Machine vision works quickly and contactlessly, delivering objective results with high reliability and availability. It is increasingly being used for quality assurance as well as for process regulation and control in various branches of industry.
Many products that are now an integral part of our daily lives owe their status to image processing in the production process. New applications are constantly being developed in various areas. The term ‘industrial image processing’ is used today, and the performance of this technology is constantly growing. The combination of different sensor types and a wide range of applications contribute to this.
Industrial image processing
Machine vision plays a crucial role for several reasons:
Industrial image processing refers to the use of hardware and software that together support the function of devices and systems by capturing and processing images. Digital sensors in industrial cameras and laser scanners, equipped with special optics, form the basis for image processing systems. This combination of hardware and software enables the processing, analysis and measurement of various features for decision-making.
Machine vision technology is primarily used for quality assurance in production. Depending on the application, either random samples or 100 percent inspections can be carried out. In any case, an industrial image processing system proves to be more reliable and traceable compared to visual inspection systems. It is not uncommon for industrial image processing to enable comprehensive quality assurance in various production areas.
The principles and methods of machine vision encompass essential components, including lighting, lens, image sensor, image processing and communication interfaces. The careful selection of these components is crucial in order to meet the specific requirements of an application.
Lighting plays a key role by illuminating the test object to make the feature to be checked clearly visible to the camera. The lens captures the image and provides it to the sensor in the form of light. The camera sensor converts this analog image into a digital one, which is then sent to the processor for analysis.
The actual image processing is carried out by software algorithms. These check the image, extract relevant data and make a decision based on the results. Communication usually takes place via data that is sent to a higher-level control system (PLC). This uses the data to control the system.
Many of the hardware components, such as lighting modules, sensors and processors, are standard components. Machine vision systems can either be assembled from these standard components or purchased as fully integrated systems. Customized designs are also used to meet individual requirements.
QuellTech laser scanner
QuellTech’s industrial image processing relies on innovative 3D imaging of measurement objects, realized by laser triangulation. This approach involves the targeted alignment of a laser beam perpendicular to the object, followed by the measurement of the diffuse reflection at a known angle. By precisely knowing the angle and distance between the laser source and the camera (light receiver), triangulation enables the exact calculation of the object height.
QuellTech’s 3D laser scanners project a laser line onto the measurement object, whereby the width (x) and height (z) of this line can be calculated using sensor algorithms. By recording many laser lines at short distances from each other, a precise 3-dimensional point cloud (x, y, z) is created. This laser line triangulation can cover measuring ranges from 5 to 1500 mm and guarantee impressive precision (from 1-3 µm). The technology also enables high measuring speeds.
QuellTech’s 3D laser scanner measurement presents an extremely flexible measurement method that can be scaled from small measurement objects with a width of a few millimeters up to several meters.
The movement of the measurement objects can be cleverly used for measurement by existing conveyor belts, axis gantries or robots. In most cases, the impressive measuring speed of inline measurements enables such short measuring cycles that additional cycle times are not required.
QuellTech’s 3D laser scanner measurement is characterized by high robustness against ambient light, temperature fluctuations, welding spatter, vibrations, electromagnetic influences and moisture. Find out more about the advantages of this advanced industrial image processing solution from QuellTech.
Quelltech’s industrial image processing is used in a wide range of applications and processes. Some examples of this are:
Industrial image processing
Q4 Laser Scanner:
Small form factor, low weight, many housing variants, high laser power in blue, red and green, very high robustness against environmental influences
Q5 Laser Scanner:
Medium form factor, high resolution, very high speed, laser measuring widths up to 800 mm
Q6 Laser Scanner:
Medium form factor, very high resolution, high speed, many housing variants, measuring widths up to 1500 mm
QuellTech Software Vision 3D Area:
Image processing software, a highly flexible platform for the efficient development of the evaluation of 3D point clouds generated by QuellTech laser scanners.
Q6 Laser Scanner
Q5 Laser Scanner
We are happy to help you with that!
Stefan Ringwald
Technical Consultant
If you have any questions about Industrial Image Processing or would like a consultation from QuellTech on this subject, we will be happy to help.
We would like to help you to precisely evaluate your specific measurement task. Through an initial free test measurement of your application, we can give you an early assessment of the feasibility.
There is always potential for improvement, we will help you with that. Contact us for more information or to make an appointment for a consultation.
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Your technically competent contact, Stefan Ringwald, will be happy to help you.
Our aim is to fully understand your specific technical requirements for your current measurement task.
Thanks to many years of experience with complex tasks in the field of 3D laser measurement, you will receive well-founded solution proposals from us.
