3D sensors and Scanning profiles

This page provides information about the Photoneo 3D sensors supported for use with the Bin Picking Studio and the Locator Studio and the scanning configurations.

Each vision system is associated with exactly one 3D sensor with the exception of the MultiView approach available for the CAD localization engine, where multiple statically mounted sensors can be used by the same vision system.

The same 3D sensor can be associated with multiple vision systems - this is usually the case when utilizing the hand-eye approach or when a statically mounted 3D sensor is able to cover multiple bins/pallets/etc.

Vision system configuration

The first parameter of the vision system configuration related to the sensor is the selection of the Calibration space and sensor position:

  • Robot space, external fixed sensor position (Extrinsic calibration)

  • Robot space, sensor mounted on the robotic flange (Hand-eye calibration)

  • Marker space, single sensor position

    • Note: Only available for locator-based solution types

There are three types of Photoneo 3D sensors supported for use with the Studio:

  • PhoXi 3D Scanner

  • MotionCam-3D (Color)

  • Alpha 3D Scanner

In the configuration of a vision system, it is necessary to specify the Sensor ID of the 3D sensor to be used by the vision system.

Configuration tab of a vision system with the sensor-related fields framed

The Configuration tab of a vision system (CAD Localization example solution). Red frames: Calibration space and sensor position, Sensor ID, Sensor model and Scanning profile type.

Based on the chosen 3D sensor the model of the device is selected automatically. Please verify the correctness of the chosen device model as it is used as a collision object.

The last thing to specify is the Scanning profile to be used by the chosen 3D sensor with this vision system.

Scanning profiles

Each vision system might be used for the localization and picking of different objects. When the properties of the objects differ too much it might not be possible to achieve optimal scan quality with the same scanning parameters. Therefore it is possible to use different scanning parameters with each vision system. A set of scanning parameters is defined by a scanning profile.

PhoXi Control

Connect your 3D sensor in the PhoXi Control to configure a scanning profile.

Each 3D sensor contains several factory profiles pre-configured with different scanning parameters for different uses. Factory profiles are not editable, and cannot be deleted or renamed; however, it is possible to clone them and edit the cloned profile. The profiles can also be imported/exported. To manage your scanning profiles open the User profile settings panel (gear button ⚙).

After making changes in the scanning parameters, use the Set and Store button at the bottom of the PhoXi Control settings pane to permanently store the settings into your custom-made profile.

PhoXi Control settings pane with the active profile, the gear button and Set and Store

The settings pane of a PhoXi 3D Scanner connected in PhoXi Control. Red frames: the active profile with the gear button (⚙), and Set and Store.

PhoXi Control User Profile Dialog with the factory profiles of a PhoXi 3D Scanner

The User Profile Dialog (gear button) with the factory profiles of a PhoXi 3D Scanner. Red frames: Profile management (for example Duplicate) and Export / import as file.

Localization scanning profile

In the vision system configuration, it is necessary to specify the Scanning profile type (for localization). Based on the localization engine type and the chosen 3D sensor the options are:

  • CAD / Layer localization

    • Default for PhoXi 3D Scanner

    • Default for MotionCam-3D in Camera mode

    • Default for MotionCam-3D in Scanner mode

    • Default for Alpha 3D Scanner

    • Custom - when selected, it is necessary to upload a scanning profile exported from PhoXi Control

  • AI localization

    • Grayscale for PhoXi 3D Scanner

    • AI Color for PhoXi 3D Scanner

    • Grayscale for MotionCam-3D in Camera mode

    • AI Color for MotionCam-3D in Camera mode

    • Grayscale for MotionCam-3D in Scanner mode

    • AI Color for MotionCam-3D in Scanner mode

    • Grayscale for Alpha 3D Scanner

    • Custom - when selected, it is necessary to upload a scanning profile exported from PhoXi Control

Scanning profile type options for CAD or Layer localization and for AI localization

The Scanning profile type options offered for a PhoXi 3D Scanner: CAD / Layer localization (left) and AI localization (right). For a MotionCam-3D the list also offers the Camera mode and Scanner mode variants.

When Custom is selected, the Custom scanning profile field appears. Upload the .phop file exported from PhoXi Control there.

Custom scanning profile field next to the Scanning profile type

Scanning profile type set to Custom, with the Custom scanning profile upload field (red frames).

The Default profile and the Grayscale profile (for AI localization) are optimized for scanning of a wide range of objects of different properties (surface/material).

The AI Color profile (for AI localization) is recommended for 3D sensors equipped with a color camera. This profile has color reprojection enabled.

To achieve the best scanning results it is recommended to use a custom scanning profile with settings optimized for your application.

This scanning profile is then used during object localization, which takes place in the following processes:

  • localization configuration

  • teaching gripping point

  • solution deployment

Calibration scanning profile

During the vision system calibration, a preconfigured scanning profile is used, containing calibration-specific settings.

However, in challenging scanning conditions, the default scanning profile might not yield optimal results for calibration tool recognition. In the vision system configuration, in the Calibration tab, it is possible to optionally specify a custom scanning profile for vision system calibration by enabling the parameter Use custom scanning profile for calibration.

Calibration tab of a vision system with Use custom scanning profile for calibration

The Calibration tab of the vision system. Red frames: the tab and Use custom scanning profile for calibration. When it is enabled, upload the profile with Browse.

Scanning profile management

Scanning profiles (which use the .phop extension) are loaded into the associated 3D sensor using the filename as the profile name. The upload happens every time a process (e.g., deployment/calibration/localization/teaching gripping point) is started. A profile is then activated when the corresponding vision system triggers a scan, provided the profile with the given name is not already active.

Therefore, when multiple vision systems associated with the same 3D sensor utilize:

  • Dedicated scanning profiles
    The profile names must be unique to avoid overwriting during the loading process on the 3D sensor. Including the vision system ID in the profile name is recommended for improved recognition and management. During the switch from one vision system to another, the corresponding scanning profile is activated.
  • The same scanning profile
    It is recommended to upload it to each vision system under the same filename to save time on scanning profile switching - the operation is omitted as the scanning profile is already activated.

Names of the default profiles are:

  • Localization scanning profiles:

    • PhoXi 3D Scanner

      • default_phoxi

    • MotionCam-3D (Color), based on the selected mode

      • default_motion_cam_camera_mode

      • default_motion_cam_scanner_mode

    • Alpha 3D Scanner

      • default_alpha

  • Calibration scanning profiles, based on calibration type:

    • PhoXi 3D Scanner

      • default_phoxi_ball

      • default_phoxi_marker

    • MotionCam-3D (Color)

      • default_motion_cam_ball

      • default_motion_cam_marker

    • Alpha 3D Scanner

      • default_alpha_ball

      • default_alpha_marker

Note: Each 3D sensor provides several pre-configured factory profiles for different uses. These profiles serve as examples and starting points when creating a custom profile. The profile named Default in the PhoXi Control is not the same one as the Default profile used by the Studio.