Material recognition system and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025035593-A1
Application number	US-202318494222-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 25, 2023
Priority date	Jul 27, 2023
Publication date	Jan 30, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

An embodiment of the invention provides a material recognition system. The material recognition system may include a fetching device, at least one sensing device and a processing device. The fetching device may fetch a target object. Each sensing device may include an ultrasound transmitter and an ultrasound receiver. The ultrasound transmitter may transmit an ultrasound emitting signal on the surface of the target object. The ultrasound receiver may receive an ultrasound received signal on the surface of the target object. There is a fixed distance between the ultrasound transmitter and the ultrasound receiver. The processing device may recognize the material of the target object according to the ultrasound emitting signal, the ultrasound received signal, and the fixed distance. In addition, when the fetching device fetches the target object, the ultrasound transmitter and the ultrasound receiver touch the surface of the target object.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A material recognition system, comprising:
a fetching device, configured to fetch a target object; at least one sensing device, configured in a fetching part of the fetching device, wherein the sensing device comprises:
an ultrasound transmitter, transmitting an ultrasound emitting signal on a surface of the target object; and
an ultrasound receiver, receiving an ultrasound received signal on the surface of the target object, wherein there is a fixed distance between the ultrasound transmitter and the ultrasound receiver; and
a processing device, coupled to the fetching device and the at least one sensing device, and recognizing a material of the target object according to the ultrasound emitting signal, the ultrasound received signal, and the fixed distance, wherein when the fetching device fetches the target object, the ultrasound transmitter and the ultrasound receiver touch the surface of the target object.

2 . The material recognition system of claim 1 , wherein the processing device further obtains ultrasound transmission speed information according to the ultrasound emitting signal, the ultrasound received signal, and the fixed distance.

3 . The material recognition system of claim 2 , wherein the processing device further recognizes the material of the target object according to the ultrasound transmission speed information and a look-up table.

4 . The material recognition system of claim 2 , wherein the processing device further obtains time-domain information and frequency-domain information of the ultrasound emitting signal and the ultrasound received signal, and inputs the ultrasound transmission speed information and ultrasound features corresponding to the time-domain information and the frequency-domain information into a machine learning model to recognize the material of the target object.

5 . The material recognition system of claim 4 , wherein the processing device further indicates the ultrasound features according to the time-domain information and the frequency-domain information of the ultrasound emitting signal and the ultrasound received signal, wherein the ultrasound features comprise an impedance value, an attenuation value, a distortion value and a complexity of the ultrasound emitting signal and the ultrasound received signal.

6 . The material recognition system of claim 1 , wherein the ultrasound transmitter and the ultrasound receiver are configured in parallel in the sensing device.

7 . The material recognition system of claim 1 , wherein the ultrasound transmitter and the ultrasound receiver are stuck flatly to the surface of the target object.

8 . The material recognition system of claim 1 , wherein a first sensing device is configured in a first side of the fetching part of the fetching device, and a second sensing device is configured in a second side of the fetching part of the fetching device.

9 . The material recognition system of claim 1 , wherein the sensing device further comprises a pressure sensor to determine whether the ultrasound transmitter and the ultrasound receiver have touched the surface of the target object.

10 . The material recognition system of claim 1 , wherein the fetching device is a robot arm, a chuck device, a probe device, or a gripper device.

11 . A material recognition method, applied to a material recognition system, comprising:
fetching, by a fetching device of the material recognition system, a target object; transmitting, by an ultrasound transmitter of at least on sensing device of the material recognition system, an ultrasound emitting signal on a surface of the target object; receiving, by an ultrasound receiver of the at least on sensing device, an ultrasound received signal on the surface of the target object, wherein when the fetching device fetches the target object, the ultrasound transmitter and the ultrasound receiver touch the surface of the target object, and wherein there is a fixed distance between the ultrasound transmitter and the ultrasound receiver; and recognizing, by a processing device of the material recognition system, a material of the target object according to the ultrasound emitting signal, the ultrasound received signal, and the fixed distance.

12 . The material recognition method of claim 11 , further comprising:
obtaining, by the processing device, ultrasound transmission speed information according to the ultrasound emitting signal, the ultrasound received signal, and the fixed distance.

13 . The material recognition method of claim 12 , further comprising:
recognizing, by the processing device, the material of the target object according to the ultrasound transmission speed information and a look-up table.

14 . The material recognition method of claim 12 , further comprising:
obtaining, by the processing device, time-domain information and frequency-domain information of the ultrasound emitting signal and the ultrasound received signal; and inputting, by the processing device, the ultrasound transmission speed information and ultrasound features corresponding to the time-domain information and the frequency-domain information into a machine learning model to recognize the material of the target object.

15 . The material recognition method of claim 14 , further comprising:
indicating, by the processing device, the ultrasound features according to the time-domain information and the frequency-domain information of the ultrasound emitting signal and the ultrasound received signal, wherein the ultrasound features comprise an impedance value, an attenuation value, a distortion value and a complexity corresponding to the ultrasound emitting signal and the ultrasound received signal.

16 . The material recognition method of claim 11 , wherein the ultrasound transmitter and the ultrasound receiver are configured in parallel in the sensing device.

17 . The material recognition method of claim 11 , wherein the ultrasound transmitter and the ultrasound receiver are stuck flatly to the surface of the target object.

18 . The material recognition method of claim 11 , wherein a first sensing device is configured in a first side of the fetching part of the fetching device, and a second sensing device is configured in a second side of the fetching part of the fetching device.

19 . The material recognition method of claim 11 , wherein the sensing device further comprises a pressure sensor to determine whether the ultrasound transmitter and the ultrasound receiver have touched the surface of the target object.

20 . The material recognition method of claim 11 , wherein the fetching device is a robot arm, a chuck device, a probe device, or a gripper device.

Assignees

• Delta Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Peng Chia-Ju
• Cheng Po-Yu
• Huang Po-Kai
• Tian Wei-Cheng

Classifications

• G01N2291/023

  Solids · CPC title

• G01N29/11

  by measuring attenuation of acoustic waves · CPC title

• G01N29/09

  by measuring mechanical or acoustic impedance · CPC title

• G01N29/07 Primary

  by measuring propagation velocity or propagation time of acoustic waves · CPC title

• G01N29/225

  Supports, positioning or alignment in moving situation · CPC title