JPS62224440A - Transfer method for crank shaft - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To correct the movement amount even in case of the displacement of the stoppage position of a crank shaft and to enable the transfer by holding the journal part, by picking up the image of the crank shaft to be transferred by installing an image pickup element on a robot or manipulator and by performing its image processing. CONSTITUTION:The image pickup element 6 of a camera, etc., for instance is set up on a robot 4, the crank shaft 2 to be transferred is imaged by using this imaging element 6 and this is subjected to an image processing. Namely the whole body of the crank shaft to be held is image picked up, the journal part to be held is confirmed according to this and the distance from the robot 4 to the journal center position is found based on the journal diameter and width of this journal part. This value and the preset value are compared, the movement amount of the robot 4 is corrected based on the difference thereof, the journal part of the crank shaft 2 is held with the holding claw 7 of the robot 4 with its moving and placed on the conveyor device 5 transferring to the succeeding stage.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to a method of transporting a crankshaft from a previous process to a next process in a crankshaft manufacturing process.

(Prior Art) For example, in each process of manufacturing crankshafts for automobile engines, etc., transportation to each of these processes is automated. Robots and manipulators are used as one means for automating this transportation.

By the way, when the crankshaft is transported using the robot or the manipulator, the crankshaft must be gripped. Therefore, when the crankshaft is gripped by the robot or manipulator, it is common to grip the journal portion thereof. This is because the journal part is aligned with the axis of the crankshaft, but the pin part is misaligned with the axis of the crankshaft, and if the journal part is not grasped, the position of the crankshaft may shift and cause problems in transportation. Because there is.

However, when gripping the crankshaft using a robot or manipulator, it is necessary to grip the crankshaft at the final position of the previous process, but the final position may vary, for example, from the deviation of the stop position of the compensator device. There may be deviations due to etc. Therefore, in order to confirm whether the robot can grasp the robot even if the robot is out of position, conventionally, a tool such as a misotos inch has been installed in the center of the robot's grasping claws.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) However, the above-mentioned method using a limit switch or the like has often been unable to perform its function satisfactorily due to dirt, damage due to contact with the crankshaft, etc.

The present invention was developed to address these problems, and even if the crankshaft's stop position shifts, the amount of shift can be quickly detected without contact to determine whether or not it can be gripped. The object of the present invention is to provide a method for conveying the crankshaft by correcting the amount of movement so that the crankshaft can be gripped if it cannot be gripped.

(Means for Solving the Problems) The present invention provides a journal of the crankshaft by installing an imager on a robot or a manipulator, taking an image of the crankshaft to be transported by the imager, and processing the image. Determine the distance from the robot or manipulator to the journal center position based on the diameter and journal width, compare this value with the previously set value, and correct the movement amount of the robot or manipulator based on the difference. This is a method for conveying a crankshaft, the gist of which is to grasp and convey the journal portion.

(Function) The present invention installs an imager on a robot or manipulator, uses the imager to take an image of the crankshaft to be transported, and processes the image based on the journal diameter and journal width of the crankshaft. Determine the distance from the robot or manipulator to the journal center position, compare this value with the previously set value, correct the movement amount of the robot or manipulator based on the difference, and grip the journal part. Since it is conveyed, the amount of deviation in the stop position can be detected quickly and accurately, the amount of deviation can be corrected, and the crankshaft can be gripped.

(Example) The present invention will be explained below based on the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic explanatory diagram of the method of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of each part of a crankshaft, and FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of distance measurement used in the method of the present invention.

In the drawings, reference numeral 1 denotes a trolley that transports a plurality of crankshafts 2 (12 in this example) to the final position of the previous process, and the crankshafts 2 are suspended from a hanger part 3 of the trolley 1. It is delivered in a state where it is The crankshafts 2 suspended from the hanger part 3 of the trolley 1 are grasped one by one by a robot 4, for example, and placed on a conveyor device 5 that transports the crankshafts to the next process. The reality is that the stopping position of the crankshaft 1 cannot be determined at all times, and in this case, the gripping portion of the crankshaft 2 is limited to an extremely narrow range, making it impossible for the robot 4 to reliably grip the crankshaft 2.

Therefore, in the present invention, an image pickup device 6 such as a camera is installed on the robot 4, and this image pickup device 6 is used to first take an image of the crankshaft 2 to be transported, and then image-processes the image.

Then, based on the journal diameter D1 and journal width W of the crankshaft 2 to be transported obtained through the image processing, the amount of deviation in distance from the robot 4 to the journal center position Hp is determined.

That is, since the journal diameter and journal width W of the crankshaft 2 to be gripped are known in advance, the appearance obtained by the image processing is calculated using the difference between each dimension above and each dimension known in advance. The actual distance from the gripping claw 7 of the robot 4 to the journal center position P of the crankshaft 2 is shown below, where L: distance from the preset gripping claw to the center of the crankshaft journal! = Distance α from the actual gripping claw to the center of the crankshaft journal: Angle β that the journal radius occupies in the field of view when the dimension is L: Angle that the journal radius occupies in the field of view when the dimension is β... ■ That is, in the above equation 0, since D, L, and α are known, l can be found by finding β.

By the way, when the crankshaft 2 is gripped by the robot 4 according to the method of the present invention, the pin part and the journal part of the crankshaft 2 are distinguished and the journal part is
It is necessary to obtain the dimension l with the second hand and make the necessary corrections before gripping, but first, the entire crankshaft 2 to be gripped is imaged using the imager 6, and the journal portion to be gripped is confirmed using this image. Then, the calculation based on the above equation 0 can be performed for this journal section.

Next, the method of the present invention will be explained based on the flowchart shown in FIG.

First, in the present invention, the robot 4 is moved to a preset position, and an image of the crankshaft 2 to be transported is taken at that position. Then, the journal portion of the crankshaft 2 to be gripped is confirmed, and the aforementioned β is detected for this journal portion.

Next, based on the value of β, the actual distance l from the robot 4 to the center position of the journal part to be gripped is determined from the formula 0, and this! The coordinates of the robot 4 are corrected based on this. If the gripping is possible with the correction, the robot 4 is moved to grip the journal portion of the crankshaft 2 with its gripping claws 7, and is placed on the conveyor device 5 to be transported to the next process, and the robot returns to its origin.

Note that if it is determined that the grip cannot be grasped due to the above correction,
The coordinates of the robot 4 are corrected by starting the image capture again.

(Effects of the Invention) As explained above, the present invention has an image pickup device installed on a robot or a manipulator, images the crankshaft to be transported by the image pickup device, and processes the image to image the crankshaft. Determine the distance from the robot or manipulator to the journal center position based on the journal diameter and journal width, compare this value with the previously set value, and correct the movement amount of the robot or manipulator based on the difference. Since the journal portion is gripped and transported by the crankshaft, the amount of deviation of the stop position can be detected quickly and accurately, the amount of deviation can be corrected, and the crankshaft can be gripped.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, an image is captured by an imager, and the image is processed to determine the amount of deviation, and the coordinates of the robot or manipulator are corrected. The problem will disappear.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a schematic explanatory diagram of the method of the present invention, Fig. 2 is an explanatory diagram of each part of the crankshaft, Fig. 3 is an explanatory diagram of distance measurement used in the method of the present invention, and Fig. 4 is a flow chart of the method of the present invention. It is. 2 is a crankshaft, 4 is a robot, 6 is an imager, 7
are gripping claws.

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) An imager is installed on the robot or manipulator, the imager is used to take an image of the crankshaft to be transported, and this is image-processed. Based on the journal diameter and journal width of the crankshaft, the robot or manipulator is able to image the crankshaft. The method is characterized in that the distance to the center position is determined, the determined value is compared with the previously set value, and the amount of movement of the robot or manipulator is corrected based on the difference to grip and convey the journal portion. How to transport the crankshaft.