The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Feb. 13, 2007
Filed:
Apr. 10, 2000
Atsushi Watanabe, Tokyo, JP;
Taro Arimatsu, Yamanashi, JP;
Atsushi Watanabe, Tokyo, JP;
Taro Arimatsu, Yamanashi, JP;
Fanuc Ltd, Yamanashi, JP;
Abstract
A robot system having an image processing function capable of detecting position and/or posture of individual workpieces randomly arranged in a stack to determine posture, or posture and position of a robot operation suitable for the detected position and/or posture of the workpiece. Reference models are created from two-dimensional images of a reference workpiece captured in a plurality of directions by a first visual sensor and stored. Also, the relative positions/postures of the first visual sensor with respect to the workpiece at the respective image capturing, and relative position/posture of a second visual sensor to be situated with respect to the workpiece are stored. Matching processing between an image of a stack of workpieces captured by the camera and the reference models are performed and an image of a workpiece matched with one reference model is selected. A three-dimensional position/posture of the workpiece is determined from the image of the selected workpiece, the selected reference model and position/posture information associated with the reference model. The position/posture of the second visual sensor to be situated for measurement is determined based on the determined position/posture of the workpiece and the stored relative position/posture of the second visual sensor, and precise position/posture of the workpiece is measured by the second visual sensor at the determined position/posture of the second visual sensor. A picking operation for picking out a respective workpiece from a randomly arranged stack can be performed by a robot based on the measuring results of the second visual sensor.