WO2022264911A1

WO2022264911A1 - Three-dimensional measurement method for strip-shaped object, connection method of strip-shaped object, strip-shaped object connection system control device, and strip-shaped object connection system

Info

Publication number: WO2022264911A1
Application number: PCT/JP2022/023257
Authority: WO
Inventors: 基善北井; 熱気小寺
Original assignee: 倉敷紡績株式会社
Priority date: 2021-06-16
Filing date: 2022-06-09
Publication date: 2022-12-22
Also published as: JPWO2022264911A1; TW202300860A

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a method of efficiently performing three-dimensional measurement of a strip-shaped object provided with a reinforcement plate at a tip section. [Solution] Provided is a three-dimensional measurement method for a strip-shaped object, the method including: an image acquisition step for acquiring image information of a strip-shaped object (50) provided with a reinforcement plate (52) at a tip section; an identification step for identifying the reinforcement plate (52) and a body section (51) of the strip-shaped object in the image information; and a step for calculating the position and orientation of the reinforcement plate or the strip-shaped object body section near the reinforcement plate.

Description

Belt-shaped object three-dimensional measurement method, belt-shaped object connection method, belt-shaped object connection system controller, and belt-shaped object connection system

The present invention relates to a method for performing three-dimensional measurement of a band-like object such as a flexible printed circuit board having a reinforcing plate at its tip, and a method for connecting the tip of the band-like object to a connector. The invention also relates to a system and controller for implementing the connection of strips to connectors.

Belt-shaped flexible printed cables (FPC) and flexible flat cables (FFC), in which copper wiring is sandwiched between flexible resin films, are used for the internal wiring of electronic devices. Further, in recent years, in order to reduce the size of the connecting portion, it has been practiced to attach a reinforcing plate made of resin to the tip portion of the FPC or the like and connect it to the connector. For example, in Patent Document 1, a flat cable having a terminal pattern and a reinforcing plate provided at the tip thereof is stocked, and a hand portion is moved above the position where the flat cable is stocked, and a suction portion is formed. A flat cable inserting device for holding a flat cable with gripping claws and inserting it into a connector is described.

JP 2016-209967 A JP 2009-107043 A JP 2020-037147 A JP 2020-041862 A

In the method described in Patent Document 1, a flat cable stocked at a fixed position is held. However, if the position to which the flat cable is supplied is not constant, or if the flexible flat cable is in a bent or twisted state, the robot can hold it autonomously. It is necessary to recognize the part three-dimensionally.

Regarding the three-dimensional recognition of belt-shaped objects such as flat cables for handling by robots, Patent Document 2 discloses that the tip of a flexible cable is imaged with a stereo camera, edge processing is performed, and the edge of a member to be grasped is processed. is extracted, and fitting processing is performed on a rectangular model that is the shape of the member to be grasped to calculate the position and orientation of the member to be grasped. Further, in Patent Documents 3 and 4, a belt-shaped object such as a flat cable in a free state where deformation due to bending or twisting is not restricted is imaged with a stereo camera, the side edge is extracted, and its three-dimensional coordinates are calculated. It is described that a three-dimensional measuring method for a belt-shaped object is performed by doing so. However, the flexible cable described in Patent Document 2 has a gripped member (male connector) larger than the cable main body at the tip, and the position range information of the gripped member that has been acquired in advance is used. In order to perform threshold processing, it is required that position range information be obtained in advance and that the grasped member be positioned within the position range. Furthermore, the threshold processing cannot distinguish between the cable body and the gripped member, and cannot accurately calculate the position and orientation of the gripped member. Patent Documents 3 and 4 do not particularly mention the presence or absence of a reinforcing plate at the tip of the strip.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above, and provides a method for efficiently performing three-dimensional measurement of a strip having a reinforcing plate at its tip, and a method for connecting the tip of the strip to a connector. The purpose is to provide a method to

A three-dimensional measurement method for a belt-shaped object according to the present invention includes an image acquisition step of acquiring image information of a belt-shaped object having a reinforcing plate at the tip thereof; and a step of calculating the position and orientation of the reinforcing plate or the belt-shaped object main body in the vicinity of the reinforcing plate.

Preferably, the image information includes color information, and the identifying step identifies the reinforcing plate and the belt-like article main body based on the color information.

Alternatively, preferably, the image information includes positional information of at least two sides or three corners of the reinforcing plate, and the identifying step identifies the reinforcing plate and the belt-like article body based on the positional information.

Preferably, the belt-like objects are arranged in a state in which the position and orientation are indefinite. Alternatively, preferably, one end of the strip is fixed, and the other end provided with the reinforcing plate is free in the air.

Preferably, the belt-shaped object main body is a flexible object.

The belt-like object connection method of the present invention operates a robot hand to move the reinforcing plate or the belt-like object main body portion in the vicinity of the reinforcing plate based on the position and orientation of the reinforcing plate or the belt-like object main body near the reinforcing plate calculated by the three-dimensional measurement method. A holding step of holding the main body portion of the belt-shaped object in the vicinity of the reinforcing plate and a connecting step of operating the robot hand to connect the tip portion of the belt-shaped object to a connector.

A belt-shaped object connection system control device of the present invention is a belt-shaped object connection system control device for controlling a system in which a belt-shaped object having a reinforcing plate at its tip is held by a robot and connected to a connector, and the belt-shaped object is imaged. and an image pickup unit capable of acquiring an image by using the image pickup unit. The computing unit identifies the reinforcing plate and the main body portion of the belt-shaped object in the image, and calculates the position and orientation of the reinforcing plate or the belt-shaped object main body in the vicinity of the reinforcing plate. Then, based on the calculated position and orientation of the reinforcing plate or the belt-like object main body in the vicinity of the reinforcing plate, the robot is caused to hold the reinforcing plate or the belt-like object main body in the vicinity of the reinforcing plate by a robot hand, and the belt-shaped object main body Instructing the connection of the tip of an object to the connector.

A belt-like object connection system of the present invention includes the belt-like object connection system control device and the robot having the robot hand.

According to the three-dimensional measurement method for a belt-like object of the present invention, for a belt-like object having a reinforcing plate at its tip, the reinforcing plate and the main body of the belt-like object are distinguished, and the reinforcing plate or the belt-like object in the vicinity of the reinforcing plate is detected. Calculate the position and orientation of the body. As a result, even when the position to which the strip is supplied is not constant, or when the flexible strip is in a bent or twisted state, the reinforcing plate or the main body of the strip near the reinforcing plate can be A desired position can be held autonomously by the robot hand.

1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a belt-shaped object connection system according to a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. It is a figure which shows the structure of a strip|belt-shaped object. A: top view, B: side view, C: bottom view. It is a figure which shows the structure of the robot hand of 1st Embodiment. A: side view, B: bottom view. FIG. 4 is a process flow chart of the belt-like object connection method of the first embodiment. A to F: Diagrams for explaining the belt-like object connection method of the first embodiment. FIG. 10 is a bottom view showing a state in which the robot hand holds the reinforcing plate of the belt-like object; FIG. 10 is a process flow diagram of a belt-like object connecting method according to a second embodiment; 10A to 10D are diagrams for explaining the belt-shaped object connection method of the second embodiment; FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a state in which the robot hand holds the main body of the belt-like object; A: side view, B: bottom view. It is a figure which shows the structure of a strip|belt-shaped object. A: top view, B: side view, C: bottom view, D: front view. FIG. 11 is a process flow diagram of a belt-like object connecting method according to a third embodiment; 10A to 10D are diagrams for explaining a belt-like object connection method according to a third embodiment; FIG.

A first embodiment of the present invention will be described based on FIGS. 1 to 6. FIG. In this embodiment, the position and posture of the reinforcing plate provided at the tip of the strip are calculated, the reinforcing plate is gripped by the robot hand, and the tip of the strip is connected to the connector.

Referring to FIG. 1, a belt-like object connection system 10 of this embodiment has a robot 20 and a belt-like object connection system control device 15 that controls the entire system 10 . The belt-like object connection system control device 15 has an imaging section 16 and a calculation section 17 . The belt-like object connection system 10 three-dimensionally measures the belt-like object 50 , holds the belt-like object 50 with the robot hand 30 of the robot 20 , and connects it to the connector 42 . Hereinafter, the belt-shaped object connection system control device 15 will be simply referred to as the "system control device", and the robot hand 30 will be simply referred to as the "hand".

The type of the belt-shaped object 50 is not particularly limited, and for example, a belt-shaped flexible printed cable (FPC) or a flexible flat cable (FFC) can be targeted. The strip 50 has a reinforcing plate 52 at its tip. In the following description, it is assumed that the strip is FPC. Further, the strip 50 is simply referred to as a "cable", and the body portion of the strip 50 to which the reinforcing plate 52 is not attached is referred to as a "belt body" 51 or a "cable body" 51.

Referring to FIG. 2, cable 50 is formed by sandwiching wiring 56 formed by etching copper foil or the like between

resin films

54 and 55 such as polyimide. At the tip, the resin film 55 on one side is removed to form an electrode portion 57 in which the wiring 56 is exposed in a comb shape. This electrode portion 57 is electrically connected to the connector 42 . A reinforcing plate 52 is attached to the resin film 54 on the other side of the tip.

The reinforcing plate 52 is a member for reinforcing the electrode portion 57 of the cable 50. A thin elastic resin plate or the like can be used as the reinforcing plate. The scale of FIG. 2 is not exact for ease of explanation. Typically, the thickness of the cable body is several tens of μm, while the thickness of the reinforcing plate 52 is about 200 μm. In the past, a male connector was attached to the tip of a strip-shaped cable and connected to a female connector, but in recent years, in order to make the connection part more compact, the male connector has been used. Instead, there is an increasing number of cases where the tip of a strip-shaped cable is directly connected to a female connector. The reinforcing plate 52 supports the flexible cable 50 when the electrode portion 57 is connected to the connector 42 , and adjusts the thickness of the cable tip to match the thickness of the connector 42 .

Although the shape of the reinforcing plate 52 is not particularly limited, it generally has substantially the same width as the lateral width of the cable 50 in order to reduce the size of the connecting portion. The reinforcing plate 52 shown in FIG. 2 is provided with

protrusions

53A and 53B that protrude in the width direction. The function of the protrusion will be described later.

Returning to FIG. 1, the cable 50 rises from, for example, between the circuit board 40 and the housing 41 of the flat display device with the display section facing downward. The base end of the cable 50 is fixed to a display panel or the like (not shown) inside the housing 41, and the tip of the cable 50 is a free end in the air. A free end is one in which the end of the cable is free to move, twist or bend.

A connector 42 is mounted on the board 40, and the cable 50 is connected to this connector 42. The connector 42 is a female connector into which the tip of a cable is inserted for connection, and is also called a receptacle, socket, slot, or the like. The format of the connector is not particularly limited. For example, the connector 42 shown in FIG. 1 is called a flip-lock type, and has a cover member 43 that can be opened and closed by rotating around a shaft 44 as a lock mechanism. By inserting the cable 50 into the open connector with the electrode portion 57 facing downward and closing the cover member toward the cable side, the cable can be held down and prevented from coming off the connector. .

The system control device 15 has an imaging section 16 and a computing section 17 . The system controller measures the positions and orientations of the tip of the cable 50 and the connector 42 in the three-dimensional space, and gives necessary instructions to the robot 20 .

The imaging unit 16 images the tip of the cable 50 and the connector 42 to acquire the image information. Various known devices can be used as the imaging unit. Image information includes an image and information capable of calculating three-dimensional coordinates. The image information is, for example, stereo image information captured from different viewpoints, or distance images obtained by a light section method or a TOF method, depending on the type of imaging unit. The image information preferably includes color information. This is because the identification of the reinforcing plate 52 and the cable main body 51 is facilitated by using the color information. The imaging unit 16 may combine two or more measurement devices, for example, a combination of a light cutting device and a two-dimensional color camera. As the imaging unit 16, preferably a stereo camera, more preferably a stereo camera capable of acquiring color information is used. The stereo camera uses the principle of triangulation to calculate the three-dimensional positions of measurement points, and uses epipolar lines to find corresponding points at high speed. Dimensional measurements are possible.

The calculation unit 17 identifies the reinforcing plate 52 and the cable main body 51 from the image information of the tip of the cable 50, and determines the portion of the reinforcing plate or the cable main body near the reinforcing plate to be held by the hand 30. Calculate position and orientation. Moreover, the calculation unit instructs the robot 20 to perform a necessary operation based on these calculated values. Specifically, the computing unit instructs the hand 30 to hold the reinforcing plate or the cable main body 51 in the vicinity of the reinforcing plate, and to connect the tip of the cable 50 to the connector 42 . The calculation unit 17 also calculates the position and orientation of the connector 42 from the image information of the connector 42 .

The physical configuration of the computing unit 17 is not particularly limited. The calculation unit 17 may be configured integrally with the imaging unit 16 as shown in FIG. 1, or may be configured by being divided into two or more parts. Further, all or part of the calculation unit 17 may be configured integrally with the control unit 25 of the robot, which will be described later.

The robot 20 is an articulated robot. The robot 20 has an arm 21 to which a plurality of links 22 and joints 23 are connected, a hand 30 attached to the tip of the arm, and a controller 25 . A control unit 25 controls the operation of the entire robot including the arm 21 and hand 30 . For example, the control unit 25 receives an instruction from the system control device 15, calculates the positions and angles of the joints 23 necessary for the instructed motion, moves the hand 30 to the target position, and also holds the cable 50. , release, etc. to the hand.

The robot hand 30 holds the cable 50. The type of the hand 30 is not particularly limited, and may be one that holds the cable by suction or one that holds the cable by pinching it. Preferably, the hand 30 holds the cable by suction. This is because it is suitable for work in a narrow space because it can be held in contact with only one side of the cable.

With reference to FIG. 3, the hand 30 of this embodiment holds the cable 50 by suction. The hand 30 has a hand main body portion 31 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape and a post 37 . A plurality of suction holes 35 are provided along one side (the left side in FIG. 3B) on the lower surface of the hand main body 31 , and the suction holes communicate with a pressure reduction source 38 (not shown) via an air passage 36 . A flat portion 32 is formed in the lower surface of the hand body portion 31 in a region including the suction hole, and ridges 33 are formed at both ends of the flat portion in the width direction. The hand 30 applies the suction hole 35 to the reinforcing plate 52 of the cable 50 or the cable main body portion 51 in the vicinity of the reinforcing plate to suck and hold the cable. At this time, the reinforcing plate 52 or the cable body portion 51 in the vicinity of the reinforcing plate is accommodated between the ridges 33 and comes into contact with the flat portion 32 .

Next, the belt-shaped object connection method of this embodiment will be described along the process flow of FIG.

(S1) The system control device 15 measures the connector 42 three-dimensionally. FIG. 5A shows the state before starting this strip connection method. The connector is in an open state with the cover member 43 upright. If the connector is in the closed state, the cover member is raised to open the connector. When the connector is in place, the cover member is raised and opened by a previously taught robot. When the connector is not in the predetermined position, the imaging unit 16 of the system control device 15 captures an image of the connector to obtain image information, and the computing unit 17 calculates the position and orientation of the connector by a known method. Control the robot to open the cover member based on the position and orientation. For example, if the imaging unit is a stereo camera, the corresponding points of the points to be measured on the two images are obtained, and the corresponding points on each image and the positional relationship between the two cameras are used to locate the measurement points using the principle of triangulation. 3D coordinates are calculated. By using a plurality of feature points selected from the corners of the connector 42 as measurement points, the position and orientation of the contour of the connector 42 in the three-dimensional space can be obtained. This makes it possible to determine the direction in which the cable is inserted into the connector.

(S2) Using the system control device 15, the tip of the cable 50 is three-dimensionally measured. The imaging unit 16 images the tip of the cable 50 . At this time, the image includes the reinforcing plate 52 and the portion of the cable main body 51 in the vicinity of the reinforcing plate 52 . Next, the computing unit 17 identifies the reinforcing plate and the cable body. When the image information includes color information, the computing section 17 distinguishes between the reinforcing plate and the cable body based on the color information. For example, if the resin film of the FPC is a transparent orange color, the reinforcing plate and the cable body can be identified by distinguishing the color of the region on the image by making the reinforcing plate a different color.

　In 3D measurement using a stereo camera, the matching process that searches for corresponding points on two images is a process that causes measurement errors. When the cable 50 is provided with the reinforcing plate 52 at the tip, especially when the reinforcing plate is thin and the width of the reinforcing plate is substantially the same as the width of the cable body, unlike the case where the cable is provided with the male connector at the tip. , the feature points are few and difficult to detect. By using the color information, it is possible to distinguish between the reinforcing plate and the cable main body with a small amount of calculation, and it is possible to reduce the error of the matching process and improve the measurement accuracy. As the cables and connectors 42 become smaller, the matching process becomes more difficult, but higher measurement accuracy is required. It is particularly preferred to identify portion 51 .

In order to distinguish between the reinforcing plate 52 and the cable body 51 using color information, for example, when a stereo camera capable of acquiring a color image is used as the imaging unit 16, the stereo image contains color information. information is available. When a device capable of acquiring a three-dimensional image and a two-dimensional color camera are used in combination as the imaging unit 16, the reinforcing plate and the cable body are cut based on the color information of the two-dimensional image, and the cut reinforcing plate or The three-dimensional coordinates of the portion of the cable main body to be held by the hand 30, which is the reinforcing plate 52 in this embodiment, may be calculated.

It is also possible to distinguish between the reinforcing plate 52 and the cable body 51 without using color information. For example, a plurality of reference images or CAD data with different positions and postures of the reinforcing plate may be prepared, and the reinforcing plate and the cable body may be identified by pattern matching with the image acquired by the imaging unit 16 . Alternatively, since the reinforcing plate 52 can be regarded as a flat surface and is often rectangular, the outline of the tip of the cable 50 can be calculated using the corners and sides of the tip of the cable 50 as clues, for example, by the methods described in Patent Documents 3 and 4. is extracted, the reinforcing plate can be identified by specifying two sides or three corners of the reinforcing plate.

(S3) Hold the reinforcing plate 52 with the hand 30 (FIG. 5B). Specifically, based on the position and orientation of the reinforcing plate calculated in the previous step S2, the suction hole 35 of the hand is brought perpendicularly close to the surface of the reinforcing plate and held by suction. At that time, referring to FIG. 6, the hand connected the area on the rear end side of the surface of the reinforcing plate, in other words, the cable 50 to the connector 42 so as not to interfere with the insertion of the tip of the cable 50 into the connector 42. Sometimes it sucks the part that does not fit inside the connector. The rear end portion of the reinforcing plate is accommodated between the two ridges 33 of the hand 30 and abuts on the flat portion (32 in FIG. 3B). At this time, preferably, the position where the projecting portion 53B comes immediately in front of the tip end 34 of the projected streak is sucked.

(S4) The hand 30 holding the reinforcing plate 52 is moved (FIG. 5C), and the tip of the cable 50 is directed obliquely downward toward the connector 42 so as not to interfere with the concave portion of the connector in which the

protrusions

53A and 53B of the reinforcing plate are fitted. (FIG. 5D), and with the reinforcing plate horizontal, the electrode portion 57 is brought into contact with the joint surface of the connector 42 (FIG. 5E). When the cable is pushed toward the connector by the hand 30, the tip of the projection 34 pushes the protrusion 53B, so that the cable can be inserted all the way into the connector. If the reinforcing plate does not have

protrusions

53A and 53B, the tip of the cable 50 is horizontally inserted into the connector 42, and the cable is removed by pushing the step or constriction at the boundary between the reinforcing plate and the cable main body 51. It can be inserted all the way into the connector.

(S5) Preferably, the cable 50 is inserted all the way into the connector 42, and the insertion state is checked. When the cable is pushed toward the connector by the hand 30, as shown in FIG. 6, the tip of the protrusion 34 pushes the protrusion 53B. The insertion state can be confirmed by confirming whether the insertion is pushed to the position of .

(S6) Close the cover member 43 (FIG. 5F). For example, another robot can be used to close the cover member. A projection 53A on the front side of the reinforcing plate 52 is accommodated in the connector to prevent the cable 50 from coming out of the connector 42. As shown in FIG. This completes the connection of the cable to the connector.

(S7) Preferably, an image of the connector 42 is further taken to check the insertion state of the cable 50 with the image. For example, check if the cable is connected diagonally to the connector.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 7-9.

In this embodiment, the position and posture of the cable main body near the reinforcing plate attached to the tip of the belt-shaped object are calculated, and the cable main body is grasped by a robot hand, and the tip of the cable is moved. connect to the connector.

Due to the short length of the reinforcing plate (size in the lengthwise direction of the cable), the portion of the reinforcing plate that remains outside the connector when the cable is connected to the connector is small. If the hand interferes with the connector during insertion, hold the cable body with the hand. FIG. 9 shows a state in which the hand 30 holds the cable 70. As shown in FIG. The cable 70 is composed of a reinforcing plate 72 and a cable body portion 71. The reinforcing plate 72 is provided with a protrusion 73B projecting in the width direction at the rear end of the reinforcing plate. Other configurations of cable 70 are the same as cable 50 of FIG. The hand 30 is attracted to the cable main body portion 71 near the reinforcing plate 72, and the cable main body portion 71 is accommodated between the two ridges 33 and contacts the flat portion (32 in FIG. 3B). Also, the ridges 33 on both sides of the hand 30 extend to the front end of the hand main body 31 . Preferably, when the hand 30 holds the cable main body 71, the cable is sucked so that the protruding tip 34 is positioned immediately behind the protrusion 73B.

The belt-like object connection system of this embodiment is the same as that shown in FIG. 1, and the robot 20, imaging unit 16, and computing unit 17 that constitute the system 10 are also the same as those of the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 shows the process flow of the belt-like object connection method of this embodiment. Steps S1 to S2, S5 and S7 are the same as in the first embodiment in which the reinforcing plate is held.

Fig. 8A shows the state before starting this strip connection method. The connector 62 shown in FIG. 8 is of a type in which the portion into which the cable is inserted does not open and the tip of the cable is inserted parallel to a narrow slot.

(S1) The connector 62 is three-dimensionally measured, and (S2) the cable tip is three-dimensionally measured. In step S2, it is not always necessary to calculate the three-dimensional coordinates of the reinforcing plate 72, and at least the positional information of the cable body 71 in the vicinity of the boundary with the reinforcing plate 72 should be calculated.

(S3A) The hand 30 holds the cable body 71 in the vicinity of the reinforcing plate 72 (FIG. 8B). Specifically, based on the position and orientation of the portion of the cable body to be gripped calculated in the previous step S2, the suction hole 35 of the hand is attracted to and held by the cable body. For example, the position at a predetermined distance in the longitudinal direction of the cable main body from the central point of the boundary between the cable main body 71 and the reinforcing plate 72 is notified to the robot as the holding position, and the robot is sucked and held. Referring to FIG. 9, hand 30 preferably holds a position as close to reinforcing plate 72 as possible. Specifically, when the hand 30 is attracted to the cable body 71, the distance between the rear end of the reinforcing plate 72 and the front end of the plane portion 32 of the hand is preferably less than the width of the cable 70 and less than 5 mm. By precisely holding the position of the cable body that is extremely close to the reinforcing plate, even if the cable body is flexible, it can be inserted into the connector as it is without the need for another robot hand to change the grip or pull the cable. can be done.

(S3B) The inclination of the reinforcing plate 72 is measured. The imaging unit 16 of the system control device 15 captures an image of the tip of the cable 70 to obtain image information, and the calculation unit 17 calculates the orientation (inclination) of the reinforcing plate. Due to the flexibility of the cable 70, the orientation of the reinforcing plate 72 not held by the hand 30 may not be constant. By measuring the orientation of the reinforcing plate 72, the posture of the hand 30 when inserting the cable 70 into the connector 62 can be determined.

(S4A) Move the hand 30 holding the cable body 71 (FIG. 8C) and insert the cable 70 into the connector 62 (FIG. 8D). Next, (S5) the insertion state of the cable is checked.

(S6A) If the connector has a locking mechanism instead of the cover member 43, the connector is locked. Next, (S7) the insertion state of the cable is confirmed.

Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 10-12.

In this embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the position and orientation of the reinforcing plate provided at the tip of the strip are calculated, the robot hand grips the reinforcing plate, and the tip of the strip is connected to the connector. This embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the method of connecting the tip of the cable to the connector.

Depending on the type of connector, for example, in connectors called board-to-board (B-to-B) connectors, ultra-low profile connectors, etc., the cable and connector are separated by pushing the terminal provided at the tip of the cable from the upper side of the connector toward the board. Connected. Referring to FIG. 10, in cable 90 of the present embodiment, terminal 98 is fixed to electrode portion 97 by soldering or the like. This terminal 98 is sometimes called a header. The cable 90 and the connector 82 are connected by pushing the terminal 98 from the upper side of the connector (82 in FIG. 12) toward the board 40 .

FIG. 11 shows the process flow of the belt-like object connection method of this embodiment. Steps S1 to S3, S5 and S7 are all the same as in the first embodiment.

Fig. 12A shows the state before starting this strip connection method. (S1) The position of the connector 82 is confirmed by three-dimensional measurement. (S2) Three-dimensional measurement of the tip of the cable 90, identification of the reinforcing plate 92 and the cable body 91, calculation of the position and orientation of the reinforcing plate 92, and (S3) holding of the reinforcing plate 92 with the hand 30. (Fig. 12B). (S4B) The reinforcing plate 92 held by the hand 30 is moved above the connector 82, the terminals 98 are opposed to the openings of the connector 82 (FIG. 12C), and then the terminals 98 are pushed toward the substrate 40. The terminal and connector are connected by mating with 82 (FIG. 12D). After that, (S5) the insertion state of the terminal 98 is confirmed by a force sensor or the like, and (S7) the connection state of the cable 90 is confirmed by an image or the like.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of its technical ideas.

For example, in the above embodiment, the hand 30 holds the

cables

50, 70, and 90 arranged in a state where one end is fixed and the other end is free in the air. However, the initial arrangement of the cables is not limited to this, and the cables may be arranged in a state where the positions and orientations are uncertain. For example, the hand 30 may hold and pick up strips one by one from strips that are randomly stacked on a tray or table.

Further, for example, the type of the connector is not limited to the above embodiment, nor is the combination of the position held by the hand 30 (reinforcement plate or cable body) and the moving direction when connecting to the connector also limited to the above embodiment. can't

10 belt-shaped object connection system 15 belt-shaped object connection system control device 16 imaging unit 17 arithmetic unit 20 multi-joint robot 21 arm 22 link 23 joint 25 robot control unit 30 robot hand 31 hand main unit 32 lower surface Plane portion 33 Projection 34 Projection tip 35 Suction hole 36 Ventilation path 37 Post 38 Decompression source 40 Substrate 41 Housing 42 Connector 43 Cover member 44 Shaft 50 FPC cable (belt) 51 Cable body (strip body) 52

Reinforcement plate

53A,

53B Protrusion

54, 55 Resin film 56 Copper wiring 57 Electrode 62 Connector 70 FPC cable (strip) 71 Cable body (strip body), 72 reinforcing plate, 73B protrusion 82 connector 90 FPC cable (strip), 91 cable body (strip body), 92 reinforcing plate, 97 electrode, 98 terminal

Claims

an image acquisition step of acquiring image information of a strip having a reinforcing plate at its tip;
an identification step of identifying the reinforcing plate and the main body portion of the belt-like object in the image information;
a step of calculating the position and orientation of the reinforcing plate or the main body portion of the belt-like object in the vicinity of the reinforcing plate;
A three-dimensional measurement method for a belt-shaped object having
the image information includes color information;
The identifying step identifies the reinforcing plate and the belt-like object main body based on the color information.
A three-dimensional measurement method for a belt-like object according to claim 1.
The image information includes position information of at least two sides or three corners of the reinforcing plate,
The identifying step identifies the reinforcing plate and the belt-like object main body based on the position information.
A three-dimensional measurement method for a belt-like object according to claim 1.
The belt-like object is arranged in a state in which the position and orientation are indeterminate,
The three-dimensional measurement method for a belt-like object according to any one of claims 1 to 3.
One end of the belt-shaped object is fixed, and the other end provided with the reinforcing plate is a free end in the air,
The three-dimensional measurement method for a belt-like object according to any one of claims 1 to 3.
The belt-shaped object main body is a flexible object,
The three-dimensional measurement method for a belt-like object according to any one of claims 1 to 3.
A robot hand is operated to perform the reinforcement based on the position and orientation of the reinforcing plate or the belt-like object main body in the vicinity of the reinforcing plate calculated by the three-dimensional measurement method according to any one of claims 1 to 3. a holding step of holding the main body portion of the belt-shaped object in the vicinity of the plate or the reinforcing plate;
a connecting step of operating the robot hand to connect the tip of the strip to a connector;
A method of connecting strips having
In the holding step, the robot hand holds the reinforcing plate or the main body portion of the belt-like object near the reinforcing plate by suction.
The method for connecting strips according to claim 7.
A belt-shaped object connection system control device for controlling a system in which a belt-shaped object having a reinforcing plate at its tip is held by a robot and connected to a connector,
having an imaging unit capable of capturing an image by imaging the band-shaped object and a computing unit;
The calculation unit is
Identifying the reinforcing plate and the main body of the strip in the image,
calculating the position and orientation of the reinforcing plate or the main body portion of the belt-shaped object in the vicinity of the reinforcing plate;
Based on the calculated position and orientation of the reinforcing plate or the belt-shaped object main body in the vicinity of the reinforcing plate, the robot is caused to hold the reinforcing plate or the belt-shaped object main body in the vicinity of the reinforcing plate by a robot hand and the belt-shaped object. instructing the connection of the tip of the connector to the connector;
Strip connection system controller.
A belt-like object connection system control device according to claim 9 and the robot equipped with the robot hand,
Strip connection system.