Camera

Cameras are an important part of a robot cell, e.g. for picking parts. This article shows the different options how to integrate a camera.

Object recognition cameras

The following interfaces are available for integrating cameras.

Interface for ifm O2D

The ifm O2D is a smart camera that can be connected directly to the iRC.

Configuration information and a introduction video are found here: Konfiguration

Detailed information and a set up video can be found here: Camera Interface

Object recognition via USB cameras

With the Camera app USB cameras can be used for object recognition. This supports most cameras that work like webcams, however we recommend using industrial fixed-focus cameras. Web cams for video calls will not work well mainly due to autofocusing.

Integrating other cameras

If your camera is not supported by the robot control's interfaces you can use a higher-level control (e.g. PLC or PC) to translate and communicate between camera and robot control. In this case you will need to create the software yourself. The following interfaces are available for receiving position and other data.

Modbus

The iRC provides a Modbus interface to connect to a plc. Using this interface a camera can be connected. The iRC is a Modbus server, so it is possible to:

• Connect a camera that serves as client
• Connect a plc that serves as client for both, the iRC and the camera

Details on the Modbus interface are found here: Modbus_Server

CRI Ethernet Interface

The CRI ethernet interface is an open interface to the iRC, amongst other things it can be used to connect to a camera. This interface requires setting up an application in a high level language like C#.

Information and example code can be found here: CRI Ethernet Interface

App interface

The app interface provides closer integration into the robot control with a C++ and Python API. This interface is for example used by the USB camera app.