Choosing the right type of machine vision system is essential if you want to meet the needs of the specific application you need.
There are a number of different types of machine visions systems that our AIS experts cover in this post. Below you will find the three main types of machine vision systems along with a brief explanation of how they work.
1D Machine Visions Systems
1D machine vision systems analyse digital signals one line at a time. They don’t look at the whole picture at one time. This can include assessing the variance between the most recent groups of lines and it is a technique that is commonly used to detect and classify defects that can be found on materials that are manufactured in a continuous process. 1D systems can be used on materials like paper, metal, and plastic.
2D Machine Vision Systems
2D machine vision systems are the most common and this is where inspection cameras are used to perform scans that capture 2D snapshots in a number of different resolutions. 2D machine vision systems can also come in the form of line scan models that build 2D images line by line. There are area scan and line scan systems and these have a number of advantages. In certain machine vision systems line scans can be more beneficial than area scans. If your machine vision system is inspecting round or cylindrical parts you may need multiple area scan cameras to capture the entire surface. Another way to do this is to rotate the part in front of a single line scan camera which will capture the whole surface by unwrapping the image. Line scan machine vision systems can fit into tight spaces and they also provide a higher resolution. Line scan machine vision systems do require moving parts to build images and often work best where products are moving continuously.
3D Machine Vision Systems
3D machine vision systems will usually comprise of multiple cameras or a number of laser displacement sensors. Using multiple cameras 3D machine vision for robotic applications provides the robot with more orientation information about the part. 3D systems will often have multiple cameras mounted at different locations so that they can triangulate a product in a 3D space.
A 3D machine vision system that uses laser displacement sensors will carry out a surface inspection as well as volume measurement and this is what produces 3D results. There is often just one camera used. A height map is also generated and the object or camera must be moved in order to scan the entire product. Displacement sensors can measure the surface height and planarity.
For more information on the different types of machine visions systems and to see which system will work best for your business needs, why not get in touch with one of our AIS experts today. Our experts are always on hand to help with any questions or queries you might have and to advise you on the best machine vision products and solutions.