Japan-based Omron Corporation has announced the release of its new FH-SMD series 3D vision sensor.

The FH-SMD series can be mounted on a robot to recognize randomly placed (bulk) automotive parts in three dimensions, enabling space-saving assembly, inspection, and pick and place, which are difficult to achieve with conventional robots, and improving productivity.

Source: OmronProduction workers are in short supply these days, and labor costs have risen sharply. As such, manufacturers are now facing pressure to automate processes that rely on the senses of experienced human workers. Moreover, production workers now need to work with machines to raise productivity amid the COVID-19 crisis. In particular, the automotive industry requires vision sensors as the eyes of robots that are indispensable for automation because it is difficult for machines to recognize positions and postures of various complex shaped parts. However, conventional large 3D vision sensors take a long time to detect the status of targets as well as need large spaces and large mounting equipment. These are barriers to installation into preexisting spaces and automation that provides human-level performance.

The new FH-SMD series 3D vision sensor is small and light enough to be mounted on a robot arm, eliminating the need for special mounting equipment and thus saving space. This sensor can be moved to change the viewpoints and easily recognize parts, reducing blind spots and providing reliable detection. In addition, the new 3D measurement technology enables part detection in approximately 0.4 seconds regardless of the shape and location. Bulk parts assembly can be automated smoothly.

For more information, visit the OMRON website.