Vision-guided alignment system and method

A method of aligning a plurality of components comprising:

• providing camera and a robotic gripper each controlled by a processor, said robotic gripper configured to move a grasped component relative to a mounted component, said grasped component comprising first and second opposing sides;
• transferring a computer aided design (CAD) model of the grasped component to the processor;
• identifying the relative position of at least one feature on said first side of said grasped component viewable by said camera with at least one feature on said second side of said grasped component not viewable by said camera from said CAD model of said grasped component processed by said processor;
• generating calibration positions from a camera space manipulation control algorithm for said gripper by a work cell simulated at said processor that define the movement of said grasped component by said robotic gripper to said mounted component based on said CAD model of said grasped component;
• moving said grasped component by said robotic gripper in accordance with said calibration positions;
• monitoring the movement of said grasped component relative to said mounted component by said camera;
• and
• joining said at least one said feature on said second side of said grasped component to at least one feature of said mounted component.

A vision-guided alignment system to align a plurality of components comprising:

• a robotic gripper configured to move one component relative to another component;
• a camera generating an image of the components;
• a computer aided design (CAD) model of the components;
• a processor generating a computer-simulated robotic work cell from said CAD model representing a real or potential robotic work cell, wherein said processor calculates initial calibration positions that define the movement of said robotic gripper, and wherein said processor executes a camera space manipulation based algorithm to compensate position errors between actual positions of the robotic gripper and said initial calibration positions to control said robotic gripper to move one component into alignment with another component based on said image of the components;
• and
• said robot gripper assembles the components together at a predetermined insertion position identified by said processor using said CAD model, the insertion position comprising a viewable feature on one of the components and a not viewable feature on the other component.