In machine vision, choosing the right wavelength is fundamental. It dictates how light interacts with different materials, which in turn determines the quality of images for automated inspection. Every material has unique ways it absorbs, reflects, and transmits light, all influenced by its makeup and surface. For instance, metals usually reflect most visible light, while […]
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There are several types of inspection spot lights used in machine vision applications. Most inspection spot lights are considered general-purpose illuminators. Spot lights may also be referred to as brick lights or area lights by various suppliers. Inspection spot lights come in a variety of categories including standard, single-point light sources; multi-point light sources; and […]
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In modern logistics operations, on-time delivery is no longer a differentiator — it’s an expectation. Meeting this standard requires logistics systems that operate with maximum efficiency, accuracy, and adaptability. For system builders and operators, lighting quality directly influences machine vision performance — and by extension, the reliability of barcode reading, label verification, and object tracking. […]
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Overdrive Strobe technology transformed machine vision capabilities. Read about the pioneering work of Advanced Illumination that overcame the limitations of early LEDs and explore the lasting impact of this technology on industrial automation.
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There are four image contrast enhancement concepts (Cornerstones) used for vision illumination: geometry, the spatial relationship between light and object; pattern, or structure — the shape of the light projected on the object; wavelength, or color — how light is differentially reflected or absorbed by the object and its immediate background; and filters, which differentially […]
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The Machine Vision Industry has had an interesting and critical role to play in the overall development of the LED Lighting Market. Most people are unaware that the first commercially available LED lights were made exclusively for the Machine Vision Market. This is easy to understand when you realize that the first LEDs with enough […]
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Preventing contamination is a common priority for Food and Beverage processors. As these facilities grow and increase in efficiency, a single production run impacted by contamination can lead to a product recall and impact the health of tens of thousands of consumers. Until recently, metal detectors and X-rays played the dominant role, but increasingly the trend favors machine vision systems which have proven more effective at identifying small plastics and rubber contaminants. Continued implementation of machine vision for Extraneous Materials detection will help reduce food waste as well as lower costs and the risk of recalls.
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When specifying LED lighting for machine vision applications, the LED wavelength can have a significant impact on the success of the vision inspection. When utilizing white LEDs, it’s important to understand that the radiated emissions are a combination of most of the wavelengths from the visible spectrum; for white LEDs, the color temperatures range from […]
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Appropriately illuminating populated circuit boards (PCBs) for vision inspection can be challenging. The variety of shapes, sizes, finishes, colors, and whole host of different components can increase complexity. This application note highlights available lighting techniques to deliver feature-appropriate contrast for robust inspection applications.
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For many surfaces, simple defects such as scratches and dents are easily identifiable with a machine vision camera and a traditional lighting solution. However, some objects have 3D aspects that make accurately identifying surface defects more difficult. To achieve feature-appropriate surface contrast to gather a 3D perspective, Photometric Stereo may be applied.
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Surfaces prone to uneven reflectivity are often challenging to inspect – particularly with bright-field point sources commonly used in machine vision systems. To achieve more uniform contrast over such surfaces, one solution is to apply diffuse lighting.
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Today there is a wide variety of lighting sources, types, geometries, and wavelengths available for vision engineers to apply, often with more than one type or geometry functioning adequately. But with the many overlapping choices, how do we determine whether a lighting solution is, or is not, truly “good enough”?
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