Task: For a well-known car tyre producer, the process for transporting the tyres to a position for quality control inspection was optimised. The tyres, which are stapled on palettes, are grabbed in the middle by a robot arm which itself it pneumatically stretched into position. Such tyres, initially stapled by hand, are frequently piled up unevenly, or even lob-sided. In this case, an important requirement is that the robot is still able recognise the best position to pick up the tyre.

Solution:
Especially concepted for tyre handling, Holland-based Sedeco Vision Components have developed an image processing system which consists of a VC4038-camera from Vision Components as well as a robotic arm fitted with four laser lights. The laser light assembly projects several cross-hairs onto the tyre pile under investigation. The cross hairs enable the camera to calculate the middle-point of (up to three) stapled tyres, ensuring that the robot has the ideal “pick-up axis” when in the process of grabbing each tyre.

Advantages:
The VC4038 Camera, fitted with a 400-MHz processor, takes over all tasks relating to image processing and so dispenses with the need for a PC based system. The camera triggers the flash, records the image and interprets the acquired data. Difficult lighting ratios (e.g. black car tyres and dark cast shadows) are also dealt with without a problem.

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