When the "Configuration" tab is clicked and the "Vision" button is pressed, the panel is displayed in the bottom right of the Configuration page. This panel defines the interface parameters necessary for using PreciseVision with GD.
Guidance Dispense contains built-in support for communicating with a PC that is executing PreciseVision. When GD requires vision to compute a frame of reference, it sends PreciseVision a command over Ethernet to execute a vision process. Typically, the vision process will consist of an Acquisition tool (for taking a picture) and just a few tools for determining the position and orientation of the object of interest. The results of the final tool are automatically returned to GD and dynamically replace all of the components of the Global Frame with the exception of its Z height.
In order for GD to communicate with PreciseVision, it requires the Ethernet IP address of the PC.
IP Address of Vision Server |
Description |
IP Address of vision server |
Specifies the IP address of the PC executing PreciseVision. This address is used by GD to issue commands to PreciseVision and retrieve data. This address can normally be found on the PC by viewing "My Network Places > Network Connections > Local Area Connection > Status". By default, this is assumed to be 192.168.0.100. If you have executed the software installation procedure for PreciseVision, this value will already be properly set. |
Vision Test Process Name |
Defines the name of a PreciseVision process that can be executed to test that the communication connection is correct. Typically, you should create a test process that just consists of an Acquisition tool and a Fixed Frame tool positioned anywhere in the window. The value of this parameter is NOT SAVED to the flash disk. |
Test Vision |
When clicked, sends a message to PreciseVision to execute the "Vision Test Process". If the communication channel is operating, the PreciseVision display will show that the process has been executed and GD will display the X & Y position of the vision result (normally the position of the Fixed Frame). If the IP address is incorrect, GD might hang for 1-2 minutes before the system times out. |
The following radio buttons select how the camera is mounted. Fix mounting the camera above the robot is advantageous if a large field of view is desired and you wish to take pictures when the robot is out of the work area. An arm-mounted camera is preferred if you require higher resolution since a smaller field of view can be used but you can still cover a large area by having the robot move the camera around the workspace.
Select Camera Mount |
Description |
Fix Mounted |
Indicates that the camera is mounted in a fix location above the work surface of the robot. The camera does not move. |
Arm Mounted |
Indicates that the camera is mounted to the Z-axis of the robot. The camera must be moved back to the original picture position during camera calibration. |
In order for PreciseVision to return position coordinates and orientation angles that can be used by the robot, the relationship been where the camera is looking (i.e. its field of view) and the coordinates of the robot must be determined. This relationship is computed by performing a "Robot Vision Area Calibration". The following parameters are used for this procedure.
Camera Calibration Point |
Description |
X, Y, Z, Yaw, Pitch, Roll | Defines the position that the robot will be moved to when a picture is to be taken during the calibration process. For a fixed mounted camera, this position should move the robot out of the way so it does not block the camera field of view. For an arm-mounted camera, this should position the camera over the calibration target and at the proper Z height to produce the correct size for the field of view. This position should be defined before performing the calibration procedure and only altered if you wish to re-execute this procedure. Note: This position is taught as part of calibrating the camera in PreciseVision. When the position is taught a file on the controller is created and used by Guidance Dispense. |
Move To | Displays a pop-up window that can move the robot to the picture taking position or to a position above this location. |
Calibration Setup | Opens a small dialog that assists in performing the calibration procedure. This window should be kept on the desktop while performing the procedure. During camera calibration, this dialog can be used to free the robot joints to more easily move the robot during calibration. |
Save | Saves the vision settings to the flash disk. |