Bin Picking reimagined B.EYE and B.AI for precise gripping with robots
The human eye – a true multi-talent: it effortlessly perceives colours and contrasts, adapts quickly, can detect movement, and focus on details. With our eyes, we perceive the world around us as it is – in three dimensions.
There are good reasons why the new solution from Blumenbecker Prag s.r.o. takes the human eye as its model.
Bin Picking so far
Bin Picking – what exactly is that again? Put it simply: a robot identifies randomly placed parts in a bin or on a conveyor belt using a camera. An HD industrial camera scans the contents of the bins, and the software recognises the spatial position, orientation and shape of the parts – even when they are arranged chaotically. The robot arm selects the appropriate gripping method, lifts the part out and hands it over, precisely positioned, to the next station for further processing or palletising. Blumenbecker Prag has been offering this solution since 2012. The company develops the sensor technology and designs customised grippers to match.
In Blumenbecker’s previous system, a specialised 3D industrial camera is used, which moves along a guide rail. In this way, the contents of several bins can be precisely recorded with just one camera. Especially in robotic workstations with four or more bins, this solution is usually the more cost-efficient option. But for smaller applications, Blumenbecker has now developed something new:
New Bin Picking solution B.EYE
The ‘eye’ in this case consists of two cameras mounted on a swivelling system. Positioned above the container, B.EYE captures the environment in three dimensions – just like the human eye.
The camera movement is faster compared to mounting it on a guide rail. If there are several bins from which the robot needs to pick parts, a B.EYE is installed above each one. Each system operates independently, ensuring continuous operation – even if a fault should occur in one area.
For the new solution, Blumenbecker uses standard industrial cameras, which are significantly more affordable and readily available than special cameras. Thanks to the simplified technical design, maintenance requirements are also lower than before.
The in-house developed Bin Picking system is versatile
The new system offers several significant advantages. It is notably more compact and requires substantially less space, which enables us to implement it even in locations that were previously inaccessible.
Additionally, the system is less sensitive to vibrations and dust, resulting in improved reliability and performance under challenging environmental conditions.
‘B.EYE is extremely versatile. It is suitable for palletising as well as for handling in machine tools and forming machines. Thanks to our in-house development, we can also adapt the solution to the specific requirements of each client,’ says Libor Baloun, Machine Vision Programmer at Blumenbecker.
Bin Picking with B.EYE – thinking ahead with expertise and a trained eye.
Technical data
- Typical workspace size: 1 200 x 800 x 500 mm
- Camera detection accuracy: ±1 mm
for typical workspace size - Standard scanning device cycle time: 3 seconds
- Direct communication between camera and robot
(supports KUKA, ABB, FANUC robots)
B.AI – Bin Picking with Artificial Intelligence
In cooperation mit Siemens
Another innovation is based on SIMATIC Robot Pick AI by Siemens. B.AI is an intelligent bin picking solution that uses artificial intelligence to identify objects and optimise gripping strategies. While conventional bin picking systems detect chaotically arranged objects of one kind, B.AI can identify and pick completely different types of items – provided that the gripping surface of each part is accessible by a suction gripper.
The object recognition software and camera control systems come from Siemens. Blumenbecker programmed the robots and designed the suitable gripper.
Interested in our Bin Picking solutions?
Contact us for a initial consultation or request a quote, if you have more details. We are looking forward to get in touch with you!
More Information about our new Bin Picking solutions
