Method and system for determining the presence or absence of a part of an assembly within a work cell
A method and system for determining the presence or absence of a part of an assembly within at least one user-defined, 3-D detection region within a work cell are provided. The system includes a 3-D or depth sensor having a field of view at the work cell. The sensor has a set of radiation sensing elements which detect reflected, projected radiation to obtain 3-D sensor data. A processor processes the sensor data from the sensor to obtain a 3-D graphic of the at least one detection region. A display displays the 3-D graphic from a viewpoint to determine the presence or absence of the part within the detection region.
1. A method of determining the presence or absence of a part of an assembly within at least one user-defined, 3-D detection region within a work cell or station, the method comprising:
providing a 3-D or depth sensor having a field of view at the work cell or station, the sensor having a set of radiation sensing elements which detect reflected, projected radiation to obtain 3-D sensor data;
processing the sensor data from the sensor to obtain a 3-D graphic of the at least one detection region;
displaying the 3-D graphic from a viewpoint to determine the presence or absence of the part within the detection region; and
receiving a user input command to either manipulate 3-D wireframe shapes, change the viewpoint of the 3-D graphic, move the at least one detection region or resize at least one dimension of the at least one detection region on a display screen.
2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the work cell is a robot work cell.
3. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the assembly is a vehicle body and the part is a hinged member of the vehicle body.
4. The method as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the hinged member is one of a door, a hood, a deck lid and a tailgate.
5. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the sensor includes a pattern emitter for projecting a known pattern of radiation and a detector for detecting the known pattern of radiation reflected from a surface of the assembly.
6. The method as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the emitter emits a non-visible pattern of radiation and the detector detects the reflected non-visible pattern of radiation.
7. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the sensor is a volumetric sensor capable of capturing thousands of individual points in space.
8. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the sensor is a multi-spectral sensor.
9. The method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising the step of providing a user interface to allow a user to manipulate the 3-D graphic on a display screen.
10. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the at least one detection region is defined by the 3-D wireframe shapes in the 3-D graphic.
11. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the sensor is a hybrid 2-D/3-D sensor.
12. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a plurality of detection regions are user-defined.
13. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the 3-D graphic is colored on a display screen to indicate pass or fail conditions.
14. A system for determining the presence or absence of a part of an assembly within at least one user-defined, 3-D detection region within a work cell or station, the system comprising:
a 3-D or depth sensor having a field of view at the work cell, the sensor having a set of radiation sensing elements which detect reflected, projected radiation to obtain 3-D sensor data;
a processor to process the sensor data from the sensor to obtain a 3-D graphic of the at least one detection region;
a display to display the 3-D graphic from a viewpoint to determine the presence or absence of the part within the detection region; and
a user interface to receive a user input command to either manipulate 3-D wireframe shapes, change the viewpoint of the 3-D graphics, move the at least one detection region or resize at least one dimension of the at least one detection region on a screen of the display.
15. The system as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the work cell is a robot work cell.
16. The system as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the assembly is a vehicle body and the part is a hinged member of the vehicle body.
17. The system as claimed in claim 16 , wherein the hinged member is one of a door, a hood, a deck lid and a tailgate.
18. The system as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the sensor includes a pattern emitter for projecting a known pattern of radiation and a detector for detecting the known pattern of radiation reflected from a surface of the assembly.
19. The system as claimed in claim 18 , wherein the emitter emits a non-visible pattern of radiation and the detector detects the reflected non-visible pattern of radiation.
20. The system as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the sensor is a volumetric sensor capable of capturing thousands of individual points in space.
21. The system as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the sensor is a multi-spectral sensor.
22. The system as claimed in claim 14 , further comprising a user interface to allow a user to manipulate the 3-D graphic on a screen of the display.
23. The system as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the at least one detection region is defined by the 3-D wireframe shapes in the 3-D graphic.
24. The system as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the sensor is a hybrid 2-D/3-D sensor.
25. The system as claimed in claim 14 , wherein a plurality of detection regions are user-defined.
26. The system as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the 3-D graphic is colored on a screen of the display to indicate pass or fail conditions.