IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,361,532
Granted Patent B2
US 12,361,532 · App. 17/928,583 · Granted Jul 15, 2025

Operation determination apparatus and operation determination method

Inventor: Kazunori Kitazumi (Kyoto, JP)
Assignee: OMRON CORPORATION
G06T7/0004G06V20/52G06T2207/30164
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,361,532
App. No.
17/928,583
Granted
Jul 15, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

An operation determination apparatus includes an image obtainer that obtains a captured image of a worker gripping a component and performing an operation of attaching the component to a workpiece, a component detector that detects a component in the captured image obtained by the image obtainer, a grip determiner that determines, based on a detection result from the component detector, whether the worker is gripping a component and whether the component gripped by the worker is a component to be attached to the workpiece in the operation, and a notification controller that controls a predetermined notification to be provided in response to the grip determiner determining that the component gripped by the worker is not the component to be attached to the workpiece in the operation.

Claims (39)

1. An operation determination apparatus, comprising:

a memory configured to store computer-executable instructions; and

a processor configured to execute the computer-executable instructions stored in the memory to implement:

an image obtainer configured to obtain a captured image of a worker gripping a component and performing an operation of attaching the component to a workpiece;

a component detector configured to detect a component in the captured image obtained by the image obtainer;

a grip determiner configured to determine, based on a detection result from the component detector, whether the worker is gripping a component and whether the component gripped by the worker is a component to be attached to the workpiece in the operation; and

a notification controller configured to control a predetermined notification to be provided in response to the grip determiner determining that the component gripped by the worker is not the component to be attached to the workpiece in the operation, wherein

the grip determiner determines that the worker is gripping the component in response to a distance traveled by the detected component being greater than or equal to a first threshold, and

the distance traveled by the detected component is a distance between a detection position of the component at a predetermined time and a current detection position of the component detected after the predetermined time.

2. The operation determination apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

in response to the component detector detecting a plurality of components, the grip determiner selects a component traveling a greatest distance from the plurality of components, and

in response to a distance traveled by the selected component being greater than or equal to the first threshold, the grip determiner determines that the worker is gripping the selected component.

3. The operation determination apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to execute the computer-executable instructions stored in the memory to further implement:

an information obtainer configured to obtain information indicating a correspondence between the operation and a component to be attached to the workpiece in the operation,

wherein the grip determiner determines whether the component gripped by the worker is the component to be attached to the workpiece in the operation based on the detection result from the component detector and the information obtained by the information obtainer.

4. The operation determination apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to execute the computer-executable instructions stored in the memory to further implement:

an operation completion determiner configured to determine whether a predetermined condition to indicate completion of the operation is satisfied based on the detection result from the component detector in response to the grip determiner determining that the component gripped by the worker is the component to be attached to the workpiece in the operation.

5. The operation determination apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein

the predetermined condition includes a distance between the component gripped by the worker and the workpiece being less than or equal to a second threshold.

6. The operation determination apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein

the predetermined condition includes the component being at a predetermined position relative to the workpiece.

7. The operation determination apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein

the predetermined condition includes the component being in a predetermined orientation relative to the workpiece.

8. The operation determination apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein

the image obtainer obtains a captured image of at least one operation including the worker placing the workpiece in a predetermined area after completing the at least one operation,

the component detector detects the workpiece in the captured image obtained by the image obtainer,

the operation completion determiner determines whether the workpiece is placed in the predetermined area based on the detection result from the component detector, and

the notification controller controls the predetermined notification to be provided in response to the operation completion determiner determining that the workpiece is placed in the predetermined area before completion of the at least one operation.

9. The operation determination apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the processor is configured to execute the computer-executable instructions stored in the memory to further implement:

a hand detector configured to detect a hand of the worker in the captured image obtained by the image obtainer,

wherein the operation completion determiner uses a position of the hand detected by the hand detector as a position of the component gripped by the worker in response to the grip determiner determining that the component gripped by the worker is the component to be attached to the workpiece in the operation and then the component gripped by the worker being undetected by the component detector.

10. An operation determination method, comprising:

obtaining a captured image of a worker gripping a component and performing an operation of attaching the component to a workpiece;

detecting a component in the obtained captured image;

determining, based on a result of the detecting, whether the worker is gripping a component and whether the component gripped by the worker is a component to be attached to the workpiece in the operation; and

controlling a predetermined notification to be provided in response to the component gripped by the worker being determined not to be the component to be attached to the workpiece in the operation, wherein

the determining determines that the worker is gripping the component in response to a distance traveled by the detected component being greater than or equal to a first threshold, and

the distance traveled by the detected component is a distance between a detection position of the component at a predetermined time and a current detection position of the component detected after the predetermined time.

11. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a program for causing a computer to perform operations included in the operation determination method according to claim 10 .

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 29, 2022
From: KITAZUMI, KAZUNORI
To: OMRON CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 061913/0279 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2020-111328 · Jun 29, 2020 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20230237637A1 · Jul 27, 2023
References Cited (7)
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