There are many reasons why using 3D machine vision in robotics applications are a good idea. Here are five of them:
1. Depth or height measurement
How far away is the object from the camera or the end effector? How tall is an object and how does it compare in size to its neighbour?
2. Pose
How is the object presented and at what angle is it lying? The 3D vision system can tell the robot how to approach the object in order to pick it successfully.
3. Data Verification
This might be one of the biggest benefits of using a 3D machine vision system in the manufacturing industry. There is a lot of data that can be gleaned for 3D imagery. It’s not just about the Z measurement.
4. Object Profiling
With a 3D system we can recreate the profile and measure across it. So undulations across a surface could be examined.
5. 3D Machine vision doesn’t fail!
All these points demonstrate one thing about machine vision. That when a system is trained correctly, it cannot fail. When all the data matches the expectations, then it is good to go. If anything is missing, then the vision system can’t or won’t send a picking solution to the robot. All the additional data provided by a 3D vision system is a guarantee that the coordinate data is correct.
If you’d like to discuss how this could possibly help you in your robot vision application or how it may solve a problem in your factory, please call Scorpion Vision on 01590 679333.
Here is an example of a good use of 3D robot vision:
