Schunk and Vision & Control enter strategic partnership
Schunk has entered a strategic partnership with Vision & Control, an industrial image processing manufacturer. Schunk and Vision & Control GmbH negotiated a strategic partnership where Schunk acquired a 28 per cent share of Vision & Control.
In Schunk’s field of mechatronics image processing will play an increasingly important role, especially in robotics and automation: automation processes can become more flexible and faster through the use of computerized vision. Precise positioning and gripping of parts is made considerably less complicated when the systems can also visually monitor their working area.
The first products resulting from the cooperation between Vision & Control and Schunk were shown at the Motek 2007 exhibition, where the intelligent Vision Sensor SRV was presented. This is a development from the successful Camat series of products from Vision & Control.
The SRV is a vision sensor for industrial image processing, capable of numerous image processing tasks without any additional peripheral equipment. For example, it can check mechanical components such as pins, rings, nuts or bolts if they are present.
The SRV performs assembly and feature checks, recognizes damage on edges, detects the position of fastenings and labels, sorts and removes defective components. In pick & place applications, it ensures that parts in all kinds of rotary positions and even limp objects such as cables and hoses are safely gripped.
In addition to the camera and lens, the compact housing of the SRV also accommodates LEDs and an evaluation unit with all the necessary software and interfaces. In the simplest case, you only have to connect the sensor to a power supply and teach it using two keys. After the teach-in process, the sensor sent signals whether or not a part is present and the position (X, Y, angle).
In this way, the user does not have to program the application first and can start working immediately. Consequently, even inexperienced users can intuitively find their way to an image processing solution in just a few minutes. The SRV sensor offers a high resolution of 720 x 480 pixels (W VGA) and a frame rate of 60fps.
There is a choice of three operating distances (150, 300 or 450mm), each with different frame sizes (76 x 48, 117 x 72 or 129 x 81mm).
The compact housing, measuring 64 x 64 x 79mm, has protection class IP67 and is significantly contributing to the sensor’s high EMC compatibility. For applications in limited spaces, the SRV is also available with a separate remote head camera, which is contained in a housing with dimensions 27.5 x 30 x 30mm.
Schunk Intec Ltd
