In in-process inspection or calibration of a print bed or 3D printed part with a 3D printer, toolpaths defining printing material shells for deposition by a 3D printer are compared to surface profile scans from a range scanner to identify differences between the print bed, instructed deposition and the measured result, permitting pausing or alteration of the toolpaths or printing process.

Methods of performing a plurality of operations within a region of a part utilizing an end effector of a robot and robots that perform the methods are disclosed herein. The methods include collecting a spatial representation of the part and aligning a predetermined raster scan pattern for movement of the end effector relative to the part with the spatial representation of the part. The methods also include defining a plurality of normality vectors for the part at a plurality of predetermined operation locations for operation of the end effector. The methods further include moving the end effector relative to the part and along the predetermined raster scan pattern. The methods also include orienting the end effector such that an operation device of the end effector faces toward each operation location along a corresponding normality vector and executing a corresponding operation of the plurality of operations with the operation device.

There are provided a positioning method and a positioning device that can position workpieces by a simple method and configuration. A positioning method includes: gripping at least one of first and second workpieces; obtaining point group data of the at least one gripped workpiece of the first and second workpieces; calculating a translation matrix of shape fitting point group data obtained by adjusting a position of the point group data to reference data in a position adjustment state of the first and second workpieces; calculating an inverse matrix based on the translation matrix; and positioning the first and second workpieces by moving the at least one gripped workpiece of the first and second workpieces based on at least one of the translation matrix and the inverse matrix.

According to one embodiment, an inspection system inspects equipment including a first structural object and a second structural object. The first structural object extends in a first direction. The second structural object is provided around the first structural object. The second structural object has a first surface opposing the first structural object. A first protrusion is provided in the first surface. The first protrusion extends in the first direction. The system includes a robot and a controller. The robot includes an imager. The robot moves between the first structural object and the second structural object. The imager images the first protrusion. The controller detects, from a first image acquired by the imager, a first edge portion of the first protrusion in a circumferential direction around the first direction. The controller controls a movement of the robot by using the detected first edge portion.

A deburring device includes a robot program creating unit that creates a program from data of an object, a deburring part detecting unit that detects a position for a deburring part on the object, and a robot program updating unit that updates the program by the detected position of the deburring part. The deburring device also includes a force control unit that controls to yield a predetermined pressing force, an actual path acquiring unit that acquires an actual path of a robot when controlled at the predetermined pressing force by the updated program, and a path correction parameter calculating unit that calculates a correction parameter for the position for the deburring part on the object from the path of the robot from the visual sensor and the actual path.

In an embodiment, a processing device relating to an inspection of an inspection object by a photography unit is provided. A processor of the processing device calculates a plurality of photography points as positions photographing the inspection object based on shape data in which a shape of a surface of the inspection object is indicated by a point group, and information relating to a position and a normal vector on the surface of the inspection object is defined by the point group. The processor executes analysis regarding a path that passes through all of the calculated photography points and minimizes a sum of a movement cost from each of the photography points to a photography point of a next movement destination, and calculates a path corresponding to an analysis result as a path for moving the photography unit.

A robot system including: a robot that grips one of a first and second workpiece that are disposed adjacent to each other; an illumination device that radiates light beam onto surfaces of the first workpiece and the second workpiece on either side of a border between the workpieces along a plane that intersects the border; a camera that captures an image containing a first line image of the light beam formed on the surface of the first workpiece and a second line image of the light beam formed on the surface of the second workpiece; and a robot controller that operates the robot based on a misalignment amount and direction of the second line image with respect to the first line image in the image acquired and that performs a correction of a level difference between the surface of the first workpiece and the surface of the second workpiece.

Disclosed is a rebar automating robot for rebar tying on at least one rebar intersection. The rebar automating robot includes a control box 120 and a processing device 108. The control box 108 includes at least one intersection detection sensor 104 and at least one positioning sensor 106. The at least one intersection detection sensor 104 and the at least one positioning sensor 106 identifies a location of the at least one rebar intersection of a work area. The method includes (a) navigating, the rebar automating robot to a first rebar intersection for tying the first rebar intersection, (b) tying, by a rebar tying tool, the first rebar intersection of the work area, and (c) navigating, the rebar automating robot, from the first rebar intersection to a second rebar intersection for performing rebar tying at the second rebar intersection of the work area.

A position of a movable part of a coordinate measuring machine (CMM) is determined repeatedly. A position value of the part is measured at a reference location. First and second acceleration values are measured at a first and second measuring location. The second measuring location is closer to a measuring sensor than the first measuring location and the first measuring location is closer to the reference location than the second measuring location. A target and/or actual state value is supplied to a model of the CMM. Estimators are modelled. The model is supplied with a position deviation based on the estimator of the position deviation and deviation based on the estimator of the deviation and the deviation of the measured first and second values. The position of the part is determined from the measured position value in relation to the reference location based on the estimator of the position deviation.

A control device of a robot includes a robot control section configured to control the robot so as to sequentially position the robot at a plurality of target positions, which are set based on shape data representing a shape of a workpiece, and cause the robot to execute a work along a work target portion on the workpiece, and cause the robot to continue the work beyond a final target position of the plurality of target positions after the robot reaches the final target position, the final target position being set to correspond to an end of the work target portion in the shape data.