USS VISION INC. - AN INTRODUCTION TO MACHINE VISION



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Machine vision is the application of computer vision to factory automation. Just as human inspectors working on assembly lines visually inspect parts to judge the quality of workmanship, so machine vision systems use digital cameras and image processing software to perform similar inspections. A machine vision system is a computer that makes decisions based on the analysis of digital images. The components of a machine vision system are intricate, and putting everything together is the role of a machine vision integrator like USS Vision. Partnering with a total turn-key machine vision integrator like USS Vision will result in increased quality, streamlining of manufacturing operations, reduced costs, and the most efficient of automated operations possible.
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Machine Vision Basics

Machine Vision Integration Is Intricate!

Machine vision systems are programmed to perform narrowly defined tasks. Though machine vision systems have neither the intelligence nor the learning capability of human inspectors, they are considered useful in many applications. For more detail, view various industrial applications. Manufacturers favor machine vision systems for visual inspections that require high-speed, high-magnification, 24-hour operation, and repeatability of measurements. For more on a machine vision system, view the list of services USS offers, as a machine vision integrator.

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Machine Vision Components

A USS Control Panel

The optical sensor determines when a part moving on a conveyor is in position to be inspected. The optical sensor triggers the camera to take a picture of the part as it passes beneath the camera and lighting. The lighting used to illuminate the part is designed to highlight features of interest and minimize the appearance of features that are not of interest. The camera's image is captured by the framegrabber. A framegrabber is a computer card that converts the output of the camera to digital format and places the image in computer memory so that it may be processed by the software.

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Machine Vision Software

The USS Exact Scan™ Workstation

The software will typically take several steps to process an image. Often the image is first manipulated to reduce noise or to convert many shades of gray to a simple combination of black and white. Following the initial simplification, the software will count, measure, and/or identify objects in the image. As a final step, the software passes or fails the part according to programmed criteria. If a part fails, the software signals a robotic device to reject the part; alternately, the system may warn a human worker to fix the production problem that caused the failure.

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Robot Guidance

USS Vision Testing a Robot Guidance Application

In many industries, machine vision is used for robot guidance. In this sense, machine vision is a sensor used in the robots for viewing and recognizing an object with the help of a computer. It is mostly used in the industrial robots for inspection purposes. This system is also known as artificial vision or computer vision. It includes a camera, digital computer, digitizing hardware, and an interface hardware & software. The machine vision process includes three important tasks, namely: (1) sensing & digitizing image data, (2) image processing & analysis, and (3) applications.

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