Smart camera detects the misshapen, the off-colour
serving up misshapen or off-colour products, before they are
shipped off to the customer.
More and more companies are looking to automate their inspection systems, as a means of speeding up line processing time, improving quality or in eliminating human error.
Sick claims its IVC-3D Vision Sensor is the world's first three-dimensional "smart" camera, able to detect precise geometricalfeatures, regardless of fluctuations in contrast and object speed on the processing line.
The IVC-3D is a smart camera that combines imaging and analysis into one camera housing. The camera performs inspection, location or measurement of objects in order to improve production yield,control production or perform quality control.
The volume measurement can be used for on-line adjustments of the process parameters. The system can "read" and analyse 5,000 products a second.
The programmable camera is suitable for inspection tasks in the food and packaging industries, whether during the production processes or using robot handling systems.
For example the camera can be used as a quality inspection tool in bakeries and at the same time measure the amount of product being produced. Misshaped bread will be rejected automatically. Thiswill reduce problems at the packaging station.
Confectionary manufacturers can use IVC-3D to checks that all products, such as pralines, are produced correctly and placed in the right position in a box. Using IVC-3D's contrast detectingfeature, manufacturers can check the shape of dark pralines on a dark background.
Many companies currently use two-dimensional imagers to control production quality. However two dimensional systems have difficulty with products that have variable non-flat dimensions.
The IVC-3D's ability to see in three dimensions highlights surface defects depending on the topograph of the product. This allows the camera to perform previously tricky measurement tasks.
The camera can be configured using a desktop computer. It comes with a set of image processing tools. The camera comes with an integrated lens, its own source of illumination and integratedevaluation software. The camera is able to measure volumes, profiles and shapes - regardless of object colour.
The sensor uses laser light to image the product. The analysis can be done under a wide variety of ambient light conditions. There is an encoder input to produce undistorted images
Since the IVC-3D uses a regular two-dimensional library as a database, integration with a company's current imaging system is simple.
Sick is based in Sweden. The company manufacturers sensors, safety systems and identification devices used for factory automation.
