Machine Vision Systems and how they're used
Machine Vision Systems are a fantastic use of modern technology and used consistently to keep our economy moving and processes happening without realising it. It allows systems to have an oversight of a process so it can have a level of autonomy and automatically act on the data captured and provide feedback. It's a hugely growing environment with large scale companies choosing to implement the systems to streamline their processes
How does it work?
For a machine vision system to work effectively there are numerous components that need to work and integrate together to get the optimum result
- Lighting - Images produced depend on the light reflected and absorbed by an object therefore the lighting within the process can vastly affect the quality of the images created
- Lens - Depending on the product using the machine vision system can alter the quality of the lens required. Choosing the right lense can alleviate any issues such as bad image artefacts like blurred images or distortion
- Filter - This helps prevent the camera from capturing light from other parts of the spectrum meaning that the captured image has a high level of stability
- Camera - Camera's tend to have sensors fitted to take the image, usually triggered by an external signal
- Framegrabber - The framegrabber card works to connect the camera to the PC for camera control and image transfer
- PC - The most common platform for vision systems, usually windows or embedded windows platforms
- Image Processing Software - Either consisting of libraries consisting of functions and requiring programming or all in one products ready to quickly build solutions without the need to programme it
How is it Used?
If you don't have a background in engineering you may wonder how machine vision systems affect you, but just like AI they're growing and being implemented all around you and in everyday processes, you interact with. To get a deeper understanding of those processes check out the website* to read all about it
Examples of Machine Vision Systems
- Autonomous Vehicles - Now I'm not rich enough to own a Tesla, but the act of a car working on its own without human interaction is completely down to the Vision systems it implements. In a similar nature are the mini robot shopping delivery services.
- Internet shopping - The decline of the high street has seen a huge rise in internet shopping, with thousands of orders made every second it makes sense that companies are implementing robot pick and place systems to find the item and get them packaged up as it speeds up the entire process allowing next day delivery
- Crop Inspection - The use of machine vision systems in farming and agriculture has completely transformed production. It's now possible to analyse crop growth, monitor any issues and even change how growth is occurring helping provide fresh quality ingredients every time
Machine vision systems are at the front of cutting edge technology revolutionising so many areas of our daily lives and processes from 3D cameras to frame grabbers components are available to create the perfect system for your company
Which area of life are you excited to be modernised?
What do you think the next technology breakthrough will be?
