Real time image processor for in-line robotic control in flexible manufacturing systems

The VLSI image processor, IPRISC, designed specifically for real-time feedback control of robots involved in small-part assembly in a flexible manufacturing system, is presented. A brief overview of robots in flexible manufacturing systems is given, and the need for an intelligent feedback mechanism for the robot is stressed. It is asserted that vision provides the most accurate and flexible form of feedback but has the disadvantage of requiring enormous amounts of data throughout. For the robot to operate in real time requires an architecture designed to execute optimally the image-processing algorithms relevant to inline robotic control