Machine Vision

About Machine Vision and Machine Vision Designers Including: Machine Vision, Optical Inspection Systems, Optical Sorting Systems, Vision Inspection Systems & Vision System.

Machine vision is a distinctive part of daily operations in many industries. The chief purposes of machine vision is automated inspection and measurement of items in a production environment. Machine vision designers generate products that emulate human vision and make decisions based on the data they collect. As a non-contact visual measuring system, the rapid and accurate measurement of objects is possible. The machine vision systems themselves can vary greatly as far as components but generally consist of an integrated camera, image capture, processing, storage, analysis and control scheme. Top machine vision system designers are able to craft equipment that works 24 hours a day and seven days a week, with very little need for service or other downtime.

Since there is a wide range of technologies used in machine vision systems, the way they work also varies depending on the type of technology. At the most basic level, a camera or other image-capturing device monitors, records and reacts to a preset template of conditions given via a computer program. When the items that pass before the capture device deviate from the template and the preset measurements are recognized, the system or user is notified of the discrepancy. This is a key quality control feature in machine vision systems. Other machine vision systems are mostly used for visualization and image capture, which records a two dimensional image of an item within itself for later three dimensional virtual compositing.

Because modern 3-D optical equipment is used in machine vision, industrial lighting, vibration and temperature changes do not affect the imaging and measuring processes. These machine vision systems can be a part of a larger centralized conveyor or automated process, or can be hand-held or separate, allowing for more mobile and individual applications, which are sometimes necessary in an initial research and design environment. Whether they are integrated into the manufacturing operation and used as in-process inspection systems or used as post-process inspection systems, machine vision aims to identify process problems quickly so that corrections can be made. The primary advantage of these systems is their consistency in performing the inspection task, whether that task is detecting flaws, counting/sorting, assembly verification or code/character reading.

For the most part, machine vision designers, manufacturers and distributors are prepared to work with the customer to create the most accurate and efficient system for the customer's needs. While most machine vision systems are custom-designed, general vision equipment is also available, such as smart cameras, which can store and process images in a more mobile capacity. Vision system technology is changing rapidly as this approach to inspection becomes more widely accepted in industrial applications. Some of the specific industries that have benefited from the use of these machine vision systems include automotive, packaging, pharmaceutical, electrical components, foundries, textile, pulp and paper and computer. Machine vision systems also have the ability to record and measure many diverse products, such as bottles, circuits, o-rings, stencils, gaskets, needles and screws.

Machine Vision and Machine Vision Designers Images Provided by Decision Technology LLC

Machine Vision Types

• CCD cameras are cameras that use CCD (charge coupled device) chips to convert photons to electrical or digital information. Instead of the image being recorded on film, the CCD image is placed in an image file on the computer.
  
• Laser technology is often used to create 3-D images of a recorded surface. Lasers produce high powered light with electrical properties.
  
• Machine vision mimics human vision in machinery.
• Magnetic imaging uses the magnetic properties of material to create a visual slice or image via an x-ray type sensor. 
  
• Optical inspection systems ensure quality by inspecting products with machine vision.
• Optical sorting systems use machine vision to accurately sort products.
• Smart cameras have image processing circuitry and software within them. While smart cameras are highly mobile, they lack large storage capacity, and so are often connected to a central computer to alleviate this problem.
• Vision inspection systems use machine vision in assembly lines to search for surface defects, count products, and scan serial numbers, among other things.
  
• Vision system uses imaging technology to sense, sort and guide without making contact.
  

Machine Vision Terms

3-D Imaging - A technology that provides 3D images from a large quantity of 2D cross-sectional images. These images are assembled in a computer from pictures or scans taken of a desired piece.
 
Acquisition - The manner in which outside information is brought into an analysis system.
 
Aperture - The diameter of the lens, which controls the amount of light that reaches the photoconductive image sensor.
 
Attenuation - Reduction of signal strength.
 
Chroma - Quality of color, which includes both hue and saturation.
 
Decompression - The restoration of original information from compressed data.
 
Depth of Focus - The range of the distance from the sensor to the object at which the lens is focused.
 
Digital Imaging - Conversion of a video picture into pixels by means of an A/D converter, where the level of each pixel can be stored in a computer.
 
Dichroic Filter - A filter used to transmit light based on wavelength rather than on the plane of vibration. Dichroic filters will transmit one color while reflecting a second, when illuminated with white light.
 
Fiber Optics - Light source or optical image delivery via long, flexible fibers of transparent material, usually bundled together. Light is transmitted via internal reflection inside each fiber; coherent fiber optics are spatially organized so images can be relayed.
 
Focal Plane - The plane perpendicular to the lens axis at the point of focus, usually found at the image sensor.
 
Frame Rate - The amount of frames that are displayed per unit of time.
 
Gauging - The non-contact dimensional examination of an object.
 
Gray Scale - Variations of values from white through shades of gray to black in a digitized image with black assigned the value of zero and white the value of one.
 
Halogen Lamp - An incandescent lamp inside which is a gas similar to iodine that is constantly evaporated and then redeposited on the filament.
 
Image Analysis - The process of identifying objects and shapes in a photograph, drawing, video or other visual image. Image analysis is used for everything from colorizing classic motion pictures to piloting cruise missiles.
 
Image Plane - The plane surface of the imaging sensor, perpendicular to the viewing direction, at which the optics are focused.
 
Infrared - The region of the electromagnetic spectrum adjacent to the visible spectrum, just beyond red with longer wavelengths.
 
Pattern Recognition - Classification of images into predetermined categories, usually using statistical methods.
 
Pixel - Acronym for picture element. Pixels are the individual elements in a digitized image array.
 
Process Imaging - The process of manufacturing at both the design and production stage. Process imaging is a generic term for quality control imaging.
 
Sharpening - An image processing operation that enhances edges. A non-sharp mask adds a low-pass, filtered image to the original, resulting in edge enhancement.
 
Shutter - An electrical or mechanical device used to control the amount of time the imaging surface is exposed to light. The shutter is often used to stop the blur created by moving objects.
 
Spatial Filtering - Enhancing an image by changing its spatial frequencies.
 
Zoom Lens - A compound lens that remains in focus as the image size is continuously varied. A zoom lens may be motorized or manually operated.