No Clamp Robotic Assembly with Use of Point Cloud Data from Low-Cost Triangulation Scanner

Abstract

The paper shows the clamp-less assembly idea as a very important one in the modern assembly. Assembly equipment such as clamps represent a significant group of industrial equipment in manufacturing plants whose number can be effectively reduced. The article presents the concept of using industrial robot equipped with a triangulation scanner in the assembly process in order to minimize the number of clamps that hold the units in a particular position in space. It also shows how the system searches for objects in the point cloud based on multi-step processing algorithm proposed in this work, then picks them up, transports and positions them in the right assembly locations with the use of industrial robot manipulator. The accuracy of the positioning of parts was also examined as well as the impact of the number of iterations of the algorithm searching the models in the point cloud on the accuracy of determining the position of the objects. The tests show that presented system is suitable for assembly of various items as plastic packaging and palletizing of products. Such kind of system is the basis for modern, fully flexible assembly systems.

Keywords

• assembly
• robotics
• 3D-scanning