Machine Vision Applications

Machine Vision systems can be used in nearly every type of industry – from quality checking the shape of biscuits to micro precision part inspection – a vision system is the best way to ensure your product is up to scratch. It would be impossible to list all the applications for which vision would be suited, so instead we shall summarise the types of operations which can be carried out with a machine vision system:-

• Identification
  Vision Systems can be taught the shape or appearance of a feature or part, and accurately identify those that are similar. Useful for sorting applications.
• Presence Verification
  Determines whether a part of feature is present in the field of view, such as bottle top checking or blister packed items such as medicines.
• Location
  The location of a feature can be relayed as a distance from another feature or a pre-defined point.
• Orientation / Positioning
  Can determine which way up or around a product is and relay the information required to correctly position the object.
• Optical Character Validation / Recognition
  Vision systems can recognise textual characters and check they are as expected, such as expiry dates and labelled goods.
• Blob Analysis / Identification
  The recognition of features which do not have a pre-defined or controllable shape, such as paste or solder.
• Colour Recognition
  Colours can be separated in an image and their intensities can be calculated.
• Measurement / Gauging
  The accurate quantification of a distance between features or size of an area.
• Counting
  A numerical total of similar features within the field of view.
• Texture Analysis
  Identification of features or parts by the properties of the surfaces presented.
• Surface Inspection
  Location of defects, marks or irregularities on a surface.
• Edge Detection
  The edges of features can be accurately located and black and white images containing only outlines can be produced.
• Automatic Alignment
  Locating patterns or markings and providing an offset to a predefined location, such as fiducial marks on printed circuit boards.
• Template Matching
  This can incorporate many of the above operations to identify parts which do not match within tolerance of a pre-learnt image.
• Motion Analysis
  The tracking of motions to determine irregularities or unexpected object presence.
• Robot / Machine Guidance
  Act as the eyes of a system to give operators a view of the current position.