Design of an Industrial Bin Picking Station

Sammanfattning: With the ever-increasing demand for automation, new ways to optimize production lines are needed. The aim of this thesis is to complete an industrial automation task by employing a concept in robotics known as bin picking. The concept involves organizing objects by picking them out of a cluttered bin using an industrial robot. An industrial station is designed in which loose, foam cylinders are organized with the help of computer vision and an industrial robot arm with a suitable end-effector. Using a structured-light-based 3D scanner, these objects are localized and then grasped using a gripping tool which is attached to the robot. To reach the goal of the customer-oriented project, the specialized gripper is designed using Ulrich & Eppinger’s design process and the vision controller is configured. These partial solutions are then finalized in a robot station concept. A needle-type gripper that uses ingression of the foam material as its gripping method was selected and implemented. The system showed a consistent ability to pick out cylinders of the bin and place them on a designated fixture. A layout of the robot station was created together with the steps of a program cycle. A secondary bin picking application was also created for a different object to test the limits of the system. Small, plastic cups were used for this. The System struggled to perform consistently due to scanner noise caused by interreflections from the plastic surfaces. The implementations showed potential for the technology to be used in industrial settings. The specific firmware used can be applied to objects with distinct geometries and low reflectivity. Objects with non-ideal characteristics may be applied in a system with the correct configurations and hardware.