Vision Inspection System are those automated tools with industrial -and non-industrial- applications that use the capture and processing of images so that other devices can carry out their tasks.
It is an automation solution that stands out for its precision, reliability and for being a very versatile system, with an affordable investment cost for industries of all sizes.Artificial vision systems work through digital sensors incorporated in cameras , whose optics allow taking images that a computer receives to process, analyze, measure and offer the necessary data so that a robotic system decides and executes a task.
It is the most efficient and effective robotic solution to carry out product inspection tasks and quality control processes, facilitating the approval or rejection of products that advance in the production chain; at the same time that the operators receive information in real time about the products that do not meet the quality standards and can introduce the necessary modifications in each industrial phase.
What does artificial vision contribute to optimizing industrial processes?
The repeatability and uniformity of artificial vision mean that it can capture images and measure any type of product, offering all the data necessary for a complete qualitative interpretation.
It can handle the inspection of hundreds of products per minute, and analyze objects and parameters that are almost inaccessible to the human eye. In addition, artificial vision has various types of digital sensors to be in charge of the quality inspection of a product that is already packaged, such as preserves or canned drinks.
They are tools for inspection and quality control processes that eliminate human presence, thus, in the case of the food industry, they favor the hygiene and sterilization of certain processes; while in the case of the automotive industry, and it favors safety and avoids exposing operators to harmful or dangerous tasks.
Machine vision applications in industry
Artificial vision applications in industry are very diverse and with different degrees of complexity, depending on the sector and the tasks to be executed. But, in general, in all its applications, artificial vision works through pattern recognition and matching, whether with the use of 2D, 3D, or infrared vision systems. This is how it is capable of carrying out this type of industrial process:
Inspection Tasks
It is the industrial task in which artificial vision systems are most applied and in all kinds of sectors. The cameras’ high-precision images and measurements can detect flaws and irregularities within seconds.
Just think of its effectiveness in electronic device manufacturing, where an image is essential for inspecting miniature components or correct circuit assembly.
Product identification
It is about using artificial vision to recognize pieces or products, through the use of different types of codes, labels or alphanumeric characters that have been printed on each piece.
Depending on each industry and production process, the identification can be applied through simple barcode reader systems, also used to know the traceability of each piece and its characteristics: color, shape or size.
Metrology
The measurement allows the application of an inspection and quality control system that is based on the capture of images and their processing through software to calculate measurements and distances between various points of the image.
It is a highly accurate and reliable measurement system needed to determine the suitability of complex parts. In order to carry it out, artificial vision systems are equipped with light sensors and 3D Guidance software so that the system adapts to any type of part, surface or material.
Guided
It is the key task to know the position and orientation of a part, either to line it up for assembly or to use the correct angle to compare it to other patterns and inspect it.
2D/3D Guidance is based on a range of OS3D sensors so that an artificial vision system performs a correct approach and manipulation of parts in an unstable position, thanks to the three-dimensional information that the software creates from the images. 2D of the cameras.
2D/3D Robot Guidance allows a robot to be equipped with a vision system to identify products, their position or rotation angle, obtaining greater performance from an automated solution that can use images to improve accuracy. .
In short, artificial vision systems allow such critical tasks, such as those related to product inspection and quality, to be faster and more objective, improving the performance and profitability of each finished product.