Determining the position of pick holders on the side surface of the working unit of the cutting machine in the robotic technology of their assembly

One of the important issues related to the robotization of the manufacturing process of cutting machine working units is to determine the degree of movement of pick holders positioned by the industrial robot to the side surface of the cutting drum/head. This article examines the possibility of using vision system for the purpose of measuring the distance between the pick holder base and the side surface of the working unit of the cutting machine. Based on the boom-type roadheader cutting head, a mathematical measurement model has been formulated and a measurement procedure algorithm has been developed. Tests of the proposed measurement method with the use of a single camera were carried out at a test station. The station is equipped with the KUKA KR 16-2 industrial robot working together with the VisionTech vision system. This work contains examples of measurement results for three pick holders positioned differently in relation to the side surface of the cutting head. Based on distance measurement between the respective elements with the use of the 2D vision system along one line of known direction and position, a prediction of the distance distribution along the whole surface of the pick holder base has been made.