INTRODUCTION TO MACHINE VISION

Thibaut van Baer | February 2018

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 Agenda

▪ What is machine vision?

▪ Why use machine vision?
▪ Machine vision applications
▪ Types of machine vision systems
▪ Vision system components
▪ Machine vision terms
▪ Improving vision system performance
▪ Summary
▪ Q&A

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 What is machine vision?
The camera lens and sensor
capture images…

Cognex advanced vision tools

interpret what’s being seen

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 Evolution of machine
vision
3D Displacement
Sensors
Vision
Sensors

Barcode
Readers

Modular
Vision
PC Vision
Embedded
Boards

Proprietary Box

1982 Today

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 Simple examples
Machine vision systems:
1. Analyze images
2. Makes decisions and returns results about each image

Good Oil Filter:

All holes are
open

Bad Oil Filter:

Some holes
The center tab on this bracket is
are blocked
37.255 mm wide

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 Image analysis
The primary purpose of machine vision is image analysis

Decision

Answer
Image
Location

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 Where is machine vision used?

Automotive
Industry Electronics
Semiconductor
Industry

Food Packaging
Industry
Consumer
Medical Products
Pharmaceutical

Shipping Graphic Arts/

Transportation Packaging

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 Why is machine vision used?

▪ Automate manufacturing ▪ Overcome inefficient manual

processes
▪ Improve product quality
▪ Protect brand image
▪ Reduce operational costs
inspection processes
▪ Increase manufacturing throughput
▪ Reduce material waste
▪ Minimize the risk of recalls

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 Critical for achieving strategic goals

▪ High speed production lines

▪ Clean room environments
▪ Hazardous environments
▪ Microscopic inspection
▪ Closed-loop process control
▪ Robot guidance
▪ Precise non-contact
measurement

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 Benefits of machine vision

Manufacturing Goal Machine Vision Applications

Improved product quality Inspection, measurement, gauging, and
assembly verification
Increased productivity Repetitive tasks done manually are
automated with machine vision
Production flexibility and Automatic product changeovers
less machine downtime
Increased manufacturing High-speed inspection keeps up with the
throughput fastest production lines
Reduce manufacturing Detecting defects earlier in the process
waste prevents adding value to defective
products

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 MACHINE VISION APPLICATIONS

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 What does machine vision do?

GUIDE INSPECT GAUGE IDENTIFY

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2018 Cognex Confidential
 Guidance
Determines part position (x, y, and angle)

Automates handling of parts for machines:

▪ Alignment & Placement
▪ 2D & 3D Picking
▪ Eliminates need for fixturing &
improves robot flexibility

Vision tool alignment, fixturing

▪ Locate at least one feature on a part for
the purpose of calculating the (x, y)
position and rotation of the part to
position other vision tools precisely

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 Geometric pattern matching

Trained Image Confusing Background Out of focus

Rotation and Scale Changes Occlusions Uneven Lighting

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 Part location challenges

Appearance Changes

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 Part location challenges
Variation in part appearance

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 Inspection
Correct location
▪ Orientation
▪ Skew
Quality
▪ Defect Detection
▪ Surface Inspection
▪ Contaminants
Completeness
▪ Fill Level
▪ Feature Presence
▪ Counting
▪ Assembly Verification

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 Gauging
Precise dimensioning
▪ Automated metrology and
data recording

Ensures tolerances
▪ Diameters
▪ Gaps
▪ Bushings
▪ Threads, etc.

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 Identification
Read Codes
▪ Printed 1-D Barcodes & 2-D Matrix
▪ Direct Part Mark

Read Characters
▪ OCR / OCV

Recognize Objects
▪ Based on color, shape, or size

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 MACHINE VISION PRINCIPLE

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 1D machine vision
▪ 100% continuous web
inspection and classification
▪ Uses line-scan cameras
▪ Materials inspected include:
Metals, non-wovens
Plastics, Paper

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 Four reasons to use line scan
1. Unwrap cylindrical objects for
inspection

2. Add vision to space-constrained

environments

3. Meet high-resolution inspection

requirements

4. Inspect objects in continuous

motion

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 2D machine vision – area scan

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 3D Machine Vision

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 Profiler principle of operation

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 Displacement sensor

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 VISION SYSTEMS AND SENSORS

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 COGNEX VISION SENSOR
Powerful, proven In-Sight®
vision tools for reliable
inspection performance
Field changeable, high power,
diffuse illumination

Field changeable
lenses and filters
for optimal image
quality
Compact, modular
body design fits into
tight spaces
Step-by-step setup
with EasyBuilder®

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 Cognex 2D Vision

▪ Industry-leading image acquisition and optical character

recognition
▪ Powerful and precise pattern matching algorithms
▪ Most reliable and flexible inspection systems

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 Cognex 3D Vision

▪ 3D laser displacement sensors provide three dimensional inspection of

products to optimize quality
▪ Measure height, volume or tilt with cross section and plane fitting tools –
regardless of contrast or light variations
▪ Expanded range of 3D sensors, factory calibrated to deliver real-world values

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 SYSTEM COMPONENTS

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 Key parts of a vision system
Light Source

Communication

I/O Comm. INPUT INPUT O UTPUT

SLC50/4CPU
RUN FORC 0 4 0 4 0 4
POWER FLT DH+ 1 5 1 5 1 5
BAT RS232 2 6 2 6 2 6
RUN REM PROG 3 7 3 7 3 7

Lens Camera Vision Software A -B

ALLEN -BRADLEY

Vision System

Inputs/Outputs: switches, PLCs, robots, lights

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 Putting it all together

Parts

Light Source

Lens Camera
Input: Monitor
Output:
•Serial •Serial
•Parallel •Parallel
•ISA, PCI, VME busa •ISA, PCI, VME bus

Vision System

Operator Pointing Device

(Trackball, Mouse, Touchscreen)

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 How the system works
1. Part arrives at inspection station

2. Sensor detects part and sends a trigger to the vision system

3. Strobe is flashed to
illuminate part 4. Vision System acquires the image from the sensor.

5. Software algorithms running on vision system

FAIL performs image processing and/or image analysis
on acquired image

6. Vision system sends signal along a discrete output

line which activates a diverter if the part is bad

7. Operator can view rejected parts and ongoing statistics on display,

and can take system off-line if necessary

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 Machine vision algorithms

Algorithms used by Vision Tools transform raw numbers into

useful higher level features …

- Raw numbers turned into edges, colors, characters, and

other characteristics

… then makes decisions

- Returns answers such as position, similarity, distance,
presence, quality

All within just one to tens of milliseconds!

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 TERMINOLOGY

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 Vision definitions
Field of View (FOV)

▪ The part which can be

seen by the machine
vision system at one
moment.
▪ The field of view
depends on the lens of
the system and the
working distance
between object and
camera.
5” x 7”

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 Field of view
What is my field of view?
3”

4”

8”

15”

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 Working distance and resolution

Working Distance (WD)

▪ Distance between the
FRONT of the lens and the
target
10”
Resolution
▪ The minimum feature size of
the object under inspection.

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 Correlation working distance/FOV

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 Depth of field
Depth of Field (DOF)
▪ The distance in front of and
behind the object which
appears to be in focus

3”

More DOF with a small aperture

(high f/number) than with a large
aperture (low f/number)

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 SYSTEM COMPONENTS

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 Different lens … same image?
▪ Lighting
▪ Depth of field
▪ Working distance
▪ Line speed
▪ Exposure time
▪ Aperture
▪ Budget

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 Lighting techniques
Light can be structured in different ways. Angle and direction of the
light determine how the mark and space is seen by the camera.

Back Lighting Axial Diffuse

Structured

Dark Field Bright Field Diffuse Dome

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 Optics

To learn more about choosing the right optics go to

Cognex.com > Resources > On-Demand Webinars

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 Filtering techniques

▪ Control quality and quantity of

light
▪ Block all unwanted
ambient lighting
▪ Pass only the output of
lighting used for inspection
▪ Increase contrast
and resolution

For more on optical filters, go to Cognex.com >

Resources > On-Demand Webinars

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 Image pre-processing tools

To learn more about image pre-processing,

go to Cognex.com > Resources > On-Demand
Webinars

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 Summary

▪ Make products better, faster, and less expensively

▪ Gauging, Inspection, Guidance, and Identification are
the key applications
▪ Key components are the lens, camera, lighting, vision
software and communications
▪ Learn more about optics, lighting, filters and image pre-
processing to improve system performance
▪ Don’t go it alone…get help from experts!

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 QUESTIONS?

Contact.eu@Cognex.com | www.Cognex.com

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