KR101096065B1 - Robot vision inspection system using high speed communication interface and vision inspection method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A robot vision inspection method using a high-speed communication interface is provided to reduce a vision test speed by proceeding a non-stop vision test without the stop of a vision camera. CONSTITUTION: A robot vision inspection method using a high-speed communication interface comprises a test robot(10), a robot controller(200), a control computer(100) and a distributor(300). A vision camera(40) and a lighting device(42) are installed to the test robot. The trigger signal generating unit(220) of the robot controller generates trigger signals(71,72) using the place value of the test robot. A robot middleware(130) controlling the robot controller is loaded in the control computer. The control computer receives the vision image of an object from the vision camera and determines the fault comparing the saved standard image and the vision image. The distributor distributes the trigger signal generated in the robot controller and transmits signals to the vision camera and lighting device.

Description

Robot vision inspection system using high speed communication interface and vision inspection method

The present invention relates to a robot control, and relates to a robot vision inspection system and method that can improve the vision inspection speed by connecting the robot controller and the control computer using a high speed communication interface and controlling the vision camera with the robot controller.

In general, a series of processes such as the transfer, processing, and assembly of parts are automated in industrial sites requiring mass production. Recently, quality inspections performed at intermediate or final stages of each process are also being automated.

Automated inspection systems usually contrast images obtained from vision cameras and standard images or inspect the contours of inspection points, and determine the defects by distinguishing the color of parts. Vision cameras must acquire image data from multiple inspection positions, be able to move freely to a specific inspection position, and the inspection position changes from time to time.

For example, in order to inspect a car engine that is assembled with a large number of parts, it is necessary to photograph dozens of three-dimensionally distributed inspection positions. Therefore, a vision camera is mounted on a six-axis inspection robot capable of precise position control.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a conventional robot vision inspection system, the inspection robot 10, the robot controller 20 for controlling the operation of the inspection robot 10, the vision camera 40 mounted on the inspection robot 20 ), The vision inspection system includes a control computer 30 which sets parameters necessary for the operation of the inspection robot 10 and determines whether there is a defect by comparing the vision image and the standard image acquired by the vision camera 40. .

The inspection method using a conventional robot vision inspection system is as follows. First, the position value of the inspection robot 10 for each inspection position of the inspection object is stored in the control computer 30 through a teaching process before starting the inspection. Subsequently, when a test command is input, the control computer 30 transmits a position command including a position value for each test position to the robot controller 20, and the robot controller 20 according to the received position command. Transmit operation command to multiple servo motors The inspection robot 10 stops after moving the vision camera 40 to the first inspection position by operating a servo motor or the like according to the received operation command, and the control computer 30 controls the vision camera 40 to control the vision camera 40. 1 After acquiring the vision image of the inspection position, determine whether it is defective by comparing with the standard image. Subsequently, when the inspection robot 10 moves to the second inspection position and stops, the control computer 30 controls the vision camera 40 to obtain a vision image for the second inspection position, and then whether the inspection robot 10 is defective compared to the standard image. Judge. Repeat this process for the remaining inspection positions.

However, in the related art, since the inspection robot 10 must acquire a vision image after stopping at each inspection position, there is a limit in increasing the speed of the vision inspection.

In addition, since the robot controller 20 controls the inspection robot 10 according to the position command previously received from the control computer 30, the control computer 30 receives the state value of the inspection robot 10 in real time and inspects it. There is a difficulty in changing or controlling the path of the robot 10, and there is a limit in performing various tasks based on the control computer 30.

The present invention is to solve such a problem is to improve the vision inspection speed. It also aims to realize high speed and high quality vision inspection by controlling inspection robot in real time by using high speed communication interface and integrating various computer based sensor technology.

The present invention to achieve the above object, the inspection robot equipped with a vision camera; A robot controller having a trigger signal generator for generating a trigger signal using the position value of the inspection robot; A control computer equipped with a robot middleware for controlling the robot controller, which receives a vision image of a test object from the vision camera and determines whether there is a defect in comparison with a previously stored standard image; It provides a robot vision inspection system including a trigger signal line for transmitting the trigger signal to the vision camera.

In the robot vision inspection system according to the present invention, the inspection robot is equipped with a lighting device, it may be characterized in that it comprises a distributor for transmitting the trigger signal generated by the robot controller to the vision camera and the lighting device. .

In another aspect, the present invention, the robot vision inspection system including an inspection robot equipped with a vision camera, a robot controller for controlling the inspection robot, and a control computer for receiving a vision image of the inspection object from the vision camera to determine whether there is a defect. In the vision inspection method using: (a) storing information on a plurality of position values of the inspection robot corresponding to a plurality of inspection positions and a plurality of trigger regions respectively corresponding to the plurality of inspection positions in the control computer; Making; (b) the control computer transmitting information about the plurality of position values and the plurality of trigger regions to the robot controller when an inspection command is input; (c) the robot controller moves the inspection robot without stop along the trajectory of the plurality of position values, and feeds back the position values of the inspection robot so that the inspection robot has any one of the plurality of trigger regions. Determining whether or not to enter; (d) if it is determined that the inspection robot has entered one of the trigger regions, the robot controller generates a trigger signal and transmits the trigger signal to the vision camera; (e) when the vision camera receives the trigger signal, obtains a vision image and transmits the vision image to the control computer.

According to the present invention, since the robot controller directly controls the vision camera by using the trigger signal, the inspection speed can be improved as compared with the conventional control computer controlling the vision camera. In addition, it is possible to perform a non-stop vision inspection without stopping the vision camera at each inspection position, thereby greatly reducing the vision inspection speed.

In addition, according to the present invention, since the robot controller and the control computer are connected by Ethernet, and the vision camera and the control computer perform high-speed serial communication of IEEE1394 standard, the vision inspection speed can be further improved.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a conventional robot vision inspection system
2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a robot vision inspection system according to an embodiment of the present invention
Figure 3 is a flow chart showing the operation of the robot vision inspection stem in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Robot vision inspection system according to an embodiment of the present invention is the operation of the inspection robot 10, the inspection robot 10 is equipped with a vision camera 40 and the lighting device 42, as shown in the schematic configuration of FIG. The robot controller 200 that controls the operation of the control computer 100 and the inspection robot 10 to determine whether there is a defect by setting the necessary parameters and comparing the vision image obtained from the vision camera 20 with the standard image of the normal product. ).

Since the inspection robot 10 should be able to move flexibly to various inspection positions, it is preferable to use a six-axis robot, but the type is not limited thereto.

The lighting device 42 and the vision camera 40 are connected to the robot controller 200 through the first and second trigger signal lines 71 and 72, respectively. Although not shown in the drawing, the lighting device 42 may include a light emitting means such as an LED and a light controller for turning on the light emitting means upon receiving a trigger signal. The operating power of the lighting device 42 and the vision camera 40 may be supplied from a power supply of the control computer 100 or may be supplied from a separate power supply.

The control computer 100 is equipped with an application program 120 including a vision inspection program or various computer-based programs, and a robot middleware 130 for communication and control with the inspection robot 10. In addition, the control computer 100 includes a control unit 110 for controlling operations of the entire computer and a communication interface 140 for supporting communication with external devices.

In the embodiment of the present invention, an Ethernet 13 communication interface for communication with the robot controller 200 and an IEEE 1394 communication interface for high speed serial communication with the vision camera 40 are installed in the control computer 100. The USB interface may be used in place of the IEEE 1394 communication interface. However, since the speed of transmitting the vision image from the vision camera 40 to the control computer 100 directly affects the inspection speed, it is preferable to apply the IEEE 1394 communication interface. desirable. The IEEE 1394 communication interface is connected to the vision camera 40 through a camera connection line 76, and the control computer 100 transmits an operation signal to the vision camera 40 or receives a vision image obtained from the vision camera 40. It plays a role.

Although not shown in the drawings, the control computer 100 may include storage means for storing the application program 120, input means for inputting various commands by the user (keyboard, mouse, touch screen, etc.), and the vision camera 40. And display means for displaying a vision image.

The robot controller 200 communicates with the control interface 100 communicating with the control computer 100 via Ethernet, the trigger signal generator 220 generating a predetermined trigger signal, and the robot middleware 130 of the control computer 100. It includes a robot middleware 230. It also includes a control means for controlling the overall operation of the robot controller 200.

When the control computer 100 and the robot controller 200 performs high-speed Ethernet communication, various status information of the inspection robot in the control computer 100-for example, whether the servo motor is on or off, whether or not it operates, and error codes It has the advantage of controlling the inspection robot in real time by receiving the variable value, program execution.

The trigger signal generator 220 generates a predetermined trigger signal and transmits the trigger signal to the vision camera 40 and the lighting device 42. Specifically, while monitoring the position value of the inspection robot continuously or periodically, when the inspection robot enters the set trigger area, it generates a trigger signal to operate the vision camera 40 and the lighting device 42. The type of the trigger signal is not limited, and may be, for example, a voltage pulse or a square wave.

The trigger signal is transmitted to the illumination device 42 and the vision camera 40 through the first trigger signal line 71 and the second trigger signal line 72, respectively. The first trigger signal line 71 and the second trigger signal line 72 may be directly connected to the robot controller 200, respectively, and when the number of the vision camera 40 and the lighting device 42 is large, both the trigger signal lines may be robots. Since it is impossible to connect to the controller 200, it is preferable to use the distributor 300 as shown in FIG. That is, it is preferable to distribute the trigger signal output from the robot controller 200 to the vision camera 40 and the lighting device 42 through the distributor 300.

The control computer 100, the robot controller 200, the distributor 300, and the like described above are preferably installed together in the same cabinet, but are not necessarily limited thereto.

Hereinafter, a high speed vision inspection method using a vision inspection system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 3 and FIG. 2.

First, before proceeding with the inspection (teaching) to obtain the position value of the inspection robot 10 for each inspection position of the inspection object and stores it in the control computer (100). At this time, the user should check whether the vision camera 40 is correctly directed to the inspection area while moving the inspection robot 10 at each inspection position. In this process, it would be desirable to take and store standard images of each inspection location of the normal product.

On the other hand, the trigger signal generation conditions should be set in advance in the robot controller 200. For example, by setting the trigger area within a certain range based on the teaching value (inspection robot's position value) for each inspection position, set whether the actual position value of the inspection robot belongs to the set trigger region as the trigger signal generating condition. Can be. At this time, the trigger area should be set for each inspection position. When setting the range of the trigger area, the rectangular coordinate system, the cylindrical coordinate system, or the spherical coordinate system may be set as a reference, but is not limited thereto. However, when the position value of the inspection robot 10 belongs to the trigger region, the vision camera should accurately photograph the inspection position irrespective of the specific position, and thus the scope of the trigger region should be limited in consideration of this. (ST11)

After the teaching work is finished, the inspection object is brought into the inspection area, and if the inspection command is input to the control computer 100, the robot middleware 130 of the control computer 100 moves to the robot middleware 230 of the robot controller 200. The position command including the position value of the inspection robot is transmitted. (ST12)

Subsequently, the robot middleware 230 of the robot controller 200 transmits an operation command including a position value to the inspection robot 10, and the robot program of the inspection robot 10 operates the servo motor according to the received position value information. To move the inspection robot 10 to the first inspection position. At this time, the robot controller 200 continuously or periodically checks the position value of the inspection robot 10 by using feedback information output from the servo motor of the inspection robot 10. (ST13, ST14)

If it is confirmed that the position value of the inspection robot 10 belongs to the first trigger region while the inspection robot 10 moves to the first inspection position, the trigger signal generator 220 of the robot controller 200 may generate a predetermined trigger. Generate a signal. The trigger signal output from the robot controller 200 is transmitted to the vision camera 40 and the lighting device 42 via the distributor 300. (ST15, ST16)

The lighting controller of the lighting device 42 receives the trigger signal and lights up the light emitting means such as an LED. At the same time, after receiving the trigger signal, the vision camera 40 obtains a vision image for the inspection position and transmits it to the control computer 100. (ST17)

The control computer 100 compares the standard image with respect to the first inspection position and the received vision image to determine whether there is a defect. The inspection method includes, but is not limited to, a method of contrasting colors of standard images and vision images, a method of contrasting shapes, and the like. The inspection may be performed immediately after receiving the vision image, or may be performed after a certain period of time has elapsed. (ST18)

After obtaining the vision image at the first inspection position, the robot controller 200 moves the inspection robot 10 to the second inspection position. At this time, the robot controller 200 continuously or periodically checks whether the position value of the inspection robot 10 belongs to the second trigger region set for the second inspection position. When it is determined that the position value of the inspection robot 10 belongs to the second trigger region, the robot controller 200 generates a trigger signal again to operate the vision camera 40 and the lighting device 42.

Conventionally, when the inspection robot 10 stops at each inspection position, the vision camera 40 operates under the control of the control computer 100 to obtain a vision image. However, in the embodiment of the present invention, the position of the inspection robot 10 is determined. When the value belongs to the trigger area set for each inspection position, the robot controller 200 generates a trigger signal to operate the vision camera 40 so that the control computer 100 controls the operation of the vision camera 40 one by one. Compared to the case, the inspection speed can be greatly improved.

In particular, in the embodiment of the present invention, since the real-time control of the vision camera 40 is made through the robot controller 200, there is an advantage that the inspection robot 10 does not necessarily need to be stopped at each inspection position. In other words, while the inspection robot 10 moves through each inspection position, a non-stop inspection of operating the vision camera 40 to obtain a vision image is possible. That is, the inspection robot 10 enters the trigger area set corresponding to each inspection position while the inspection robot 10 moves without stopping along the trajectory leading to the first inspection position, the second inspection position, the third inspection position, and the like. When the vision image is acquired through the vision camera 40, the inspection speed may be significantly improved.

Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment.

For example, even without performing the non-stop test described above, the control computer 100 stops the inspection robot 10 at each inspection position and generates a trigger signal from the robot controller 100 to obtain a vision image. In comparison with the conventional method of controlling the vision camera 40 by receiving position value information of the inspection robot 40 from the robot controller 100, the inspection speed may be improved.

As described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and may be modified or modified in various forms, and the modified or modified embodiments may include the technical spirit of the present invention included in the following claims. Belonging to will be taken for granted.

10: inspection robot 40: vision camera
42: lighting apparatus 71, 72: first and second trigger signal line
76: camera connection line 100: control computer
110: control unit 120: application program
130: robot middleware 140: communication interface
200: robot controller 210: communication interface
220: trigger signal generator 230: robot middleware
300: distributor

Claims (5)

delete Inspection robot equipped with vision camera and lighting device;
A robot controller having a trigger signal generator for generating a trigger signal using the position value of the inspection robot;
A control computer equipped with a robot middleware for controlling the robot controller, which receives a vision image of a test object from the vision camera and determines whether there is a defect in comparison with a previously stored standard image;
Distributor for distributing the trigger signal generated by the robot controller and transmitting to the vision camera and the lighting device
Robot Vision Inspection System Vision inspection method using a robot vision inspection system including an inspection robot equipped with a vision camera, a robot controller that controls the inspection robot, and a control computer that receives a vision image of an inspection object from the vision camera and determines whether there is a defect. To
(a) storing, in the control computer, a plurality of position values of the inspection robot corresponding to the plurality of inspection positions and information on a plurality of trigger regions respectively corresponding to the plurality of inspection positions;
(b) the control computer transmitting information about the plurality of position values and the plurality of trigger regions to the robot controller when an inspection command is input;
(c) the robot controller moves the inspection robot without stopping along the trajectory of the plurality of position values, and feeds back the position values of the inspection robot so that the inspection robot has any one of the plurality of trigger regions. Determining whether or not to enter;
(d) if it is determined that the inspection robot has entered one of the trigger regions, the robot controller generates a trigger signal and transmits the trigger signal to the vision camera;
(e) acquiring a vision image and transmitting it to the control computer when the vision camera receives the trigger signal;
Robot Vision Inspection Method The method of claim 3,
The inspection robot is equipped with a lighting device,
In step (d), the trigger signal is transmitted to the lighting apparatus, and in step (e), the robot vision inspection method comprises the step of turning on the lighting apparatus receiving the trigger signal. Vision inspection method using a robot vision inspection system including an inspection robot equipped with a vision camera, a robot controller that controls the inspection robot, and a control computer that receives a vision image of an inspection object from the vision camera and determines whether there is a defect. To
(a) storing a plurality of position values respectively corresponding to the plurality of inspection positions in the control computer;
(b) the control computer transmitting the plurality of position values to the robot controller when an inspection command is input;
(c) the robot controller moving the inspection robot to a first inspection position, and if it is determined that the inspection robot has reached the first inspection position, generating a trigger signal and transmitting the trigger signal to the vision camera;
(d) acquiring a vision image and transmitting it to the control computer when the vision camera receives the trigger signal generated in step (c);
(e) the robot controller moving the inspection robot to a second inspection position, and if it is determined that the inspection robot has reached the second inspection position, generating a trigger signal and transmitting the trigger signal to the vision camera;
(f) when the vision camera receives the trigger signal generated in step (e), obtaining and transmitting a vision image to the control computer;
Robot Vision Inspection Method

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