Industrial Machine Vision Inspection Technology: Working Principles and Classification

The machine vision system refers to the use of machines to replace the human eye to make various measurements and judgments. Machine vision is a very important research field in both engineering and science. It is a comprehensive discipline involving multiple fields such as optics, mechanics, computers, pattern recognition, image processing, artificial intelligence, signal processing, and optoelectronics. Its application scope has gradually been improved and promoted with the development of industrial automation. The rapid development of technologies such as mother-child image sensors, CMOS and CCD cameras, DSP, ARM embedded technology, image processing, and pattern recognition has strongly driven the development of machine vision.

The Working Principle of Machine Vision Inspection Technology

The machine vision inspection system uses a CCD camera to convert the target to be inspected into image signals and transmit them to a specialized image processing system. According to the pixel distribution and brightness, color, and other information, it is converted into digital signals. The image processing system performs various operations on these signals to extract the features of the target, such as area, quantity, position, and length. Then, according to the preset allowance and other conditions, it outputs results including size, angle, quantity, pass/fail, presence/absence, thereby achieving automatic recognition functionality.

The Classification of Machine Vision Inspection Technology

In order to adapt to today's fast-developing society, machine vision inspection technology is indispensable. In some environments that are unsuitable for human work, machine vision can replace human beings. The following are the classifications of machine vision inspection technology:

• Generally speaking, machine vision inspection technology can be distinguished based on its inspection function: positioning, defect detection, counting/loss detection, and size measurement.

  
  

• Machine vision inspection technology can be divided into online inspection systems and offline inspection systems based on the installation carrier.

  
  

• According to detection skills, there are generally stereoscopic vision detection technology, defect detection technology, size measurement technology, OCR technology, etc.

Machine vision inspection technology is crucial for eliminating product defects such as blemishes, blurriness, debris, or dents to ensure the product's function and performance. Therefore, it has been widely used in defect detection and size measurement of products in various industries. For example, using a vision system to inspect multiple items of a product, using a vision system to detect defects or misaligned pins in electronic components, using a vision system to measure the shape of syringe components, or to distinguish colors to check for incorrect assembly, etc.