Technology checklist for oil tool automated assembly

A machine vision robotic assembly application for an oil tool industry manufacturer used the following technologies. See related application article.

John Lewis

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The following technologies were used in a machine vision robotic assembly application for an oil tool industry manufacturer. Read the application details in this related article: Vision-guided robots automate oil tool assembly, linked at the bottom of this file.

System integration: JMP Engineering: In addition to hardware integration, JMP programmers wrote a graphical user interface for the workcell in Microsoft Visual Basic that performs vision operations by calling vision tools.

Machine vision camera: Basler Ace camera attached to the second robot locates the pipe for thread protector installation.

High-speed vision communication standard: GigE Vision from Automated Imaging Association (AIA)

Control: Frame grabber card on a Beckhoff Automation industrial personal computer.

Lighting: Tectivity light emitting diode (LED) inside the camera enclosure for red lighting to help overcome ambient lighting to capture the image.

Brick Red Light from Smart Vision Lights shines on the pipe at an oblique angle to create a shadow that enables accurate measurement of the pipe diameter.

Machine vision software: Cognex VisionPro library, which provides preconfigured, tightly integrated acquisition support for the complete range of industrial cameras and video formats. The QuickBuild application development environment makes it possible to configure acquisition tools, define vision tasks, and make pass/fail decisions without any programming. The VisionPro library includes Cognex tools such as PatMax, PatInspect, PatFlex, IDMax, and OCVMax that gauge, guide, identify, and inspect parts despite variations in part appearance due to the manufacturing process. Cognex PatMax geometric pattern matching technology learns an object’s geometry using a set of boundary curves that are not tied to a pixel grid and then looks for similar shapes in the image without relying on specific gray levels. The result is a significant improvement in the ability to accurately find objects despite changes in angle, size, and shading. Cognex VisionPro circle tool is used to check the diameter of the pipe to ensure it matches the thread protector and also more accurately determine the location of the pipe.

Robotics: Two Motoman HP50 multi-function robots with 55.2-in horizontal reach and 80 kg payload capacity: One moves the camera above the bin and signals that it is in position to take a picture of the bin. It hands the part to a second Motoman HP50 robot that applies the thread protector to the pipe.

Technology and service supplier URLs

www.baslerweb.com/products/ace.html

www.cognex.com/VisionSoftware

www.jmpeng.com/whereweexcel/automationsystems

www.microsoft.com/visualstudio/en-us/products/2010-editions/visual-basic-express

www.motoman.com/products/robots/models/HP50-80.php

www.smartvisionlights.com/products/brick-spot-light

www.tectivity.com/videomod.htm

www.visiononline.org/vision-standards-details.cfm?type=5 (AIA GigE)

- John Lewis is market development manager, Cognex Corp. Edited by Mark T. Hoske, content manager, CFE Media, Control Engineering.