Getting Started Tutorial: Vision-Guided Robotic Picking of Metal Parts (Master-Control Communication)

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In this tutorial, you will learn how to deploy a simple 3D vision-guided robotic application of picking small metal parts in the Master-Control communication mode.

Application Overview

  • Camera: Mech-Eye PRO M camera, mounted in eye to hand (ETH) mode

  • Robot: ABB_IRB_1300_11_0_9

  • Workpiece: track links (made of metal)

    • For this application, you are required to prepare a model file in CAD format for the workpiece, which will be used to generate the point cloud matching model. Click here to download the model file.

    • This application uses a real camera to capture images of the track links for recognition. If you want to use a virtual camera, please click here to download image data of the track links.

  • End tool: gripper

    For this application, you are required to prepare a model file in OBJ format for the gripper, which will be used for collision detection during path planning. Click here to download the model file.

  • Scene object: scene object model

    This application requires a scene model file in STL format, which is used to simulate a real scene and is used for collision detection in path planning. Click here to download the model file.

  • Used software: Mech-Vision 1.7.4, Mech-Viz 1.7.4, Mech-Center 1.7.4, and Mech-Eye Viewer 2.1.0

  • Communication mode: Master-Control communication

If you are using a different camera model, robot brand, or workpiece than in this example, please refer to the reference information provided in the corresponding steps to make adjustments.

How to Deploy a Vision-Guided Robotic Application?

The deployment of the vision-guided robotic application can be divided into five phases, as shown in the figure below:

getting start deployment

The following table describes the five phases of deploying a vision-guided robotic application.

No. Phase Description

1

Vision system hardware setup

Install and connect hardware of the Mech-Mind Vision System.

2

Robot communication setup

Load the robot master-control program and the configuration files to the robot system and set up the communication between the vision system and the robot, thus helping the Mech-Mind Vision System obtain control over the robot.

3

Hand-eye calibration

Perform the automatic hand-eye calibration in the eye-to-hand setup, to establish the transformation relationship between the camera reference frame and the robot reference frame.

4

Workpiece locating

Use the “General Workpiece Recognition” case project to calculate the workpiece poses and output the vision result.

5

Pick and place

Use Mech-Viz to create a workflow that can guide the robot to repeatedly pick and place workpieces.

Next, follow subsequent sections to complete the application deployment.

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