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 Date:4/9/2007

 

ABB
News Release
ABB Gives Sight to Robots with TrueView

For manufacturers seeking to give “sight” capabilities to its robotics systems, ABB Robotics, Auburn Hills, Mich., a division of ABB, Inc., the leading power and automation technology group, provides Vision Guided Robotics (VGR) with TrueViewT. With TrueView, robots are able to “see” and “comprehend” information about their environment, such as variations in part position, type, style and quality, in real time, helping customers achieve new levels of manufacturing efficiency and profitability.

TrueView is a complete VGR system that is simple to train, easy to operate and easy to scale, providing customers with a truly integrated and certified VGR solution, including high-speed robotic communications and “plug & play” operation.

A constantly evolving system, TrueView is the only VGR system that features SC3DT, a patented, single-camera, three-dimensional vision guidance technology; and eVisionFactoryT, a uniquely designed software platform allowing standardization of deployment, training and support throughout the manufacturing enterprise.

With TrueView, a video camera captures a single image and analyzes it to create a complete, 3-D position (x, y and z) and orientation of the part (roll, pitch and yaw angles). The 3-D position is transmitted to the robot controller, allowing the controller to adjust the robot's path, including approach and grasp points, to match the location of the given part.

The benefits of the TrueView system for manufacturers in the automotive and general industries worldwide include:

• Increased flexibility by adjusting to variations – in part position, type, style, quality – in real time, allowing the processing of multiple part types and styles on the same line without the need to re-tool.

• Improved quality by preventing damage and contamination caused by manual handling, detecting defects through inline automated visual inspection of every part, and significantly reducing process variability.

• Reduced capital, operational and ergonomic costs by eliminating precision fixtures, dunnages and other custom positioning devices; increasing equipment utilization (same robot is used to process multiple part styles without added investment); and reallocating labor to more human productive tasks thereby eliminating ergonomic issues.

TrueView, a winner of the Henry Ford Technology Award, has more than 100 successful installations at manufacturing facilities around the globe. To learn more about ABB Robotics' TrueView solution, please visit www.abb.com.

ABB is a global leader in power and automation technologies that enable utility and industry customers to improve their performance while lowering environmental impact. The ABB Group of companies operates in around 100 countries and employs about 107,000 people.



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