ABB example simple pick and place

This example program requires that Pickit is installed and set up with your robot. For installation instructions, please refer to the ABB installation and setup article.

Example program

By default no main() module is loaded. One of the Pickit example programs can be loaded from HOME > ABB_Pick-it > Pick-it > Application examples.

Note

These example programs only works with Pickit software version of 2.2 or greater. If you are using a software version prior 2.2, please contact us at support@pickit3d.com, and we will assist you in finding a solution.

Below, the full Pickit_simple_pick_and_place module is shown. This is the simplest way to start a pick and place application. It is useful to get familiar with the concepts of detection, reachability, pre pick and post pick points, and more.

More information about the logic behind this example program can be found in the robot-independent simple picking example

Hint

For a more specific and complete application regarding bin picking you can check ABB example bin picking program.

MODULE Pickit_simple_pick_and_place
    ! User input variables
    CONST num desired_setup:=2;
    CONST num desired_product:=2;
    CONST num max_retries:=5;
    CONST num PrePick_Z_offset:=-100;
    CONST num PostPick_Z_offset:=100;

    ! Fixed points that need to be taught
    CONST robtarget Detect:=[[0,0,0],[1,0,0,0],[0,0,0,0],[9e9,9e9,9e9,9e9,9e9,9e9]];
    CONST robtarget AbovePickArea:=[[0,0,0],[1,0,0,0],[0,0,0,0],[9e9,9e9,9e9,9e9,9e9,9e9]];
    CONST robtarget DropOff:=[[0,0,0],[1,0,0,0],[0,0,0,0],[9e9,9e9,9e9,9e9,9e9,9e9]];

    ! Variable points computed from Pickit detection results
    VAR robtarget PickitPick;
    VAR robtarget PrePick;
    VAR robtarget PostPick;

    PROC main()
        IF NOT pickit_is_running() THEN
            ErrLog 4800, "Pick-it NOT in Robot Mode", "Pick-it is not in Robot Mode.",
            "In the Pick-it web interface, click on 'Enable Robot Mode',",
            "and restart the program to start picking.", " ";
            Stop;
        ENDIF
        before_start;
        TPWrite "Setting setup and product configuration...";
        pickit_configure desired_setup,desired_product;
        goto_detection;
        TPWrite "Looking for new object(s)";
        pickit_detection_with_retries(max_retries);
        WaitUntil pickit_get_results();
        WHILE TRUE DO
            IF not pickit_object_found() THEN
                ! There are no pickable objects, bail out.
                Break;
            ENDIF
            PickitPick:=pickit_get_pose();
            PrePick := RelTool(PickitPick,0,0,PrePick_Z_offset);
            PostPick := Offs(PickitPick,0,0,PostPick_Z_offset);
            IF pickit_is_pose_reachable(PickitPick, tool0)
            AND pickit_is_pose_reachable(PrePick,tool0)
            AND pickit_is_pose_reachable(PostPick,tool0) THEN
                ! Object is pickable!
                pick;
                goto_detection;
                pickit_detection_with_retries(max_retries);
                place;
                WaitUntil pickit_get_results();
            ELSE
                ! Object is unreachable, get the next detection, if any.
                pickit_next_object;
                WaitUntil pickit_get_results();
            ENDIF
            after_end;
        ENDWHILE
    ENDPROC

    PROC before_start()
        ! Move to home position
        ! Open gripper
    ENDPROC

    PROC goto_detection()
        MoveJ Detect,v500,z0,tool0;
    ENDPROC

    PROC pick()
        TPWrite "Moving to an object...";
        MoveJ AbovePickArea,v500,z0,tool0;
        MoveL PrePick,v500,z0,tool0;
        MoveL PickitPick,v500,fine,tool0;
        ! Add object grasping logic here.
        MoveL PostPick,v500,z0,tool0;
        MoveJ AbovePickArea,v500,z0,tool0;
    ENDPROC

    PROC place()
        MoveJ DropOff,v500,fine,tool0;
        ! Add object releasing logic here.
    ENDPROC

    PROC after_end()
        IF NOT pickit_object_found() THEN
            IF Pickit_roi_empty() THEN
                TPWrite "The ROI is empty.";
            ELSEIF Pickit_no_image_captured() THEN
                TPWrite "Failed to capture a camera image.";
            ELSEIF NOT(pickit_is_pose_reachable(PickitPick, tool0)
            AND pickit_is_pose_reachable(PrePick,tool0)
            AND pickit_is_pose_reachable(PostPick,tool0)) THEN
                TPWrite "All detections are unreachable.";
            ELSE
                TPWrite "The ROI is not empty but the requested object was not found.";
                Pickit_save_snapshot;
            ENDIF
        ENDIF
    ENDPROC
ENDMODULE

Define the tool for picking

Create a tool with the actual TCP values. In this example, tool0 is used.

Set correct constant values

At the top of the program, the following constants need to be filled in with the correct values:

Desired_setup: the desired Pickit setup id.
Desired_product: the desired Picket product id.
Max_retries: the maximum number of retries for Pickit.
PrePick_Z_offset: the z-offset for PrePick relative to the tool frame.
PostPick_Z_offset: the z-offset for PostPick relative to the robot base.

Define fixed points

In this example program, three fixed points are used. These points need to be defined depending on the application.

Detect: Where to perform object detection from.
AbovePickArea: A point roughly above the pick area from which the above two can be reached without collision.
DropOff: Where to place objects.

Add grasping/releasing logic

In before_start(), pick() and place() the correct grasping and release logic should be added.

Execute the picking program

Attention

Before running the robot program for the first time, make sure that:

There exists a valid robot-camera calibration.
The Tool Center Point (TCP) has been correctly specified.
The robot speed is set to a low value, so unexpected behavior can be identified early enough to prevent the robot from colliding with people or the environment.
Pickit is in robot mode, which is enabled in the Pickit web interface.

Now you can run the program. Happy picking!