A highly flexible, automated, parts sorting and transfer system

Abstract

In this work, a vision-based robotic system for the automated sorting and relocation of different parts has been developed. In the application under consideration, pre-defined but differently-shaped objects arrive on a moving conveyor belt in random order and in an unstructured manner. The objects are recognized and have their position and orientation measured by a vision sensor, and an industrial robot fitted with a highly versatile gripper picks up the objects from the moving conveyor and transfers them to different locations in a structured manner. The work demonstrates the development and integration of a number of different sub-systems to carry out an important industrial process in an automated and highly flexible manner.