an image of a light spot group of the measured object with a camera, the measured object having the light spot group including a plurality of light spots, based on a light image expressing light spots constituting the light spot group on an image taken with the camera. The computing is a process in which a position and an attitude of the component are computed based on the position and the attitude of the recognized measured object and also on geometric arrangement positions of the measured object and the component. The manipulating is a process in which a robot being used to perform operations on the component is manipulated based on the computed position and the attitude.

Claims

1. A component extracting method comprising:

recognizing a position and an attitude of a measured object by taking an image of a light spot group of the measured object with a camera, the measured object and a component of an extracting target being supported in predetermined positions of a component support, the measured object having the light spot group including a plurality of light spots, serving as a measurement target of a position and an attitude, based on a light image expressing light spots constituting the light spot group on an image taken with the camera;

computing a position and an attitude of the component based on the position and the attitude of the measured object recognized in the recognizing as well as geometric arrangement positions of the measured object supported by the component support and the component; and

manipulating a robot to extract the component from the component support by positioning the robot to face and grasp the component of which position and attitude are computed in the computing, the robot being used to grasp the component.

2. The component extracting method according to claim 1, wherein the component support supports the measured object and a plurality of components in predetermined positions, the computing is a process in which a position and an attitude of each of the plurality of components are computed, and the extracting is a process in which the robot is positioned to sequentially face the respective components of which positions and attitudes are computed in the computing, to cause the robot to extract the respective components sequentially.

3. The component extracting method according to claim 2, further comprising determining whether the component support becomes an empty state in which all the components are extracted from the component support, by using a robot to count the number of components extracted from the component support.

4. The component extracting method according to claim 2, wherein the component support has light spots at positions where the plurality of components are supported, the light spots being obstructed by the existence of the component and appearing by the extraction of the component, and the component extracting method further comprises determining, by taking an image of the light spots of the component support with a camera, that the component support becomes an empty state in which all the components are extracted from the component support, when images of the light spots at all the positions where the components are supported by the component support are taken with the camera.

5. The component extracting method according to claim 1, wherein the component supports which support the measured object and the components are stacked in a plurality of stages, the component extracting method extracts a component supported by the component support stacked in the uppermost stage, and the component extracting method further comprises taking a component support out of the uppermost stage, by causing the robot to face the uppermost component support in which extraction of components is completed and to grasp and take out the component support from the uppermost stage.

6. The component extracting method according to claim 1, wherein the measured object has a light spot group including three light spots and one light spot, the three light spots being disposed while spaced apart from one another, the one light spot being disposed while perpendicularly spaced apart from a triangular reference plane, the triangular reference plane having vertexes of the three light spots, and the recognizing further comprising taking an image of the light spot group on the measured object with the camera, the camera being placed in a position spaced apart from a perpendicular to the reference plane.

7. A component assembling method comprising:

taking an image of a light spot group of a measured object with a camera, the measured object and a first component being supported in predetermined positions of an assembly pallet, the measured object having the light spot group including a plurality of light spots and serving as a measurement target of a position and an attitude;

recognizing a position and an attitude of the measured object based on a light image expressing the light spots constituting the light spot group on the image taken with the camera;

computing a position and an attitude of the first component based on the position and the attitude of the measured object and geometric arrangement positions of the measured object and the first component, the position and the attitude of the measured object recognized in the recognizing, the measured object and the first component being supported by the assembly pallet; and

assembling a component by causing a robot to grasp a second component and assemble the second component in the first component, by making the second component face the first component based on the position and the attitude of the measured object recognized in the recognizing.

8. The component assembling method according to claim 7, wherein the measured object has a light spot group including three light spots and one light spot, the three light spots being disposed while spaced apart from one another, the one light spot being disposed while perpendicularly spaced apart from a triangular reference plane, the triangular reference plane having vertexes of the three light spots, and the taking an image is a process including taking an image of the light spot group on the measured object with the camera, the camera being placed in a position in which an imaging optical axis is not matched with a perpendicular to the reference plane, the perpendicular passing through the one light spot.

9. The component assembling method according to claim 7, wherein the assembling is a process in which a component group in which the second component has been assembled in the first component supported by the assembly pallet is set as a new first component, a component to be assembled in the new first component is set as a new second component, and component assembly is repeated a plurality of times.

10. A component manipulating apparatus comprising:

a camera;

an image-taking control unit that causes the camera to take an image of a light spot group of a measured object, the measured object and a component of a manipulating target being supported in predetermined positions of a component support, the measured object having the light spot group including a plurality of light spots, the measured object serving as a measurement target of a position and an attitude;

a recognizing unit that recognizes a position and an attitude of the measured object based on a light image expressing the light spots constituting the light spot group on the image taken with the camera;

a computing unit that computes a position and an attitude of the component based on the position and the attitude of the measured object and geometric arrangement positions of the measured object and the component, the position and the attitude of the measured object recognized by the recognizing unit, the measured object and the component being supported by the component support;

a robot that manipulates the component; and

a control unit that causes the robot to manipulate the component based on the position and the attitude computed in the computing unit.

11. A component extracting apparatus comprising:

a camera;

an image-taking control unit that causes the camera to take an image of a light spot group of a measured object, the measured object and a component of an extracting target being supported in predetermined positions of a component support, the measured object having the light spot group including a plurality of light spots, the measured object serving as a measurement target of a position and an attitude;

a recognizing unit that recognizes a position and an attitude of the measured object based on a light image expressing the light spots constituting the light spot group on the image taken with the camera;

a computing unit that computes a position and an attitude of the component based on the position and the attitude of the measured object and geometric arrangement positions of the measured object and the component, the position and the attitude of the measured object recognized by the recognizing unit, the measured object and the component being supported by the component support;

a robot that grasps the component; and

a component extract control unit that causes the robot to face the component whose position and attitude have been computed in the computing unit and causes the robot to grasp the component to extract the component from the component support.

12. The component extracting apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the component support supports the measured object and the plurality of components in predetermined positions, the computing unit computes the position and the attitude of each of the plurality of components, and the component extract control unit causes the robot to sequentially face the components whose positions and attitudes have been computed in the computing and causes the robot to sequentially extract the components.

13. The component extracting apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising an empty determination unit that counts the number of components extracted from the component support by the robot to determine whether the component support becomes an empty state in which all the components are extracted from the component support.

14. The component extracting apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the component support has light spots at positions where the plurality of components are supported, the light spot being obstructed by the existence of the component and appearing by the extraction of the component, and the component extracting apparatus further comprises an empty determination unit that determines whether the component support becomes an empty state in which all the components are extracted from the component support, when the images of the light spots at all the positions in which the components are supported by the component support are taken with the camera.

15. The component extracting apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the component supports which support the measured objects and the components are stacked in a plurality of stages, the component extracting apparatus extracts a component supported by the component support stacked in the uppermost stage, and the component extracting apparatus further comprises a component support extraction control unit that causes the robot to face the uppermost component support in which the extraction of components is completed and to grasp and take out the component support from the uppermost stage.

16. The component extracting apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the measured object has a light spot group including three light spots and one light spot, the three light spots being disposed while spaced apart from one another, the one light spot being disposed while perpendicularly spaced apart from a triangular reference plane, the triangular reference plane having vertexes of the three light spots, and the image-taking control unit causes the camera to take an image of the light spot group on the measured object with the camera, the camera being placed in a position in which an imaging optical axis is not matched with a perpendicular to the reference plane, the perpendicular passing through the one light spot.

17. The component extracting apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the camera and the robot are fixed to each other, and the positions and the attitudes of the camera and robot are changed only integrally.

18. The component extracting apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the positions and attitudes of the camera and robot may be changed independently.

19. The component extracting apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the light spot is a light emitting diode.

20. The component extracting apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the light spot is a retroreflector that reflects incident light toward an incident direction.

21. A component assembling apparatus comprising:

a camera;

an image-taking control unit that causes the camera to take an image of a light spot group of a measured object, the measured object and a first component being supported in predetermined positions of an assembly pallet, the measured object having the light spot group including a plurality of light spots and serving as a measurement target of a position and an attitude;

a position and attitude recognizing unit that recognizes the position and attitude of the measured object based on a light image expressing the light spots constituting the light spot group on the image taken with the camera;

a position and attitude computing unit that computes a position and an attitude of the first component based on the position and attitude of the measured object and geometric arrangement positions of the measured object and the first component, the position and attitude of the measured object being recognized in the position and attitude recognizing unit, the measured object and the first component being supported by the assembly pallet;

a robot that grasps a second component to assemble the second component in the first component; and

a component assembly control unit that causes the robot to grasp the second component causes the second component to face the first component based on the position and attitude of the measured object recognized in the position and attitude recognizing unit, and causes the robot to assemble the second component in the first component.

22. The component assembling apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the measured object has a light spot group including three light spots and one light spot, the three light spots being disposed while spaced apart from one another, the one light spot being disposed while perpendicularly spaced apart from a triangular reference plane, the triangular reference plane having vertexes of the three light spots, and the image-taking control unit that causes the camera to take an image of the light spot group on the measured object, the camera being placed in a position in which an imaging optical axis is not matched with a perpendicular to the reference plane, the perpendicular passing through the one light spot.

23. The component assembling apparatus according to claim 21, wherein, in the component assembly control unit, a component group in which the second component has been assembled in the first component supported by the assembly pallet is set as a new first component, a component to be assembled in the new first component is set as a new second component, and component assembly is repeated a plurality of times.

24. The component assembling apparatus according to claim 23, wherein at least some components in a plurality of components to be sequentially assembled have light spots in positions in which a light spot appearance mode is changed according to an assembly stage of the plurality of components.

25. The component assembling apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the camera and the robot are fixed to each other, and the positions and attitudes of the camera and the robot are changed only integrally.

26. The component assembling apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the positions and attitudes of the camera and the robot may be changed independently.

27. The component assembling apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the light spot is a light emitting diode.

28. The component assembling apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the light spot is a retroreflector that reflects incident light toward an incident direction.