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Because of the relatively long learning curve associated with new software packages, system developers often become tied to a specific manufacturer when developing their new or next-generation machine-vision systems. This [...]

Despite being relatively expensive, infrared (IR) cameras have found a number of niche applications where traditional visible spectrum CCD and CMOS cameras will not suffice. Examples include building maintenance, flame [...]

Since its inception five years ago, the GigE Vision standard has become one of the most popular camera interface standards, with hundreds of cameras being offered by numerous vendors worldwide. [...]

The advent of high-brightness, long-life LED technology has had a significant impact on development of fiber-optic illumination systems, with numerous companies now offering light sources that use LEDs instead of [...]

More than five years ago the European Machine Vision Association (EMVA; Frankfurt, Germany; www.emva.org) started an initiative to define a unified method to measure, compute, and present specification parameters and [...]

In many machine-vision and image-processing applications, it is necessary to measure the three-dimensional characteristics of an object. A number of different sensors, including structured-laser-light-based 3-D scanners, projected light stripe systems, [...]

Thanks to innovations in CMOS imagers, solid-state memory, and high-speed data interfaces, today's solid-state cameras are capable of capturing images at very-high data rates. Often achieving frame rates greater than [...]

Every year in August, thousands flock to Austin to hear about the latest hardware and software from National Instruments. One of the highlights of NIWeek--apart, of course, from the Mexican [...]

As a business partner to some of the world's best-known plumbing and heating suppliers, the Pegler Yorkshire Group offers numerous types of pipe fittings in different sizes and configurations. When [...]

In a presentation given at NIWeek 2010, Steve Rocke, a senior research scientist at Kimberly-Clark (Dallas, TX, USA; www.kimberly-clark.com), gave his insights into the benefits of deploying vision in off-line [...]

As the most well-established point-to-point interface in the machine-vision industry, the Camera Link standard has been incorporated on hundreds of cameras and frame grabber boards. First ratified in 2000 by [...]

Today's image-processing software packages use a number of different techniques to perform object recognition and image classification. These include supervised algorithms such as k-nearest neighbor algorithms, support vector machines (SVMs), [...]

Just a decade ago, very few vendors provided linescan cameras. Today, more than 30 linescan camera vendors offer products that allow system developers to capture monochrome and color images. By [...]

Many of the optical systems used in machine-vision and image-processing systems are based on glass or plastic lenses. While some of these systems employ fixed-focal-length lenses, others require lenses where [...]

Customer demands for increasingly easy methods to automate production systems have led machine-vision software vendors to incorporate a number of high-level tools into their software packages. In the article 'Applying [...]

Since machined parts such as turbine airfoils and compressor fans may have edges shaped for achieving specific mechanical functions, it is vital that these surfaces be free of defects and [...]

By integrating CCD or CMOS sensors with field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), digital signal processors (DSPs), CPUs, I/Os, and networking interfaces, smart camera-vendors now offer system developers a way to deploy [...]

For years, CCD cameras have been used in industrial process control applications to monitor web production processes. While these cameras can measure objects in the visible spectrum, the need to [...]

Cellular dielectric spectroscopy (CDS) is an impedance-based measurement technique that measures the changes in electrical impedance relative to a voltage applied to a layer of cells in which no cell [...]

Over the last decade, a number of different interfaces have been used to connect machine-vision cameras to host PCs. While many of these leverage low-cost computer oriented serial interfaces such [...]

In many machine-vision systems, the low power requirements and long lifetimes of LED lighting have made this technology the premiere choice for system developers. However, proper illumination of any specific [...]

At the 2009 International Robots, Vision & Motion Control Show, Steve Kinney, chairman of the Automated Imaging Association (AIA) Camera Link committee and director of technical pre-sales and support with [...]

Percussion caps are a critical component used in manufacturing ammunition. Produced in mass quantities, these explosive caps must be fabricated with strict tolerance requirements and inspected with 100% accuracy. A [...]

High-speed trains traveling in excess of 300 kph use existing or modified railway networks that may be tens or even hundreds of years old. To ensure the safety of the [...]

On any given day, thousands of trucks offload containers at ports around the world. As these trucks arrive, they must be manually inspected by authorized marine terminal operators who inspect [...]

Three-dimensional imaging is useful in a range of machine-vision applications, including robotic guidance, medical endoscopy, and military aircraft refueling systems. In many of these applications, dual-camera systems capture two disparate [...]

One of the most important algorithms used in machine-vision and image-processing systems is that of edge detection. Although a number of different techniques including Sobel, Prewitt, Roberts, and Laplacian exist [...]

One of the most discussed topics every year at the SPIE Defense, Security + Sensing Conference is image fusion: the ability to merge images of different wavelengths into a single [...]

In theory the ability of an optical telescope to resolve an object at long distances is limited by the size of the main mirror, but in reality the random nature [...]

Pharmaceutical companies produce millions of tablets, capsules, caplets, and gels each month, each of which must be carefully scrutinized before being packed up and shipped to distributors. During inspection, drug [...]

In bestowing its scientific and technical awards, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS; Beverly Hills, CA, USA; www. oscars.org) honors those whose discoveries and innovations have contributed [...]

Cataracts develop in the crystalline lens of the eye and occur for a number of reasons include diabetes, hypertension, and advanced age. In patients with this disease, a clouding of [...]

Earth-moving equipment for the mining and construction industry relies on off-road tires to move heavy loads over rough terrain. While this equipment is expensive, so are the very large tires [...]

When measuring biological processes such as functional imaging of cardiac and neuronal cell networks, fluorescent probes are used to delineate transient ion concentration and membrane voltage changes. To properly image [...]

Today's in-line solar wafer inspection systems must provide a number of measurements to ensure the integrity of the final product. These include detection of barcodes that may be placed along [...]

To identify the type and size of clothing purchased from large department stores, identification tags are often attached to an item's coat hanger. After the consumer purchases the clothing, these [...]

In many machine-vision systems for dimensional metrology, laser lines are used to provide structured illumination--allowing height to be estimated through triangulation using the known relative orientation between camera and laser [...]

Because most camera vendors currently offer products based on imaging sensors from well-known companies such as Eastman Kodak (Rochester, NY, USA; www. kodak.com), Aptina (San Jose, CA, USA; www.aptina.com), and [...]

As one of the world's largest suppliers of cast aluminum wheels for passenger cars and light trucks, Superior Industries International (Van Nuys, CA, USA; www.supind. corn) designers and manufacturers many [...]

In the automotive industry, roller hemming is used to join independently stamped inner panels such as hoods, decks, and fender reinforcements to the outer panels that make up a car's [...]

In medical image-processing systems such as those used for retinal imaging, 3-D images need to be generated at high speeds. One of the most common techniques is optical coherence tomography [...]

Using technology developed by Daan Muller, a lecturer for multimedia applications, FilmFabriek (Nootdorp, the Netherlands; www.filmfabriek.nl) has introduced a film scanner that uses a machine-vision camera to digitize film (see [...]

The O-ring is one of the most common gaskets used in mechanical engineering. Designed to be seated in a groove and compressed during assembly between two or more parts, O-rings [...]

Camera Link cameras and frame grabbers are now being used in many industrial and military applications. In many of these systems, sequences of captured images are processed at high-speed on [...]

In many industrial applications deployed for inspection and quality control, it is necessary to capture three-dimensional images of the object in order to rapidly analyze any structural defects. Many inspection [...]

Owners and operators of large construction and mining vehicles must ensure that their machines work effectively without injuring on-site personnel. Because the machines are often very large, it may be [...]

Established in 1853, Jotul (Fredrikstad, Norway; www.jotul.com) is one of the world's largest manufacturers of cast-iron stoves and fireplaces. Designed in a modular fashion, the stoves are built from a [...]

Many camera and frame grabber manufacturers use specifications such as jitter and latency in an attempt to convince possible customers of the benefits of one standard interface over another. But [...]

For a number of years, computer vendors have bundled peripherals such as webcams, printers, and 2-D fax/scanner/copiers with their products. In doing so, these manufacturers leverage the low cost of [...]

Manufacturers of plastic electronics and automotive assembly housings, connectors, and medical devices often must supply hundreds of thousands of parts to their customers. After designing these products using CAD software, [...]