JPH08112727A - Ringlike work feed method and its device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To surely take out one by one ringlike works which a parts feeder can not separate completely and also arrange the directions of the ringlike works with the holding position as a reference. CONSTITUTION: Out of work images detected by means of an image detection portion 4, any of the maximum points and the minimum points of the respective coordinates values of the right-angle crossing coordinates system of an image detection system and points that are most distant from the gravity centers of the detected images are selected by means of a selection portion 11, and the area value of each work image contained in a small sphere of a predetermined radius that makes each selected point a center is calculated, and whether it is less than a predetermined threshold or not is discriminated by means of a discriminating portion 14, and in response to the discrimination result of the discriminating portion 14 indicating that the area value of each work image is less than the predetermined threshold value, the inertial main axis angle of each work image in each small sphere is calculated by means of an inertial main axis angle calculating portion 15, and shifting by 180 deg. is conducted as occasion demands, and each ringlike work is taken out by controlling the posture of a holding hand 5a by means of a robot controller 4b so that the inertial main axis angle thus obtained may be fitted.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for supplying a ring-shaped work and an apparatus therefor, in which a ring-shaped work conveyed by a bowl feeder, a conveyor type feeder, etc.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for supplying a ring-shaped work for picking up each piece.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a device for feeding rubber belts one by one, as shown in FIG. 10, a rubber belt is fed from a chute portion 71 to a drum feeder 72, and a puller provided on the inner surface of the drum feeder 72 is used. The rubber belt is separated from the other rubber belts by the hanging pins, and the rubber belt is attached to the spiral shaft 73 at the top of the drum feeder 72.
, And a device for completely separating and supplying the rubber belts one by one by the spiral shaft 73 has been proposed ("Latest Parts Supply Technology Guide", pages 388-389, April 17, 1986, stocks. See the company Industrial Technology Service Center issued). In addition, 74 is a buffer part, 75 is a chuck part, and 76 is a chassis conveyance part.

If this device is adopted, rubber belts, which are difficult to separate by simply applying vibration, can be reliably separated and taken out one by one, and automation of the device for assembling the rubber belt can be achieved. it can.

[0004]

However, the above device not only requires the chute portion 71, the drum feeder 72, and the spiral shaft 73, but also the spiral shaft 7
Since the width and depth of the spiral groove 3 must be set according to the width and thickness of the rubber belt, not only the mechanical structure becomes complicated, but also high processing accuracy is required. Further, if the size of the rubber belt to be supplied is changed, at least the spiral shaft 73 has to be replaced, which is inconvenient in versatility.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and a ring-shaped work supply method which can simplify the mechanical structure and can easily cope with the case where the size is changed. The purpose is to provide the device.

[0006]

According to the method for supplying a ring-shaped work of claim 1, a plurality of ring-shaped works conveyed by a parts feeder are temporarily supported on a light-transmissive plate to transmit light. The image of a ring-shaped work on a flexible plate is detected, and among the detected work images, the maximum and minimum points of each coordinate value of the Cartesian coordinate system of the image detection system and the point farthest from the center of gravity of the detected image are detected. It is determined whether or not the area value of the work image included in the small area centered on one of them is less than or equal to a predetermined threshold,
When the area value of the work image is less than or equal to a predetermined threshold value, the principal axis angle of inertia of the work image in the small area is calculated,
In response to the relative position of the above-mentioned point with respect to the center of gravity, the inertial spindle angle is adopted as it is, or an angle obtained by shifting the inertial spindle angle by 180 ° is adopted. This is a method in which the posture is controlled to take out the ring-shaped work, and when the area value of the work image exceeds a predetermined threshold value, another point is selected and the discrimination processing is performed.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a ring-shaped work supply device, wherein a translucent plate for temporarily supporting a plurality of ring-shaped works conveyed by a parts feeder and a ring on the translucent plate. Image detecting means for detecting the image of the workpiece, and among the detected workpiece images, one of the maximum point, the minimum point of each coordinate value of the orthogonal coordinate system of the image detection system, and the point most distant from the center of gravity of the detected image. Selection means for selecting, area value calculating means for calculating an area value of a work image included in a small area centered on the selected point, and determination for determining whether or not the calculated area value is less than or equal to a predetermined threshold value Means and an inertial principal axis angle calculating means for calculating an inertial principal axis angle of the work image in the small area in response to a discrimination result of the discrimination means indicating that the area value of the workpiece image is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value, and a center of gravity. The above selection based on It has been in response to the relative position of the point as it adopts the principal axis of inertia angle, or an inertial main axis angle 180
° Inertial spindle angle adopting means that adopts the shifted angle, and control means that controls the attitude of the work take-out device to take out the ring-shaped workpiece so as to match the adopted inertial spindle angle,
Repetition means for operating the selection means to select another point in response to the determination result of the determination means indicating that the area value of the work image exceeds a predetermined threshold value.

[0008]

According to the ring-shaped work supply method of claim 1,
Detects images of multiple ring-shaped workpieces on a light-transmissive plate, and from the detected workpiece images, the maximum and minimum points of each coordinate value in the Cartesian coordinate system of the image detection system and the center of gravity of the detected image When the area value of the work image included in the small area centered on any of the most distant points is less than or equal to a predetermined threshold value,
The inertial principal axis angle of the work image in the small area is calculated, and the inertial principal axis angle is adopted as it is in response to the relative position of the point with respect to the center of gravity, or the inertial principal axis angle is 180 degrees.
° If the angle of the work is adopted and the ring-shaped work is taken out by controlling the posture of the work picking device to match the adopted inertial principal axis angle, and if the area value of the work image exceeds the specified threshold, another point Since a small region centered on is selected and the same process is repeated, even if a plurality of ring-shaped works overlap each other, the ring-shaped works can be taken out one by one. When taking out the ring-shaped work, the small area is considered in consideration of the relative position (right side or left side, and upper side or lower side) of the above points based on the center of gravity of the images of the plurality of ring shaped works. The inertial spindle angle of the work image inside is adopted as it is, or an angle shifted by 180 ° is adopted as the inertial spindle angle, and the attitude of the work take-out device is controlled so as to match the adopted inertial spindle angle. It is possible to align the direction of the taken out ring-shaped work (the direction of the center of gravity of the ring-shaped work with reference to the gripping position by the work taking-out device).

According to the ring-shaped work supply device of the second aspect, the plurality of ring-shaped works conveyed by the parts feeder are temporarily supported on the light-transmitting plate, and the light-transmitting plate is provided. The image of the upper ring-shaped work is detected by the image detection means, and among the detected work images, the maximum point, the minimum point of each coordinate value of the orthogonal coordinate system of the image detection system, and the point farthest from the center of gravity of the detected image One of them is selected by the selection means, the area value of the work image included in the small area centered on the selected point is calculated by the area value calculation means, and it is determined whether the calculated area value is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value. It is determined by the determination means. Then, in response to the determination result of the determination means indicating that the area value of the work image is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value, the inertia principal axis angle of the work image in the small area is calculated by the inertia principal axis angle calculation means, and the center of gravity is calculated. In response to the relative position of the above-mentioned reference point, the inertial spindle angle is adopted by the inertial spindle angle adopting means as it is, or an angle obtained by shifting the inertial spindle angle by 180 ° is adopted to conform to the adopted inertial spindle angle. The control means controls the posture of the work take-out device to take out the ring-shaped work. Further, in response to the determination result of the determination means indicating that the area value of the work image exceeds the predetermined threshold value, the selecting means is operated by the repeating means to select another point. Therefore, even if a plurality of ring-shaped works overlap each other, the ring-shaped works can be taken out one by one. When taking out the ring-shaped work, the small area is considered in consideration of the relative position (right side or left side, and upper side or lower side) of the above points based on the center of gravity of the images of the plurality of ring shaped works. The inertial spindle angle of the work image inside is adopted as it is, or an angle shifted by 180 ° is adopted as the inertial spindle angle, and the attitude of the work take-out device is controlled so as to match the adopted inertial spindle angle. It is possible to align the direction of the taken out ring-shaped work (the direction of the center of gravity of the ring-shaped work with reference to the gripping position by the work taking-out device).

[0010]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings showing embodiments. FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of a ring-shaped work supply device to which the present invention is applied. In this ring-shaped work supply device, a part of the component transfer track 1a of the circulating bowl feeder 1 is formed of a light-transmissive plate 1b, and the lighting device 2 is provided above the light-transmissive plate 1b. Are arranged. Then, the reflection mirror 3 is arranged below the translucent plate 1b, and the reflection mirror 3
The image detection unit 4 including a CCD camera or the like is arranged at a predetermined position where the light reflected by can be received. further,
A gripping hand 5 a for gripping a ring-shaped work is attached to the industrial robot 5. Further, an image processing unit 4a that performs a predetermined process using the image signal taken in from the image detection unit 4 as an input, and a robot controller that receives a processing result signal from the image processing unit 4a and gives an operation command to the industrial robot 5. 4b and. The illumination device 2 is integrally provided on the lower surface of the lid member 2a that can be opened and closed to cover the light-transmitting plate 1b.

FIG. 1 is a view showing a light-transmitting plate 1b located on a plate 3b.
It is a figure which shows the image of one ring-shaped work 6. However,
This image is assigned to a predetermined position on the rectangular coordinate system (xy coordinate system) shown in FIG. Here, examples of the ring-shaped work include a rubber belt and packing. In FIG. 1, G is the center of gravity of the image of the ring-shaped work, p1 is the point farthest from the center of gravity G in the image of the ring-shaped work, and p2 is x of the image of the ring-shaped work.
The point with the largest coordinate value, p3 is the point with the smallest x coordinate value in the image of the ring-shaped workpiece, p4 is the point with the largest y coordinate value in the image of the ring-shaped workpiece, and p5 is the ring-shaped object. In the image of the work, each point has the smallest y-coordinate value.

2 to 6 are flow charts for explaining an embodiment of the ring-shaped work supply method according to the present invention.
In step SP1, it is determined whether or not a ring-shaped work exists in the visual field range corresponding to the translucent plate 1b,
If it does not exist, the circulating bowl feeder 1 is operated in step SP2 to feed the ring-shaped work 6, and the determination in step SP1 is performed again.

In step SP1, the ring-shaped work 6
If it is determined that there is an item, step SP3
In step SP4, the barycentric position of the image of the ring-shaped work is calculated, point p1 is extracted, and in step SP5.
At step SP6, the area of the image of the ring-shaped workpiece in the window w1 is calculated, and at step SP7, the calculated area value is set to a predetermined value. It is determined whether or not it is smaller than a threshold value (for example, a value approximate to the area value of an image of a single ring-shaped work). If it is determined that the calculated area value is smaller than the predetermined threshold value, the window w
Calculate the principal axis angle of inertia of the work image within 1 and step SP
In 9 it is determined whether or not the point p1 is on the upper side or the right side with reference to the center of gravity G. If it is determined that the point p1 is the lower side or the left side, the principal axis angle of inertia is shifted by 180 ° in step SP10. Obtain a new principal axis of inertia. If it is determined in step SP9 that the point p1 is on the upper side and the right side, or if the processing in step SP10 is performed, the point p1 is determined in step SP11.
The coordinate values and the finally obtained principal axis angle of inertia are supplied to the robot controller 4b, and the determination in step SP1 is performed again. It should be noted that the principal axis of inertia is an axis around which an object easily rotates, and the principal axis angle of inertia is an angle formed by the principal axis of inertia with respect to a predetermined reference axis.

When it is determined in step SP7 of the flowchart of FIG. 2 that the calculated area value is equal to or larger than the predetermined threshold value, step S of the flowchart of FIG.
The point p2 is extracted in P11, a window w2 having a relatively small radius centered on the point p2 is created in step SP12, the area of the image of the ring-shaped work in the window w2 is calculated in step SP13, and step SP14 At, it is determined whether the calculated area value is smaller than a predetermined threshold value. When it is determined that the calculated area value is smaller than the predetermined threshold value, the inertial principal axis angle of the work image in the window w2 is calculated in step SP15, and the coordinate value of the point p2 and the obtained value are obtained in step SP16. The inertia principal axis angle is supplied to the robot controller 4b, and the determination in step SP1 is performed again.

Step SP14 of the flowchart of FIG.
When it is determined that the calculated area value is equal to or larger than the predetermined threshold value, the point p3 is extracted in step SP21 of the flowchart of FIG. 4, and the relatively small predetermined radius centered on the point p3 in step SP22. Window w3 is created, the area of the image of the ring-shaped work in the window w3 is calculated in step SP23, and it is determined in step SP24 whether the calculated area value is smaller than a predetermined threshold value. When it is determined that the calculated area value is smaller than the predetermined threshold value, the inertial principal axis angle of the work image in the window w3 is calculated in step SP25, and step SP26.
In step SP27, the inertial principal axis angle is shifted by 180 ° to obtain a new inertial principal axis angle. In step SP27, the coordinate value of the point p3 and the finally obtained inertial principal axis angle are supplied to the robot controller 4b, and the determination in step SP1 is performed again. .

Step SP24 of the flowchart of FIG.
When it is determined that the calculated area value is equal to or larger than the predetermined threshold value, the point p4 is extracted in step SP31 of the flowchart of FIG. 5, and the relatively small predetermined radius centered on the point p4 in step SP32. Window w4 is created, the area of the image of the ring-shaped work in window w4 is calculated in step SP33, and it is determined in step SP34 whether the calculated area value is smaller than a predetermined threshold value. When it is determined that the calculated area value is smaller than the predetermined threshold value, the inertial principal axis angle of the work image in the window w4 is calculated in step SP35, and step SP36.
In step SP1, the coordinate value of the point p4 and the obtained principal axis of inertia are supplied to the robot controller 4b.
Is determined.

Step SP34 of the flowchart of FIG.
When it is determined that the calculated area value is equal to or larger than the predetermined threshold value, the point p5 is extracted in step SP41 of the flowchart of FIG. 6, and the relatively small predetermined radius centered on the point p5 in step SP42. Window w5 is created, the area of the image of the ring-shaped work in the window w5 is calculated in step SP43, and it is determined in step SP44 whether the calculated area value is smaller than a predetermined threshold value. Then, when it is determined that the calculated area value is smaller than the predetermined threshold value, the inertial principal axis angle of the work image in the window w5 is calculated in step SP45, and step SP46.
In, the inertia principal axis angle is shifted by 180 ° to obtain a new inertia principal axis angle, the coordinate value of the point p5 and the finally obtained inertia principal axis angle are supplied to the robot controller 4b in step SP47, and the determination in step SP1 is performed again. . When it is determined in step SP44 that the calculated area value is equal to or larger than the predetermined threshold value, the process of step SP2 is performed again.

The above is based on the center of gravity,
Alternatively, the inertial principal axis angle obtained by selecting the right side point is directly used, and the inertial principal axis angle obtained by selecting the lower or left side point is shifted by 180 ° to obtain a new principal axis of inertia. However, the inertial spindle angle obtained by selecting the lower or left point with respect to the center of gravity is used as it is, and the inertial spindle angle obtained by selecting the upper or right point. May be shifted by 180 ° to obtain a new principal axis angle of inertia.

Therefore, the points p1, p2, ..., P5
Select points in this order, create a circular window centered on the selected point, and if the area value of the work image in the window is less than a predetermined threshold value, determine the relative position of the corresponding point with respect to the center of gravity G. In consideration of this, the ring-shaped work 6 can be taken out by controlling the posture of the gripping hand 5a so as to match the inertial principal axis angle which is adopted as it is or is shifted by 180 °. When the ring-shaped work 6 is taken out, there is a high possibility that the image will change due to displacement of the ring-shaped work and so on. 6 can be taken out. More specifically, it is possible to obtain the same principal axes of inertia in the window centered on the right end point p2 and the window centered on the left end point p3 of one ring-shaped work shown in FIG. 8A. Therefore, when the inertial spindle is adopted as it is and the ring-shaped work 6 is taken out, the positions of the center of gravity G with respect to the gripping position are opposite to each other (see B in FIG. 8). That is, the postures of the workpieces taken out cannot be aligned. However, if the inertial principal axis angle is shifted by 180 ° if necessary in consideration of the relative position of the gripping position with respect to the center of gravity G as a reference, the gripping hand 5a is moved to 180 °.
Since the ring-shaped work 6 can be gripped in the state of being rotated, the direction of the ring-shaped work to be taken out can be aligned by returning the gripping hand 5a.

[0020]

[Embodiment 2] FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing an essential part of an embodiment of a ring-shaped work supply apparatus of the present invention. This ring-shaped work supply device is one of the maximum point, the minimum point of each coordinate value of the Cartesian coordinate system of the image detection system, and the point farthest from the center of gravity of the detected image in the work image detected by the image detection unit 4. A selecting section 11 for selecting a small area and a small area setting section 12 for setting a small area having a predetermined radius centered on the selected point,
The area value calculation unit 13 that calculates the area value of the work image included in the set small area, the determination unit 14 that determines whether the calculated area value is less than or equal to a predetermined threshold, and the area value of the work image In response to the determination result of the determination unit 14 indicating that the value is less than or equal to a predetermined threshold value, the inertial principal axis angle calculation unit 15 that calculates the inertial principal axis angle of the work image in the small area, and the selection based on the center of gravity are selected. In response to the relative position of the
Degree of inertia main spindle angle adoption unit 16 that adopts a shifted angle, robot controller 4b that controls the attitude of gripping hand 5a to extract a ring-shaped work so as to match the adopted main inertia spindle angle, and the area value of the work image In response to the discrimination result of the discriminating unit 14 indicating that is larger than a predetermined threshold value, the repeating unit 17 operates the selecting unit 11 to select another point.

Therefore, points p1, p2, ..., P5
Select points in this order, create a circular window centered on the selected point, and if the area value of the work image in the window is less than a predetermined threshold value, determine the relative position of the corresponding point with respect to the center of gravity G. In consideration of this, the ring-shaped work 6 can be taken out by controlling the posture of the gripping hand 5a so as to match the inertial principal axis angle which is adopted as it is or is shifted by 180 °. When the ring-shaped work 6 is taken out, there is a high possibility that the image will change due to displacement of the ring-shaped work and so on. 6 can be taken out.

[0022]

According to the invention of claim 1, the ring-shaped works can be taken out one by one even when the plurality of ring-shaped works are overlapped with each other. Considering the relative position (right side or left side, and upper side or lower side) of the above points based on the center of gravity of the image of each ring-shaped workpiece, the principal axis angle of inertia of the workpiece image in the small area is adopted as it is. , Or an angle shifted by 180 ° is adopted as the principal axis of inertia, and the posture of the work picking device is controlled so as to match the adopted principal spindle angle. Therefore, the orientation of the ring-shaped work taken out (work picking device It is possible to align the direction of the center of gravity of the ring-shaped work with the gripping position as a reference.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, even if a plurality of ring-shaped works overlap each other, the ring-shaped works can be taken out one by one. Taking into consideration the relative position of the above point (right side or left side, and upper side or lower side) with respect to the center of gravity of the image of the ring-shaped workpiece, the principal axis angle of inertia of the workpiece image in the small area is directly adopted, or Since the angle shifted by 180 ° is adopted as the principal axis of inertia and the posture of the work take-out device is controlled so as to match with the adopted main spindle angle of inertia, the orientation of the taken-out ring-shaped work (grip by the work taking-out device is grasped. The unique effect is that the center of gravity of the ring-shaped work (direction of the position) can be aligned.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an image of three ring-shaped works 6 located on a transparent plate 1b.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining a part of an embodiment of the ring-shaped work supply method of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating another part of the embodiment of the ring-shaped work supply method of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining still another part of the embodiment of the ring-shaped work supply method of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining still another part of the embodiment of the ring-shaped work supply method of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining the rest of the embodiment of the ring-shaped work supply method of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of a ring-shaped work supply device to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating that the direction of the ring-shaped work is reversed depending on the gripping position of the ring-shaped work.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a main part of an embodiment of a ring-shaped work supply device of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a conventional rubber belt supply device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Recycling Parts Feeder 1b Translucent Plate 4 Image Detection Section 4b Robot Controller 5 Industrial Robot 6 Ring Work 11 Selection Section 12 Small Area Setting Section 13 Area Value Calculation Section 14 Discrimination Section 15 Inertial Spindle Angle Calculation Section 16 Inertial principal axis angle adoption section 17 Repeating section p1, p2, ..., p5 point G Center of gravity

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of ring-shaped works (6) conveyed by a parts feeder (1) are temporarily supported on a transparent plate (1b), and the transparent plate (1b) is supported. ) The image of the ring-shaped work (6) above is detected, and among the detected work images, the maximum points (p2) (p4) and the minimum points (p3) (p5) of the coordinate values of the Cartesian coordinate system of the image detection system. ) And the area value of the work image included in the small area centered on any of the points (p1) farthest from the center of gravity (G) of the detected image is less than a predetermined threshold value, and the area of the work image is determined. When the value is less than the predetermined threshold value, the inertial principal axis angle of the work image in the small area is calculated, and the inertial principal axis angle is adopted as it is in response to the relative position of the above point based on the center of gravity (G). , Or an angle with the principal axis angle of inertia shifted by 180 °, and the adopted inertia The ring-shaped work is taken out by controlling the posture of the work taking-out device so as to match the axis angle, and when the area value of the work image is equal to or larger than a predetermined threshold value, another point is selected to perform the above-mentioned discrimination processing. Characteristic ring-shaped work supply method. 2. A translucent plate (1b) for temporarily supporting a plurality of ring-shaped works (6) conveyed by a parts feeder (1), and a translucent plate (1b). Image detection means (4) for detecting the image of the upper ring-shaped work (6), and the maximum points (p2) (p4) and the minimum of each coordinate value of the orthogonal coordinate system of the image detection system among the detected work images. Selection means (11) for selecting one of the points (p3) and (p5) and the point farthest from the center of gravity (G) of the detected image, and the area of the work image included in the small area centered on the selected point. Area value calculating means (12) (13) for calculating a value, determination means (14) for determining whether the calculated area value is less than a predetermined threshold value, and the area value of the work image is less than the predetermined threshold value. In response to the determination result of the determination means (14) indicating that there is Inertia principal axis angle calculating means (15) for calculating the principal axis of inertia of the work image in the work, and the principal axis of inertia is adopted as it is in response to the relative position of the selected point with respect to the center of gravity, or the principal axis of inertia is calculated. Inertial spindle angle adopting means (16) adopting an angle shifted by 180 °, and control for taking out the ring-shaped workpiece (6) by controlling the attitude of the workpiece extracting device (5) so as to match the adopted inertial spindle angle. Repetition means for operating the selection means (11) to select another point in response to the determination result of the means (4b) and the determination means (14) indicating that the area value of the work image exceeds a predetermined threshold value. (17) A ring-shaped work supply device having: