FACTORY AUTOMATION
Sensor Technology Puts Life into Robotics
Innovative sensor technology is enabling industrial robots to perform more complex inspection measurements with higher accuracy and speed.
D
evelopments in sensor technology are enabling more life to be put into factory automation in the form of complex inspection tasks and also to provide sensory input for making decisions for
positioning of components. The fusion of sensor technology and robotics is opening up greater possibilities for factory automation, particularly in the demanding, high volume environment of the automotive industry. According to Chris Jones of sensor specialist company, Micro-Epsilon, sensor technology is enabling robot measurement tasks where there is a growing need for high precision over wide surface areas and where there are requirements for increased flexibility.
POSITION CONTROL Non-contact robot arm mounted sensors are being used currently in the automotive industry to guide tools or devices attached to the robot based on parameters measured by the sensors. For example, a laser sensor can be used for dynamic
distance measurements when applying adhesive beads to car roof rails or windscreens. Today, a car windscreen is much more than a simple glass sheet in the car that protects the driver from headwind. This part of the vehicle has evolved, incorporating key functions while also having to resist shocks and high variations of temperature. The scanCONTROL laser profile scanner serves to measure the height and position of the adhesive beading on the screen edges. The process sees a robot position the glass in front of the bodywork and after the position has been determined by light section sensors, the screen is put centrally into the bodywork. This process is performed in real time and integrated in common automotive production cycles of less than one minute. Such laser triangulation sensors are the ideal choice for these tasks. The sensors are very small with integrated electronics. Measuring ranges are from 2mm to 1,000mm with fast measuring cycles of up to 50kHz that widen the scope of applications. The scanCONTROL laser profile sensors are divided into three classes: Compact, High-Speed and Smart. The first two versions respectively transmit the raw profile (‘point cloud’) data to, for example, downstream customer software (software
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integration), whereas the Smart scanner series carries out the evaluation directly in the sensor head. The evaluation can be simple, for example, when inspecting an adhesive bead, or highly complex, thus meeting the needs of a wide range of different industrial applications, including welding, joining and installation processes.
BODYWORK ASSEMBLY When assembling a vehicle’s bodywork, it is important to ensure panels are flush and that there are no gaps and for this application, Micro-Epsilon has developed the gapCONTROL sensor. This device can be installed on a robot arm for measuring various types of gap. The gap measurement data is used to guide the robot along the car, making real time measurements to ensure that flushness and gaps meet manufacturers’ requirements or controlling welding robots. The sensor data is being constantly fed back into the robot controller so the guiding task is continuous.
PROCESS INSPECTION SENSORS The perceived quality of smooth, defect-free surfaces is determined by the look and feel, colour and shape consistency of the surface. High quality finished surfaces are therefore a challenge for many industries. To meet this challenge, two robot-arm mountable sensors have been developed specifically for performing the complex inspection task of examining either reflective or non-reflective surfaces. surfaceCONTROL and reflectCONTROL are most appropriate to high speed automotive assembly environments but can suit other industries that handle products with large surfaces that need to be accurately reproduced. The surfaceCONTROL measurement system is used on diffuse reflective surfaces. This technology uses structured light projection to detect and analyse local shape defects on surfaces that deviate by micrometres from their target measurements. The system also operates reliably on textured surfaces, such as interior automotive parts. The structured light projection technology of
surfaceCONTROL is particularly suitable for surfaces that diffusely reflect at least part of the light, including steel, aluminium, plastics and ceramics.
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