Machine vision lighting is a critical component of your system and without it, your machine vision system won’t work as you want it to.
You might also find that your results aren’t accurate.
Every machine vision system needs its own lighting solution and each solution has its own advantages and disadvantages. There are a number of considerations that should be taken into account when integrating a machine vision lighting system and the six solutions listed below are suitable for any machine vision application.
6 Machine Vision Lighting System Solutions
- Exact Feature of Interest
You should figure out in advance exactly what your machine vision and lighting system will produce. For example, if you are using machine vision in inspection applications you will need to figure out what a properly lighted part is going to look like and which areas are the most important for your inspection and the lighting.
- Analyse Part Access and Presentation
For this machine vision lighting solution you need to know whether the part is going to be clear or obstructed and whether or not it will be moving or stationary. You also need to know how the part is presented so that you can accommodate for this in your lighting solution. This has a significant impact on the solution you’ll require.
The surface shape, texture, contrast, and reflectivity will all impact on your machine vision lighting solution and will need to be taken into consideration. For example, if you have a curved surface you will require different lighting than what would is needed for a flat surface.
- What Lighting Options are Available
There is different lighting equipment that can be used so you need to determine whether you will be using rings, domes, bars, spots, or controllers. You also need to figure out whether you will be using bright field, diffuse, dark field, or back lighting. To get the right machine vision lighting solution you need to understand all the different lighting options as this will make it easier to choose the one that is best for your application.
You need to take into consideration and understand the limitations that come with lighting. Are there any pre-existing limitations in your machine vision application? Some applications have limitations. For example, contrast enhancement can be limited by wavelength and light direction.
Environmental factors can often play a role in machine vision and can be the cause of many issues. For example, ambient light can play havoc with lighting system so you need to take your environment into consideration too.
The six machine vision lighting solutions above are all things that you need to take into consideration before you decide to implement a machine vision lighting solution and if you need any further advice or tips our AIS experts are always on hand to help you out. Get in touch today if you need any help with your machine vision system.