Machine vision systems

The Optical System for Part Recognition is an accurate and powerful object detection system that helps to cut costs and boost overall process efficiency across manufacturing environments.

The industrial technology system consists of a smart 3D camera and our proprietary image processing software that can automatically measure, inspect, identify and recognize objects on an assembly line.

The device uses digital laser sensors protected inside industrial cameras with specialized optics to capture 3D point clouds by performing sweeps across the assembly line. The viewpoint and the scanner trajectory can be modified to meet exact needs. The images of products are processed at the speed of the assembly line.

For standard parts, with fewer size differences, on a 10 meters long conveyor transporting an average number of 30 parts, the application needs about 2 minutes (including the 45-60 seconds required for scanning) to recognize the pieces.

Once the matching process for all parts within a project section is completed, the robot pick-and-places the parts on a beam where it will be first tacked and afterward welded. The image library is heavily optimized, thus ensuring higher processing speed. Moreover, the application was designed to allow more project sections (beams) to welded within a single scanning operation.

We provide the machine vision system either entirely or partly, from image processing algorithms to the ready-to-work system of a camera, processor, software and DLL integration. It is easy to combine the application with robotized or manual equipment.

Software We have our own developed proprietary software for our machine vision systems. This allows our systems to produce an increased quality of image processing and thus to work faster and more reliably.

Industrial Cameras and Vision Sensors Most of the industrial camera systems produced nowadays have on-board image capture and processing capabilities. Therefore, in the case of straightforward applications, there is no need to send the image data back to a remote PC for processing. The results of the automated optical inspection are sent to a PLC over industry standard connections such as Ethernet. Complex applications still require a connection of a camera and PC.

Minimum Hardware & Software Requirements

• Work memory: 8 GB or higher;
• Dedicated Ethernet Gigabit Network Card;
• Windows 7 (32, 64 bit);
• Camera specific libraries.

Automated detection systems can perform a wide array of industrial automation tasks on the assembly line. This allows manufacturers to minimize production costs while increasing productivity and overall efficiency. Nowadays machine vision systems and tools have multiple industrial applications, from bar code verification to flaw detection and automatic inspection.

The Optical System for Part Recognition can be employed for a wide spectrum of industrial applications. With over a dozen active machine vision systems installations, all utilizing our proprietary machine vision software, we have the experience and knowledge to implement a system in the shortest time.  Depending on the intended area of use, each machine vision system application involves a unique end of arm tooling. 

Automated Welding

The Optical System for Part Recognition is deployed in many welding applications, eliminating the need for complex and costly welding fixtures. Other benefits result from acting as an alternative to skilled human welders.

The Optical System for Part Recognition integrated system is positioned above a conveyor transporting metal parts. The system uses digital sensors protected inside industrial cameras with specialized optics to measure, inspect, identify and recognize images of products at machine speed.  The industrial system provides instant results at the speed of the assembly line. The raw information captured by the sensors is sent to the main computer, to be processed by the Optical System for Part Recognition specialized software. The software compares the received data with a set of predefined CAD models of known objects, thus producing a set of data for the pick-and-place robot, detailing the position and orientation of each of the items.

Much of the success of any machine vision application is determined by lighting. Cameras are not able to „see” the objects, but the light reflected from objects towards them. Light reflection or possible differences of the objects have an impact on the overall accuracy of the result. To compensate for such inconsistencies, the system allows for a predefined matching tolerance. Also, a human operator is given the possibility to manually match parts on the assembly line. The application also performs quality assurance inspections of the scanned parts, as their dimensions can be analyzed.

During the matching process, the results can be visually analyzed. The matching parts are identified by their related images, providing a visual check of the real part versus the ideal model. To avoid multiple picks of the same item or robot-to-part collisions, the system performs a collision check before allowing the robot to perform any pick and place operation.

Other Applications

• measurement (measuring and testing a product’s specific dimensions);
• visual inspection (verifying the correct position of the objects on an assembly line);
• product identification (bar code reading, identifying products based on size, shape, etc.);
• sorting products (for example, sorting packaged chocolate bars by color, etc.).

Piece-orientation
The parts on the conveyor can be placed in any position, as the system is able to identify them no matter of their angle. The key condition is that the objects should not overlap, so they can all be scanned individually.

Fast setup time
Installing the application takes only a few moments. However, as with all complex systems, the calibration of the scanner and the conveyor reference is more time-consuming.

Rate of recognition
The scanning accuracy has a tolerance of less than 0.5 mm. Given this metric, in an ideal working environment where thee are no differences between the scanned parts, there would be a full recognition rate. Within a real working environment, there are always differences between the ideal and real part dimensions, as the cutting process is not always completely accurate. For such a situation the application allows a tolerance limit on the part dimensions to be automatically matched.

Can deal with different parts at a time
The system is able to detect all parts on the conveyor, as it checks for a predefined set of parts, needed by the current project section. The predefined parts can have different shapes and heights, with holes drilled inside them. Apart from plate-like parts, the application can recognize I, C, O, and L profile parts, all of them having different contours and a different number of holes.

Reduced scanning times
On a 10m length conveyor, the scanning process takes about 45-55 seconds. The entire process, including both scanning and processing the data, takes about 2 minutes, depending on the environment and the length of the conveyor.

Flexibility: adapts to any production line
The system can be used on various machine types. The only requirement is to have all the objects presented to the scanner. To increase the productivity one can employ several instances of the system on the same production line.

User-friendly
The GUI of the application is as clear and straightforward as possible. The human operator’s tasks are reduced to press the start button and visually checking the automated matching results (and in some cases to manually match some unmatched parts).

Training
The unit can be used with minimal operator training. Usually, the first training session takes place once the system is delivered. Other training sessions are held if there are new members in the team, or the system has been upgraded.

The system can handle varied lighting conditions
The recognition rate is affected by size differences of the parts placed on the conveyor (dimensions can slightly differ from one part to another), the finish of the parts (deep scratches can alter the data acquired by the scanner), the ethernet connection of the optical device and the fluctuations in illumination intensity.