Multistep Visual Assistance for Automated Inspection
OwnerJonathan J. O'Hare, Jonathan Doveinventors
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Illustrative embodiments provide a method by which artificial intelligence in combination with vision systems or cameras cooperate with a robot to automate a process for inspecting a workpiece. An illustrative method includes providing a set of cameras to image a set of workpieces that are randomly disposed in a storage area. A controller employing a neural network trained to identify workpieces then processes images from the set of cameras to identify each workpiece, and uses workpiece identity to customize the operation of an inspection system.
Claims20
A method of operating an inspection system to inspect a set of workpieces, the set of workpieces comprising a plurality of non-identical workpieces, each workpiece of the plurality of non-identical workpieces having a corresponding part type, a corresponding digital product definition, and a unique workpiece identifier including unique identification information unique to said workpiece, the method comprising:
- receiving, at a computer system, a set of images of the non-identical workpieces at a storage location;
- and
- for each workpiece of the set of non-identical workpieces, by the computer system:
- identifying the part type of the workpiece by analysis of at least one image from the set of images;
- identifying, based on the part type, the digital product definition corresponding to the workpiece;
- retrieving, from the digital product definition of the workpiece, coordinates on the workpiece of its unique workpiece identifier;
- reading, with an identifier camera, the unique workpiece identifier of the workpiece by analysis of the set of images;
- controlling an inspection instrument to inspect the workpiece;
- and
- generating an inspection report for the workpiece comprising the unique identifier corresponding to each such workpiece.
An inspection system for inspecting a set of workpieces stored at a storage location, each workpiece of the set of workpieces having a corresponding part type, a corresponding digital product definition, and a unique workpiece identifier including unique identification information unique to said workpiece, the system comprising:
- a computer system configured:
- to receive, from a set of cameras in data communication with the computer system, a set of images from each camera of the set of cameras and to analyze said set of images to recognize the corresponding part type of each workpiece of the set of workpieces captured in said set of images,
- and further configured, for each workpiece in the set of workpieces:
- to retrieve, from a digital product definition, (1) location coordinates of the unique identifier on the workpiece, and (2) an inspection routine identifier for said workpiece;
- to control a robot to grasp the workpiece, the robot comprising an arm with an end effector;
- to move the workpiece into a field of view of an identifier camera in data communication with the controller, using the location coordinates of the unique identifier on the workpiece to expose the unique identifier to at least one camera of the identifiers camera;
- and
- to identify a unique identifier corresponding to each such workpiece, said unique identifier being the workpiece's corresponding unique identifier;
- to control the robot to deliver the workpiece to an inspection instrument;
- to control the inspection instrument to inspect each such workpiece;
- and
- to generate an inspection report comprising the unique identifier corresponding to each such workpiece.
A non-transient computer-readable medium having non-transient computer code stored thereon, the computer code comprising:
- code for causing a computer system to receive a set of images of the non-identical workpieces at a storage location;
- and
- code for causing the computer system to, for each workpiece of a set of non-identical workpieces:
- identify, by the computer system, the part type of the workpiece by analysis of at least one image from the set of images;
- identify, based on the part type, the digital product definition corresponding to the workpiece;
- retrieve, from a digital product definition of the workpiece, coordinates on the workpiece of its unique graphical workpiece identifier;
- read, with an identifier camera, the unique graphical workpiece identifier of the workpiece by analysis of the set of images;
- control an inspection instrument to inspect the workpiece;
- and
- generate an inspection report for the workpiece comprising the unique identifier corresponding to each such workpiece.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.