Vision systems and machine vision system manufacturers including machine vision inspection systems, optical character recognition, pattern recognition, image analysis, and vision inspection systems.  

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About Machine Vision Systems

Machine vision systems are a distinctive part of daily operations in many industries. The chief purposes of machine vision systems are automated inspection and measurement of items in a production environment. Machine vision system 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 systems, 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 systems aim 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 system 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.

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Featured Articles

“Machine Vision Goes Beyond Sight”
http://www.qualitymag.com/CDA/Archives/3fb7d493c5c38010VgnVCM100000f932a8c0____
 
“Sensors Emerge as Machine Vision Tools”
http://designnews.com/article/CA155027.html

Types of Machine Vision Systems

• 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.