Impacts Of Vision Sensors In Robotic Engineering
The basic function of a robotic vision system is to sense and identify the presence of an object and to determine its position and location.
The robotic vision sensing hardware consists of a video camera (usually a charged-coupled device CCD camera), a sufficient light source, a monitor, a conventional microcomputer, and an image processing computer program to process the image data.
The camera is mounted either on the robot or in a fixed vision including the robot’s work volume.
The camera output may be analog or digital and may be acquired through a USB cable, Gigabit Ethernet cable camera link cable, or an IEEE 1394 cable to transfer data between the camera and the computer.
When machine vision software is installed on a computer to examine the image so that image features can be determined and measurements can be made, the sensing system is called a SMARTA-CAMERA.
Smart cameras include embedded processing and machine vision in their design that may be one integrated unit may occur as a tethered design with an electronic link between the processor and the camera.
The vision system must be capable of handling multiple views and to work in an industrial environment with typical factory illumination and must be insensitive to normal light variation.
Programming an Object by a vision Sensor
Programming of an object performed is by placing the object beneath the camera and processing the image.
The vision system will then display the object contour i.e. the inner and outer on the scene of the monitor. The operator then points out the object’s significant features.
By means of a cursor which is moved using a joystick. The required information is stored in the computer memory so that it will be available for use whenever the same or similar objects are to be identified.
The object is then moved a couple between each move. The image is processed in between each move.
The system thus collects statistical data about the object and forms decision areas. In this way, a number of different objects, each having different views of all possible state positions, are programmed and stored away.
Why using vision sensors in automation engineering
Vision sensing capabilities would enable the robot to carry out the following kinds of operations:
Retrieve parts that are randomly oriented in a bin or conveyor.
Recognize particular parts which are intermixed with other objects.
Perform visual inspection tasks.
Perform assembly operations that require alignment.
In automated visual inspection systems, the programming setting of inspection parameters is very vital. The statistical variation around the design value inherent in the manufacturing process needs to be clearly understood and defined.
Otherwise, the machine will reject parts unnecessarily. The systems are fast, provide high resolution and high repeatability.
They not only operate from a computer CAD/CAM database but also generate a database that can be used to evaluate, and understand control the process.
