Abstract
Metal objects are common in production lines and its storage places due to their excellent heat conduction, low cost and high strength properties. In order to provide a quick and accurate method for the retrieval of metal objects quickly and accurately, an automatic retrieval system was designed. The system comprised of an industrial robot arm, a light source and a vision camera. The system was designed specifically for the retrieval of metal objects from an input source which is equipped with a ring-shaped receiver. The industrial robot arm was used to manipulate the metal objects and place them into the ring-shaped receiver. The light source was used in order to illuminate the metal objects and the vision camera was used to identify the metal objects. Furthermore, the system was programmed to detect the size, shape and color of each object based on its image feature. With this information, the system was able to differentiate between the different types of metal objects and thus select the correct object for retrieval. In addition, the system was also designed to recognize certain patterns or defects that may occur on the metal objects. The results obtained from the experiments showed that the system was able to successfully and accurately retrieve the desired metal objects from an input source.
Introduction
Metal objects are one of the most commonly used components in the production of most products. This is because of their superior heat conduction and strength properties. However, they require a specialized retrieval system in order to be accurately retrieved from production lines or storage places. Currently, manual retrieval of metal objects is slow and ineffective due to the large number of objects that must be retrieved and identified in order to produce a finished product. Automation is necessary in order to improve the rate of production and accuracy in the retrieval of metal objects.
The main challenge of this system is the ability to detect and differentiate between the different types of metal objects. The system must be able to identify the size, shape and color of each object based on its characteristic features. In addition, the system must also be able to recognize certain patterns or defects that may be present on the metal objects.
System Design
The system designed for the retrieval of metal objects consists of three components; an industrial robot arm, a light source and a vision camera. The industrial robot arm is used for manipulation of the metal objects and for transport of the objects from the input source. The light source is used to illuminate the metal objects in order to capture clear images which can be used for identification by the vision camera. Finally, the vision camera is used to identify the metal objects based on their characteristic features such as size, shape and color.
The system was programmed using software with visual programming language and the robot arm was calibrated using an automatic calibration system. The system was then tested and evaluated using a range of metal objects which had different attributes. The results obtained from the experiments showed that the system was able to successfully and accurately identify the desired metal objects and retrieve them from an input source.
Conclusion
This paper discussed an automated retrieval system for metal objects. The system consists of an industrial robot arm, a light source and a vision camera. The system was designed specifically for the retrieval of metal objects from an input source which is equipped with a ring-shaped receiver. The industrial robot arm was used to manipulate the metal objects and place them into the ring-shaped receiver. The light source was used in order to illuminate the metal objects and the vision camera was used to identify the metal objects. Furthermore, the system was programmed to detect the size, shape and color of each object based on its image feature. The results obtained from the experiments showed that the system was able to successfully and accurately retrieve the desired metal objects from an input source.
