May 27, 2020 - Yamaha Motor Europe announced that it will launch the RCXiVY2+ vision system, which features a “blob detection” enabling picking, presence recognition, and counting of multiple workpieces for irregular shaped objects such as foodstuffs and clothing, on June 1. As the successor to the existing iVY2, in addition to new functionality this model features a camera and processing capability, enabling up to 45% detection time reduction compared to the current model. A feature of Yamaha Motor’s vision system is its integration with robots by incorporating a vision board, lighting board, and tracking board in the RCX3 series multi-axis robot controller.
This integration enables unitary management of robot control, image processing, lighting control, and conveyor tracking data processing with only the robot program, significantly reducing equipment setup time. The further addition of “blob detection” functionality means that the system can now handle products such as foodstuffs and clothing - which tend to have greater variation in shape and size compared to industrial products - expanding its possible range of applications. The word “blob” evokes the image of an amorphous lump or mass. Blob detection functions take greyscale images (including variations in light and shade) captured by cameras, and apply certain threshold value criteria, converting them to black and white gradations through binary coded processing.
This detection method can then recognize the presence/absence, number, size, etc. of blobs. The RCXiVY2+’s blob detection can recognize workpieces between two and ten times faster than in the edge detection functions of previous models. This upgrade means that the model can handle tasks such as picking, presence recognition, and high-speed counting of multiple workpieces of irregular shaped objects such as foodstuffs and clothing. The combination of the RCXiVY2+ and SCARA robots is intended for high-speed conveyor tracking.
