An Automatic Assembly Technology for Perforated Discs Based on Contour Optimized Hough Circle Transform

Abstract

Aiming at the low efficiency of handwork and high labor intensity, an automatic solution for perforated discs assembly is developed based on computer vision. This technology consists of the processes of material feeding, parts handling, circle detecting and assembling. The mechatronic structure includes the pneumatic elements and electric actuators that controlled by PLC and stepper motor drivers. This method has solved the problem of the large cost of human force since this product has a big industrial production. Meanwhile, a contour optimized Hough circle transform (CHCT) is proposed. It can overcome the standard Hough circle transform (HCT) s disadvantages, such as redundant calculation and probability of failures. It enhances the reliability in order to satisfy the demand of industrial automatic production. The image processing takes only about 60ms and reaches 100% success rate with a small detection error. This method also has the generality for the similar assembly system based on machine vision.