Image-based jig inspection system and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12073553-B2
Application number	US-202017110912-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 3, 2020
Priority date	Mar 26, 2020
Publication date	Aug 27, 2024
Grant date	Aug 27, 2024

Abstract

An image-based jig inspection system for inspecting a state of a sensorless jig managed in a vehicle body factory includes: a jig configured to fix a vehicle body component mounted by a plurality of clamping units; a camera module configured to photograph an inspection image of the jig; a vision system configured to compare the inspection image with a predetermined image analysis reference to determine a forward moving state or a backward moving state of a respective one of the clamping units; a welding robot configured to weld the component; and a main controller configured to control the welding robot according to a predetermined process based on the state information of the respective one of the clamping units.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image-based jig inspection system for inspecting a state of a sensorless jig, comprising:
a jig configured to fix a component of a vehicle body mounted by a plurality of clamping units;
a camera module configured to photograph an inspection image of the jig;
a vision system configured to compare the inspection image with a predetermined image analysis reference to determine a forward moving state or a backward moving state of a respective one of the clamping units;
a welding robot configured to weld the component; and
a main controller configured to control the welding robot according to a predetermined process based on state information of the respective one of the clamping units;
wherein the vision system includes:
a communication module configured to receive an inspection image photographed by the camera module;
an image processing module configured to:
extract shape information of each of the clamping units from the inspection image received from the communication module, and
compare the shape information of each of the clamping units and predetermined reference template information in the image analysis reference to calculate a forward moving matching rate and a backward moving matching rate of each of the clamping units; and

a determining module configured to determine the forward moving state or the backward moving state of each of the clamping units by detecting that one of the forward moving matching rate and the backward moving matching rate exceeds a predetermined reference value.

2. The image-based jig inspection system of claim 1 , wherein the jig includes:
the plurality of clamping units disposed on an upper surface of a base;
a programmable logic controller (PLC) configured to control the component aligned to the clamping units to be fixed or released; and
a carriage on which the base is movably mounted.

3. The image-based jig inspection system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of clamping units are painted with a unique color according to a vehicle type of an inspection target component.

4. The image-based jig inspection system of claim 1 , wherein the camera module includes:
a camera installed at a vertical position from the jig and photographing an image of the jig;
a rotation stage rotating and fixing the camera with a predetermined rotation angle;
a tilting stage connecting between the rotation stage and the camera and adjusting a tilting angle of the camera; and
a measuring device measuring the rotation angle and the tilting angle of the camera and storing the rotation angle and the tilting angle of the camera to a memory.

5. The image-based jig inspection system of claim 4 , wherein the camera is provided with a plurality of image sensors according to a size of the jig, or the number of image sensors is expanded in a predetermined direction to support wide photographing.

6. The image-based jig inspection system of claim 1 , wherein the image processing module sets an image analysis reference including at least one of: a vehicle type for each clamping unit, a reference color for each clamping unit, an image region for each clamping unit, template information defined in the image region, a camera ID, or a jig position by obtaining the reference image of the jig in advance.

7. The image-based jig inspection system of claim 1 , wherein the image processing module generates an integrated reference image by matching a first half image and a second half image of the jig photographed by a plurality of cameras.

8. The image-based jig inspection system of claim 1 , wherein the image processing module matches the vehicle type and the component used for each color of the clamping unit in the reference image through a template authoring tool UI and sets the image region for each clamping unit.

9. The image-based jig inspection system of claim 8 , wherein the image processing module filters the image region to remove a background and extracts a contour of each of the clamping units.

10. The image-based jig inspection system of claim 9 , wherein the image processing module derives the shape information of each of the clamping units based on the contour and generates the template information including the forward moving state template and the backward moving state template.

11. The image-based jig inspection system of claim 1 , wherein the image processing module calculates each matching rate by comparing the template information corresponding to the shape information of each of the clamping units on a pixel-to-pixel basis.

12. The image-based jig inspection system of claim 1 , wherein the image processing module calculates the matching rate while overlapping and moving the template information on the image region, and transfers the forward moving matching rate and the backward moving matching rate with maximum values to the determine module.

13. The image-based jig inspection system of claim 1 , wherein the determining module determines as the forward moving state if the forward moving matching rate exceeds the forward moving determining reference value and the backward moving matching rate does not exceed the backward moving determining reference value, and determines as the backward moving state if the backward moving matching rate exceeds the backward moving determining reference value and the forward moving matching rate does not exceed the forward moving determining reference value.

14. The image-based jig inspection system of claim 13 , wherein the determining module determines that an error occurs when the forward moving matching rate and the backward moving matching rate both exceed the forward moving and backward moving determining reference values or both do not exceed the forward moving and backward moving determining reference values.

Assignees

• Hyundai Motor Co Ltd
• Kia Motors Corp
• Ajin Ind Co Ltd
• Autoit

Inventors

• Lee Daewon
• Park Ki Hoon
• Jeong Myunghwan
• Kim Byoungik
• Kwon Hyuk-Ju
• Ha Soo Young

Classifications

• H04N23/698

  for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture · CPC title

• H04N23/695

  Control of camera direction for changing a field of view, e.g. pan, tilt or based on tracking of objects · CPC title

• B23K37/0443

  Jigs · CPC title

• G06T2207/10024

  Color image · CPC title

• G06T2200/24

  involving graphical user interfaces [GUIs] · CPC title