Processing apparatus and relative marking device to generate process trajectories

1 . A processing apparatus comprising an industrial robotic unit and a marking device configured to generate process trajectories that are automatically recognizable by the industrial robotic unit, wherein,

said industrial robotic unit comprises a multi-axis manipulator robot including processing means arranged to perform a plurality of processing or assembly operations,

said marking device is configured to be used manually by an operator to indicate the process trajectories automatically recognizable by the multi-axis manipulator robot, wherein the marking device is rod-shaped and further comprises at least one pointer element optically detectable by the multi-axis manipulator robot by a vision system,

wherein the pointer element comprises:

a three-dimensional solid-shaped body further comprising a plurality of faces and a plurality of vertices defined by respective intersection of the faces;

a contact portion located at any of the plurality of faces or the plurality of vertices of the body of the pointer element, the contact portion configured to be brought into contact with a point of a working area, wherein the multi-axis manipulator robot is configured to learn a position of said point of said working area; and

at least one of the plurality of faces is configured to carry at least one of a two-dimensional marker, or a QR code, each of which includes a center and is readable by the vision system,

wherein the two-dimensional marker and the QR code each further comprise information about an identifying element of the respective two-dimensional marker or the QR code, in such a way as to allow a controller to calculate a position of the contact portion of the pointer element based on a position of the respective two-dimensional marker or the QR code which is read by the vision system,

wherein a predetermined of the at least one of the two-dimensional marker or the QR code is selectively connected to a predetermined face of the plurality of faces of the pointer element that is associated with the selectively connected two-dimensional marker or the QR code,

wherein the identifying element of the two-dimensional marker or the QR code selectively connected is configured to enable identification of the center of the two-dimensional marker or the QR code allowing the controller to translate a coordinate of the center into a coordinate of the contact portion.

2 . The processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the multi-axis manipulator robot is configured to automatically position the processing means at a point indicated by the pointer element, following detection of a position of the pointer element by the vision system.

3 . The processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said vision system is mounted on-board the multi-axis manipulator robot.

4 . The processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the pointer element is arranged at a tip of the marking device, the pointer element and the marking device configured to indicate welding points carried out manually by the operator.

5 . The processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said vision system comprises a 2D camera.

6 . The processing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the controller is configured to activate, at a request of the operator, a tracking mode of the two-dimensional marker carried by the pointer element, wherein the 2D camera continuously detects, with a predetermined cadence, the position of the two-dimensional marker and communicates it to the controller, which consequently commands the robot to keep the position of the 2D camera unchanged relative to the two-dimensional marker.

7 . The processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the pointer element comprises a three-dimensional element of a predetermined geometry known by the vision system, following a preliminary programming step of the apparatus.

8 . The processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the marking device further comprises a selection button arranged to exchange messages with the vision system for at least one of activating activities or interrupting activities, wherein the activating activities comprise activating a search function of the pointer element and identifying a specific position indicated as an obstacle to be circumvented that is along the process trajectory.

9 . The processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processing means comprise a welding torch arranged to perform an arc welding with metal under gas protection (MIG/MAG).

10 . The processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising at least one of a portable control or a portable programming terminal usable by the operator, configured to provide a respective command signal to a controller of the processing apparatus in order to complete information to be sent to the robot, to carry out processing following the indication of the process trajectory traced by the marking device and detection by the vision system.

11 . The processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a preliminary auto-calibration configured to accurately identify a position and a distance of the pointer element with respect to the vision system.

12 . A method for generating a process trajectory automatically recognizable by an industrial robotic unit, comprising:

providing a processing apparatus according to claim 1 ;

initiating a recording step for recording a position of the pointer element,

indicating by the pointer element a first point wherein to perform a processing by said processing means;

detecting a position of said first point by the vision system; and

entering additional parameters identifying a type of processing, using a human-machine interface (HMI) device.

13 . The method according to claim 12 , comprising:

indicating a process trajectory by moving the pointer element from the first point to an end point; and

detecting the process trajectory using the vision system.

14 . The method according to claim 12 , comprising:

instructing the processing apparatus about the type of processing and commanding the vision system to perform a laser scan to identify characteristics of components to be operated on; and

performing the processing from the first point to an end point.

15 . The method according to claim 12 , comprising the step of performing, by the vision system, an automatic quality control of the process carried out, by optically detecting points where the processing has been completed.

16 . The method according to claim 12 , wherein:

the pointer element comprises:

a three-dimensional solid-shaped body comprising a plurality of faces;

a contact portion configured to be brought into contact with a point of a working area, wherein the multi-axis manipulator robot is configured to learn a position of said point of said working area;

at least one of the plurality of faces is configured to carry at least one of a two-dimensional marker, or a QR code, each of which is readable by the vision system,

wherein the two-dimensional marker or the QR code further comprise information about an identifying element of the respective two-dimensional marker or the QR code, in such a way as to allow a controller to calculate a position of the contact portion of the pointer element based on a position of the respective two-dimensional marker or the QR code which is read by the vision system; and

said vision system comprises a 2D camera;

said method further comprising activating, at a request of the operator, through the controller of said processing apparatus, a tracking mode of the two-dimensional marker carried by the pointer element, wherein the 2D camera continuously detects, with a predetermined cadence, the position of the two-dimensional marker or the QR code and communicates it to the controller, which consequently commands the robot to keep the position of the 2D camera unchanged relative to a two-dimensional marker or the QR code.

17 . The method according to claim 16 , wherein during a learning step by the multi-axis manipulator robot of a position of points selected by the operator through said marking device, upon pressing a button for learning of the position of the two-dimensional marker or the QR code by the multi-axis manipulator robot, a further check is made, by the controller, on a reachability of the selected points by a processing tool carried by the robot.

18 . The method according to claim 14 , wherein the characteristics of the components to be operated on comprise a thickness of a metal sheet element.

19 . The processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the pointer element comprises a magnet having a predetermined position relative to the contact portion on the predetermined face of the pointer element; and

each of the at least one of two-dimensional marker or the QR code comprises a metal plate, wherein the predetermined at least one of the two-dimensional marker or the QR code is selectively connected to the magnet.

20 . The processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one two-dimensional marker or QR code comprises two of the two-dimensional marker or QR code positioned on the predetermined face of the plurality of faces of the body and positioned apart from one another, each of the two two-dimensional markers or the QR codes including the information about the identifying element that is different from one another allowing the controller to calculate the respective coordinate of two alternate contact portions on the body based on the information of the identifying element of the two-dimensional marker or QR that is alternately read by the vision system.