Miniaturized Three-Dimensional Laser Range Finder for Robotic Manipulation ofIndustrial Objects

摘要

The goal of the research program is to develop a miniaturized three dimensional(3-D) laser range finder system which is integrated into a robot gripper and can be used for visual perception and manipulation of objects in unstructured environments. Such a configuration has a high degree of mobility and allows for the arbitrary placement of the sensor at different view points as needed to facilitate the object perception process. Phase I efforts resulted in: a prototype of a robot gripper with 3-D laser ranging capability, design and implementation of an image detection subsystem consisting of a CCD sensing array and light stripe detection circuitry, triangulation software for processing the acquired range data, and experimental verification of the technical approach. Applications for the technology are object identification/tracking/docking, work piece inspection for advanced manufacturing purposes, automated assembly, and hazardous material handling.