Modular Visual Servo Tracking for Industrial Robots

Abstract

Visually servoing a robot to track a moving workpiece has been demonstrated in literature using specially customized equipment. In this work, a simple modular architecture is presented using o#-theshelf components with serial line interfaces. The method has widespread application for existing industrial robots whose capabilities can be upgraded without altering proprietary original equipment proven to be reliable. As proof of concept, an ADEPT robot is visually servoed to track workpieces on a conveyor belt moving up to 400 in/min. Simulation results are shown to compare reasonably well with experimental data. Advantages and limitations of the implementation are discussed including the crucial e#ect of delays. 1 Introduction 1.1 Visual servoing The purpose of visual servoing is to track an object of unknown prior location using only relative visual feedback information provided by a camera. Traditionally, the location and orientation of an object in an absolute frame must be determi...