Automated 3D vision guided bin picking process for randomly located industrial parts

Bin picking has been a research topic for years because of the challenges in image processing, robot motion planning and tool system. However, much of the existing work is not applicable to most real world bin picking problems because they are too simplistic or not robust enough for industrial use. In this paper, we developed a robust random 3D bin picking system by integrating the vision system with the robotics system. The vision system identifies the location of candidate parts, then the robot system validates if one of the candidate parts is pickable; if a part is identified as pickable, then the robot will pick up this part and place it accurately in the right location. An ABB IRB2400 robot with an IRC5 controller was chosen for picking up the parts. A 3D vision system was used to locate the parts. Experimental results demonstrated that the system can successfully pick up randomly placed parts in an industrial setting. This system provides a practical and robust solution for the industrial applications that require 3D random bin picking.