The FLAIR (flexible assembly intelligent robot) workcell loads odd-shaped through-hole and surface-mount components onto printed circuit boards. It is 100% data driven, handles diverse components and boards in arbitrary batch sizes, uses computer vision for viewing components and boards, and incorporates sensor-based error detection and recovery, generic parts feeders, general purpose lead straightening, and lead clinching. It automatically calibrates cameras and robot. FLAIR functions either stand alone or are integrated into an assembly line.>

The feasibility of robots employing vision to acquire randomly oriented cylinders has been demonstrated for the first time. An experimental robot system using vision and a parallel jaw gripper was able to acquire randomly oriented cylindrical workpieces piled in bins. Binary image analysis was adequate to guide the gripper into the multilayered, piles. Complementary information was provided by simple sensors on the gripper. Experiments were performed using titanium cylinders 6 cm × 15 cm diameter and 7.6 cm × 3 cm diameter. Cycle times to acquire a cylinder and deliver it to a receiving chute ranged from 8 to 10 s when a single supply of one-size cylinders was used. By using a dual supply bin configuration with one bin of each size and overlapping arm motion and image analysis tasks, the cycle times for one cylinder from alternate bins ranged from 5.5 to 7.5 s per piece. In the future robots with such capabilities can be applied to enhance automation applications, especially in small batch production.

Bin-picking robots acquire a workpiece from a bin, reorient it, and place it into a machine. However, to achieve adaptability the system must incorporate general purpose hands capable of working with a wide variety of workpieces. To this end, eight guidelines for the design of general purpose hands for bin-picking robots have been identified on the basis of functional requirements. Using the eight guidelines as a framework, three hands were designed. The first design utilized a single vacuum cup which can sense contact, adapt to unknown surface angles, sense grip, and maintain a fixed hand-to-workpiece relationship. The second is a contour adapting vacuum gripper comprised of an array of 20 vacuum-gripping units which are capable of sensing discrete surface contour points while grasping. The third is a parallel jaw arrangement similar to those commonly found in industry, except that it has the capability of sensing overload and the presence of a workpiece within the hand. Each of the hands is described in terms of design features, control systems, and mode of operation. Advantages and disadvantages are indicated.