Stand-alone vision systems get simpler
Joshua Jelonek from Keyence comments on the challenges facing designers of stand-alone machine-vision systems.
By Ann R. Thryft, Contributing Technical Editor -- Test & Measurement World, 10/1/2009 2:00:00 AM
 Joshua Jelonek Technical Product Manager for Vision and Marking Technology Keyence Corp. of America |
Small, stand-alone machine-vision systems are becoming popular in semiconductor and solar-cell inspection. Joshua Jelonek, technical product manager for vision and marking technology for Keyence Corp. of America, commented on the challenges facing designers of these systems and how the systems are changing to meet users’ needs.
Q: What are the challenges in building stand-alone turnkey vision systems for semiconductor and solar-cell inspection?
A: Vision applications are all about isolating the defects from the background. Improvements in image-enhancement tools let us isolate defects more effectively than before. These improvements have become necessary because of the reflective nature of wafers and semiconductor components. Stray light from standard illumination sources can create hot spots, which must be removed to produce an even background so defects stand out clearly.
Most stand-alone turnkey vision systems include standard filters, but these alone cannot tackle some of the more challenging applications. It’s necessary to use a combination of filters to remove texture and shading variations from difficult targets such as crystal oscillators and cylindrical battery housings. Recently, we combined a few of these filters into a single tool to remove some of the guesswork for novice users and let them keep existing, inexpensive, standard lighting configurations. This reduces costs by shaving integration time and eliminating the need for expensive, high-end lighting.
Q: What new technologies and trends are affecting stand-alone vision systems?
A: One big trend is the switch to the EtherNet/IP [Ethernet Industrial Protocol] industrial communications protocol for process control and automation applications. This protocol makes it possible to effortlessly connect production-line sensors to industrial PLCs for easier integration and high-speed decision making. Another trend is the fact that, due to advances in processors, new CCD 5-Mpixel color cameras can quickly process 24-bit data to distinguish even the most minute variations in color, such as cracks in a solar wafer or slight discolorations on small components.
| Read more articles from our October 2009 Machine-Vision & Inspection Test Report. |
Q: What’s changing in customer demand for stand-alone vision systems?
A: More customers want the ability to connect multiple cameras with a central control unit to inspect several sides of a component, or to inspect a larger area with more detail. For example, you can connect four 5-Mpixel color cameras to our CV-5000 system to take a 20-Mpixel image of a solar cell with a single snapshot.
Customers are also realizing that it is more cost-effective to use systems that don’t need engineering time to program and that can be up and running with minimal hassle. In response to customer demands, a major goal of many vision companies is to combine powerful tools with an easier-to-use interface.
One way to do this is to simplify the number of components a customer needs to buy, including software tools. A stand-alone system is somewhat like an ASIC-based smart camera-plus: It has all of the communications capacity onboard. Everything you need for programming and production-line communications is embedded into the controller. A stand-alone system is not PC-based, so users can take it out to the production line and configure settings on the spot without a laptop, but it can be programmed via a PC if needed.
No related content found.
- 0 rated items found.
Datasheets.com Electronic Parts & Inventory Search
185 million searchable parts
- Part Number
- Description
- Inventory
- Products
- Manufacturers
View All Webcasts
