TWI895094B - A screw locking control method and system - Google Patents

Abstract

A screw locking system includes a computer device, a camera device coupled to the computer device, and a screw locking tool coupled to the computer device. The computer device is able to receive a real-time image captured by the camera device and track the position of a screw locking tool within the real-time image, and determines whether the screw locking tool has entered the correct locking range based on the tracked position and the locking range read from a locking sequence information, and then determines whether to disable or enable the screw locking tool according to the determined result.

Description

A screw locking control method and system

The present invention relates to screw locking, and more particularly to a screw locking control method and system.

Existing screw-locking tools are unable to report their current position to the computer device. As a result, the computer device cannot determine the position of the screw being locked by the tool, and therefore cannot control the locking sequence of the screws. This problem is a major problem for products that require multiple screws to be locked in a predetermined sequence. Failure to lock the screws in sequence can easily lead to product failure or defects, and even damage expensive components (such as server CPUs).

Therefore, the industry is eagerly awaiting a screw locking system that can control the screw locking sequence and reduce installation costs.

In view of the above problems of the prior art, the present invention provides a new screw locking system, which can not only control the screw locking sequence, but also save construction costs. In more detail: the screw locking system of the present invention includes a computer device, a photographic device coupled to the computer device, and a screw locking tool coupled to the computer device, wherein the computer The device has locking sequence information including a plurality of locking ranges and their positions. The computer device receives a real-time image captured by the camera, tracks the position of the screw locking tool in the real-time image, and performs a locking start determination operation based on the locking range read from the locking sequence information to the current position. The locking start judgment operation includes: judging whether the screw locking tool is located in the currently read locking range according to the currently tracked position of the screw locking tool and the currently read locking range; and judging whether the screw locking tool is not located in the currently read locking range. When the screw locking tool is within the currently read locking range, the screw locking tool is disabled and the locking activation judgment operation is repeated; and when it is determined that the screw locking tool is already within the currently read locking range, the screw locking tool is enabled and the locking range of the next sequence is read from the locking sequence information, and then the locking activation judgment operation is repeated.

In one embodiment, the computer device of the screw locking system of the present invention can also perform a creation operation for creating the locking sequence information.

In one embodiment, the creation operation performed by the computer device of the screw locking system of the present invention includes: dividing a product in the real-time image into multiple grids, and defining a serial number for each grid having a screw hole; wherein the grids having the screw holes respectively represent the locking ranges, and the serial numbers of the grids having the screw holes form the order of the locking ranges.

In one embodiment, the creation operation performed by the computer device of the screw locking system of the present invention includes: sequentially clicking on the screw holes of a product in the real-time image in a desired order, treating the vicinity of each clicked screw hole as the locking ranges, and treating the click order as the order of the locking ranges.

In one embodiment, the computer device of the screw locking system of the present invention tracks the position of the screw locking tool using an image tracking method. The image tracking method includes identifying an identification feature of the screw locking tool and tracking the position of the identification feature. The identification feature is the color or outline of the screw locking tool itself, or the color or outline of an identification object mounted on a body of the screw locking tool. Preferably, the identification object includes a mounting bracket and a color plate located on the top of the mounting bracket. The mounting bracket includes a clamping ring for clamping the top of the body and a rod with two ends connecting the clamping ring and the color plate, respectively.

The present invention also provides a locking control method, which includes receiving a real-time image captured by a camera and tracking the position of a screw locking tool in the real-time image; reading a first-order locking range from locking sequence information, the locking sequence information including a plurality of locking ranges and their sequences; and performing a locking activation determination operation. The locking activation determination operation includes: determining the position of the screw locking tool based on the currently tracked position and the currently read locking sequence information. The system determines whether the screw locking tool is within the currently read locking range. If it is determined that the screw locking tool is not within the currently read locking range, the system disables the screw locking tool and repeats the locking start determination operation. If it is determined that the screw locking tool is within the currently read locking range, the system enables the screw locking tool, reads the next locking range from the locking sequence information, and then repeats the locking start determination operation.

In one embodiment, the locking control method of the present invention includes a creation operation for establishing the locking sequence information. The creation operation includes: dividing the real-time image into multiple grids and defining a sequence number for each grid having a screw hole. The grids having the screw holes each represent the locking ranges, and the sequence numbers of the grids having the screw holes form the sequence of the locking ranges.

In one embodiment, the locking control method of the present invention includes another creation operation, which includes sequentially clicking on multiple screw holes in the real-time image, using the surrounding area of each clicked screw hole as the locking ranges, and using the order of clicks as the order of the locking ranges.

In one embodiment, the locking control method of the present invention includes an image tracking device for tracking the position of the screw locking tool. The image tracking device includes identifying an identification feature of the screw locking tool and tracking the position of the identification feature. The identification feature may be the color or outline of the screw locking tool itself, or the color or outline of an identification object mounted on a body of the screw locking tool.

In one embodiment, the locking control method of the present invention includes a color adjustment operation for adjusting the color of the identification feature.

1: Computer device

11: Computer host

12: Display

2: Photography equipment

3: Screw locking tool

31: Body

32: Identify objects

321: Mounting Bracket

322: Color Palette

321a: Clamp

321b: Support rod

4: Work Area

5: Products

6: User

A~C: Screw holes

Steps a~c

c1~c4: Steps

Figure 1 shows a schematic top view of an embodiment of the screw locking system of the present invention.

Figure 2 shows a schematic flow chart of an embodiment of the locking and control method of the present invention.

Figure 3 shows a schematic three-dimensional appearance diagram of the screw locking tool in this embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 1 shows an embodiment of the screw locking system of the present invention, comprising a computer device 1, a photographic device 2 coupled to the computer device 1, and a screw locking tool 3 coupled to the computer device 1. In this embodiment, the screw locking system is configured in a workstation. In a multi-workstation application architecture, each workstation is equipped with one screw locking system, so each screw locking system is associated with one computer device 1. However, the functions of these computer devices 1 can also be integrated into the same computer device (e.g., a server), so that one computer device can be coupled to multiple photographic devices 2 and multiple screw locking tools 3.

As shown in Figure 1, computer device 1 includes a computer 11 and a display 12. A commercially available webcam can be used as camera 2. Screwdriver 3 can be a conventional electric screwdriver (or socket) with at least torque feedback and/or number of turns feedback.

Camera device 2 is used to continuously capture a work area 4 and immediately transmit the captured real-time images to computer device 1. As a user 6 holds a screw fastening tool 3 in work area 4 while fastening a product 5, the camera 2 captures the entire process. Therefore, the real-time images include the process of user 6 moving the screw fastening tool 3 and changing its position.

Computer device 1 is installed with a locking control application. After the locking control application is activated, a locking control method is executed according to the locking control application's instructions to ensure that when user 6 uses a screw locking tool 3 to fasten screws to a product 5, the screws are fastened to the screw holes of the product 5 in a sequence defined by locking sequence information. The locking sequence information includes multiple locking ranges arranged in the sequence. That is, each locking range has a position or serial number and is arranged in sequence according to its position or serial number. This sequence is the order in which screws should be attached to each screw hole on Product 5. These locking ranges cover the positions of these screw holes on Product 5. That is, the first-order locking range includes the position (coordinates) of the first screw hole A on Product 5 to be fastened with a screw. The second-order locking range includes the position (coordinates) of the second screw hole C on Product 5 to be fastened with a screw. The third-order locking range includes the position (coordinates) of the third screw hole B on Product 5 to be fastened with a screw, and so on.

In one embodiment, as shown in FIG2 , the locking control method includes the following steps: a) receiving the real-time image captured by the camera 2 and tracking the position of the screw locking tool 3 in the real-time image; b) reading the first-order locking range from the locking sequence information; and c) performing a locking start determination operation. The locking start determination operation includes: c1) determining whether the screw locking tool 3 is located within the currently read locking range based on the currently tracked position of the screw locking tool 3 and the currently read locking range; c2) If the judgment result is "No," it indicates that the screw locking tool 3 is not yet within the currently read locking range. In this case, the screw locking tool 3 is disabled, and the process returns to step c1 to repeat the locking activation judgment operation. c3) If the judgment result is "Yes," it indicates that the screw locking tool 3 is already within the currently read locking range. The screw locking tool 3 is enabled, and the process proceeds to step c4. c4) The next locking range is read from the locking sequence information, and the process returns to step c1 to repeat the locking activation judgment operation.

The execution order of steps a and b above can be reversed or performed simultaneously, and is not limited to the order shown in Figure 2.

In step a, computer device 1 may use an image tracking method to track the position of screw locking tool 3 in the real-time image. This image tracking method includes identifying an identification feature of screw locking tool 3 in the real-time image and tracking the position of the identification feature. The identification feature may be the color or outline of screw locking tool 3 itself, or the color or outline of the hand of user 6 holding screw locking tool 3. Furthermore, as shown in FIG3 , the identification feature may be the color or outline of an identification object 32 mounted on a body 31 of screw locking tool 3. Preferably, identification object 32 includes a mounting bracket 321 and a color plate 322 located on top of mounting bracket 321. More preferably, the mounting bracket 321 includes a clamping ring 321a and a rod 321b. The clamping ring 321a clamps the top of the body 31. A bottom end of the rod 321b is connected to the clamping ring 321a, and a top end of the rod 321b is connected to the color plate 322.

In one embodiment, the computer device 1 may first convert the received real-time image into the HSV color space and then utilize the converted color space and image processing methods to isolate a designated color as the identification feature. The designated color may be the color of the color palette 322, the color of the body 31, or the color of the hand.

In one embodiment, the computer device 1 can also adjust the color of the identification feature through a color adjustment operation, such as adjusting the HSV high and low range values, so that the system can also track screw fastening tools 3 with different torques. These screw fastening tools 3 with different torques are used in screw fastening systems in different workstations.

Computer device 1 transmits each position tracked in step a to the locking activation determination step in step c. This allows computer device 1 to determine at any time whether screw locking tool 3 has entered the locking range of the current position and, based on the determination, disable or enable screw locking tool 3. For example, in the locking activation determination step, if the locking range currently read by computer device 1 is ranked first, computer device 1 will determine whether each tracked position falls within the first-order locking range. If the locking range currently read by computer device 1 is ranked second, computer device 1 will determine whether each tracked location falls within the second-order locking range, and so on. During this determination, as long as the screw locking tool 3 has not been moved by the user into the locking range, or has entered and then immediately left the locking range, computer device 1 will determine this in step c1 based on the tracked location and the locking range. Then, as shown in step c2, computer device 1 will disable screw locking tool 3. At this point, user 6 will be unable to activate screw locking tool 3. Conversely, as long as the user has moved the screw locking tool 3 into and maintained it within the locking range, the computer device 1 will detect this in step c1 and then activate the screw locking tool 3 as shown in step c3. At this point, the user 6 can activate the screw locking tool 3.

As shown in step c2, although the screw locking tool 3 is disabled, the computer device 1 still tracks the position of the screw locking tool 3 and repeatedly performs the locking activation judgment operation using the tracked position. Therefore, as long as the user 6 later moves the screw locking tool 3 into the locking range of the current position (e.g., the first position), the computer device 1 will immediately determine it in step c1 and immediately enable the screw locking tool 3. At this time, the user 6 can use the screw locking tool 3 to lock a screw into the current (e.g., the first) screw hole of the product 5 where the screw should be locked. When the screw locking tool 3 completes the aforementioned locking operation of the screw, the computer device 1 can immediately know that the aforementioned locking operation has been completed through the torque feedback or number of turns feedback of the screw locking tool 3. Then, as shown in step c4, the computer device 1 reads the locking range of the next sequence (e.g., the second sequence) from the locking sequence information and uses it to perform the locking start judgment operation. Once computer device 1 determines in step c1 that screw locking tool 3 has entered the locking range, as described above, computer device 1 allows user 6 to activate and use screw locking tool 3 to lock a screw into the next (e.g., second) screw hole on product 5 to be screwed. Similarly, each screw hole on product 5 to be screwed will be screwed one by one according to the order defined in the locking sequence information. For example, three screws will be screwed into screw holes A through C in the order A→C→B.

If the user 6 moves the screw locking tool 3 outside the locking range of the current position, for example, the current position is the second position, but the user 6 moves the screw locking tool 3 to the first position, the third position or other positions, it means that the user did not follow the order defined in the locking sequence information to move the screw locking tool 3. The computer device 1 detects such an error in step c1 and disables the screw locking tool 3, preventing the user from using the screw locking tool 3 to lock a screw in the wrong screw hole (i.e., a screw hole that is not in the correct position).

In one embodiment, the computer device 1 can also send a reminder message to the user 6 when the screw locking tool 3 is moved outside the locking range of the current position, to remind and urge the user to move the screw locking tool 3 to the correct position.

In one embodiment, the display 12 of the computer device 1 can further display the product 5, all screw holes on the product 5, the serial numbers of the screw holes, and the locking status of the screw holes (locked or not), and indicate the screw holes that should be locked. For example, a flashing text or symbol may appear next to a particular screw hole to indicate that the screw hole is the one that should be locked in the above sequence. Furthermore, the display 12 can also display the reminder message, or even a moving mark (e.g., a moving color block) representing the screw locking tool 3. Because the computer device 1 tracks the position of the screw locking tool 3 at all times, the moving mark can change position accordingly as the position of the screw locking tool 3 changes.

Preferably, the locking control method further includes a creation operation for establishing the locking sequence information, the creation operation comprising: dividing the real-time image into a plurality of grids, and defining a sequence number for each grid having a screw hole, wherein the grids having the screw holes respectively represent the locking ranges, and the sequence numbers of the grids having the screw holes form the sequence of the locking ranges.

Preferably, the locking control method further includes another creation operation, comprising: sequentially clicking on multiple screw holes in the real-time image, using the vicinity of each clicked screw hole as the locking ranges, and using the order of clicks as the order of the locking ranges.

As can be seen from the above description, the sequence of the positions or serial numbers of the locking ranges in the locking sequence of the present invention represents the order in which the screw holes on the product 5 are locked with screws, and the above-mentioned locking control method of the present invention reads the locking ranges in this order and uses them to determine whether the screw locking tool 3 is moved to the correct position in this order, and enables or disables the screw locking tool 3 according to the judgment result. Disabling the screw locking tool 3 forces the user 6 to move the screw locking tool 3 one by one to the correct locking range in the specified sequence before each screw can be fastened to each screw hole. In other words, if the screw locking tool 3 is not moved in the specified sequence, the screw cannot be fastened. This ensures or forces the user 6 to fasten the screws in the correct sequence.

Compared to prior art, the screw locking system of the present invention does not require any infrared sensors on the product 5, nor does it require the integration of relevant control circuits or detection modules into the screw locking tool 3 to detect the position of the screw locking tool 3. Therefore, the screw locking system of the present invention not only ensures that the screws of the product 5 are tightened according to a predetermined sequence, thereby avoiding product failures, defects, and damage to expensive parts caused by improper screw tightening, but can also be implemented using relatively inexpensive commercially available screw locking tools 3, significantly reducing installation costs.

1: Computer device

11: Computer host

12: Display

2: Photography equipment

3: Screw locking tool

4: Work Area

5: Products

6: User

A~C: Screw holes

Claims (15)

A locking control method includes: Receiving a real-time image captured by a camera device and tracking the position of a screw locking tool in the real-time image; Reading a first-order locking range from locking sequence information, the locking sequence information including a plurality of locking ranges and their sequences; and Performing a locking activation determination operation, the locking activation determination operation including: Determining whether the screw locking tool is located within the currently read locking range based on the currently tracked position of the screw locking tool and the currently read locking range; When it is determined that the screw locking tool is not within the currently read locking range, the screw locking tool is disabled and the locking activation determination operation is repeated; and When it is determined that the screw locking tool is within the currently read locking range, the screw locking tool is enabled, the locking range of the next position is read from the locking sequence information, and the locking activation determination operation is repeated. The locking control method as described in claim 1 includes an establishment operation for establishing the locking sequence information, the establishment operation including: dividing the real-time image into multiple grids, and defining a serial number for each grid having a screw hole, wherein the grids having the screw holes respectively represent the locking ranges, and the serial numbers of the grids having the screw holes form the sequence of the locking ranges. The locking control method as described in claim 1 includes an establishment operation for establishing the locking sequence information, the establishment operation comprising: sequentially clicking on multiple screw holes in the real-time image, and treating the vicinity of each clicked screw hole as the locking ranges, and treating the click order as the order of the locking ranges. The locking control method as described in claim 1 includes an image tracking means for tracking the position of the screw locking tool, and the image tracking means includes identifying an identification feature of the screw locking tool and tracking the position of the identification feature. The locking control method as described in claim 4, wherein the identification feature is the color or outline of the screw locking tool itself. The locking control method as described in claim 4, wherein the identification feature is the color or outline of an identification object mounted on a body of the screw locking tool. The locking control method as described in any one of claims 5 to 6 includes a color adjustment operation for adjusting the color of the identification feature. A screw locking system includes a computer device, a camera coupled to the computer device, and a screw locking tool coupled to the computer device. The computer device has locking sequence information, which includes multiple locking ranges and their positions. The computer device receives a real-time image captured by the camera, tracks the position of the screw locking tool in the real-time image, and performs a locking activation determination operation based on the locking range read from the locking sequence information to the current position. The locking activation determination operation includes: Based on the currently tracked position of the screw locking tool and the currently read locking range, determine whether the screw locking tool is located within the currently read locking range; When it is determined that the screw locking tool is not located within the currently read locking range, disable the screw locking tool and repeat the locking activation determination operation; and When it is determined that the screw locking tool is located within the currently read locking range, enable the screw locking tool, read the next locking range from the locking sequence information, and then repeat the locking activation determination operation. The screw locking system as described in claim 8, wherein the computer device is further capable of executing a creation operation for creating the locking sequence information. A screw locking system as described in claim 9, wherein the establishment operation includes: dividing a plurality of grids in the real-time image and defining a serial number for each grid having a screw hole; wherein the grids having the screw holes respectively represent the locking ranges, and the serial numbers of the grids having the screw holes form the order of the locking ranges. A screw locking system as described in claim 9, wherein the creation operation includes: clicking on multiple screw holes in the real-time image in sequence, and treating the vicinity of each clicked screw hole as the locking ranges, and treating the clicking order as the order of the locking ranges. A screw locking system as described in claim 8, wherein the computer device tracks the position of the screw locking tool by an image tracking means, and the image tracking means includes identifying an identification feature of the screw locking tool and tracking the position of the identification feature. A screw locking system as described in claim 12, wherein the identification feature is the color or outline of the screw locking tool itself. A screw locking system as described in claim 12, wherein the identification feature is the color or outline of an identification object mounted on a body of the screw locking tool. A screw locking system as described in claim 14, wherein the identification object includes a mounting bracket and a color plate located on the top of the mounting bracket, and the mounting bracket includes a clamping ring for clamping the top of the fuselage and a rod with two ends respectively connecting the clamping ring and the color plate.