VisionGauge® OnLine Counting and Sizing (Blob Analysis) tools are able to automatically locate, count, and size grains, cells, or particles of any shape or size present on an image. You are also able to specify a region of interest so only a desired area on the image is considered. The image can be analyzed in various colour channels such as: Luminance, Hue, Saturation and the different Gamma colors. Selecting objects in the field of view using these channels greatly enhances your ability to produce extremely accurate results.

Thresholds are used to better analyze the image. Different thresholds would be applied if the grains are dark on a light background, or red on a blue background, etc. VisionGauge® OnLine lets you customize these threshold values to assure the best results. You can also program a threshold to count objects that are close together so they are considered as one object or more.

You can also program the tool to filter out objects of certain sizes. Therefore, you can count/size only those objects that fit a certain size profile, eliminating spurious objects from your results.

All of VisionGauge® OnLine’s image processing and analysis tools are available to automatically “cleanup” the image before carrying out the particle counting or grain sizing operation. This can dramatically improve results in the cases where there is contamination, background noise, etc.

VisionGauge^® OnLine’s Counting & Sizing Tool can perform various calculations and grain measurements including:

• The total number of particles
• The minimum particle area
• The maximum particle area
• The average particle area
• The median particle area
• The total particle area
• and more…

No matter the type of application dealing with counting and sizing particles, cells, grains, etc., VisionGauge^® OnLine’s Counting & Sizing Tool is a powerful, versatile solution delivering accurate and reliable results.

Information is also available about more recent applications solved with our complete selection of VisionGauge® Digital Optical Comparators.

After schematics have been set and printed circuit boards (PCBs) have been produced, comes the final part of electronic manufacturing: assembly. Our VisionGauge® OnLine machine vision systems can help you perform the electronic assembly verification or PCB assembly inspection of your product after it has been finished.

Electronic Assembly Verification

Whether you have used surface mount, though-hole (thru-hole) or other technology, our software will help you accurately inspect every part of your assembled electronic device.

Our visual inspection systems include the advanced VisionGauge® OnLine toolset. All of VisionGauge® OnLine’s image processing and analysis tools are thus available to automatically process the image before carrying out the assembly inspection.

There are numerous software tools employed by VisionGauge® OnLine to help facilitate your inspection, including:

• Optical Character Recognition & Verification (OCR / OCV) for serial numbers
• Blob Analysis for solder height detection
• Color Verification for devices and connections
• Presence / Absence Detection of components
• and many others…

With our visual inspection software you will be able to accurately check every soldered tip in high magnification and high accuracy in three dimensions. You can also utilize VisionGauge® OnLine’s OCR capabilities for serial number verification or model number recognition on your components. Or even use the color verification on ceramic resistors. There are countless possibilities for what you can accomplish with VisionGauge® OnLine.

Small Component Serial Number Verification

VisionGauge® OnLine Optical Character Recognition Systems (OCR Systems) are able to reliably, automatically locate and read serial numbers on chips, PCB boards, or any other device that your application requires. This automated process captures the data in fractions of second so products can be tracked as they flow through the manufacturing process – maintaining a high-quality inspection standard. It can also verify that the text matches the expected character string, export & exchange these results, produce reports, trigger signals, etc.

These OCR Systems include the advanced VisionGauge® OnLine toolset to facilitate applications, such as microchip inspection. All of VisionGauge® OnLine’s image processing and analysis tools are thus available to automatically “cleanup” the image before carrying out the character recognition operation. This can dramatically improve results in the cases where there is contamination, background noise, character spacing, contrast, etc.

With the VisionGauge® OnLine toolset you are also able to specify a region of interest on the image so only the desired area of the device is scanned. Even if the characters are not standard you can build-up your own custom character libraries by presenting “model” characters to VisionGauge® OnLine’s OCR tool. Because of this, VisionGauge® OnLine is truly multi-lingual and can even be taught to recognize symbols. You can also adjust the threshold of recognition to the one that best fits your application.

Whether the devices are embedded on a board, or are still on a wafer, let VisionGauge® OnLine’s powerful Optical Character Recognition algorithm help you achieve maximum results with the highest accuracy.

All the data obtained from inspections can be exported, exchanged, or put into a report. Contact us with your application, and we can create a VisionGauge® OnLine custom visual inspection system to meet your requirements.

MEMS – Microelectromechanical Systems Inspection and Measurements

Microelectromechanical devices are a basic part of today’s technology. Used in such common places as inkjet printers, cellular phones, and mechanical accelerometers for automobile airbags, it is important for MEMS manufacturers to meet high production standards. VisionGauge® Online Automated Optical Inspections Systems (AOI Systems) can help you reach these standards through fully automated inspection and high-accuracy MEMS measurement.

Our AOI systems are able to be configured with high magnification optics and can provide measurement accuracy inside the micron spectrum – perfect for MEMs inspection. Additionally, the system is fully capable of repeatable motion in three dimensions which allows you to carry out measurements of objects that extend outside of the camera’s Field-of-View.

These systems are fully programmable with the aid of our easy-to-use VisionGauge® Online machine vision software. There are numerous features in the software to facilitate your inspection, and with our custom inspection systems you can be sure our product will work for your applications.

With systems that can learn how to do the inspection for you, control input and output signals, and create customized reports, the VisionGauge® Online Automated Optical Inspections Systems (AOI Systems) are the perfect solution for Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) inspection and measurement applications.

Information is also available about more recent applications solved with our fleet of VisionGauge® Digital Optical Comparators.

The industry of automotive components manufacturing requires high precision component verification in order to meet strict quality standards. Our VisionGauge® machine vision software solutions can perform automotive component verification with our standard visual measurement toolset, but they also can utilize our advanced inspection techniques and technologies, including hardness testing and live image overlay comparison.

Hardness Testing

VisionGauge^® automatically determines the hardness of materials by measuring characteristic dimensions on indentations made by standard hardness testing machines. VisionGauge® supports Brinell, Knoop, Rockwell, and Vickers tests. VisionGauge® carries out all hardness measurements in accordance with the latest revision of the relevant ASTM Standards. Find out more about our hardness testing tool.

Live Image Overlay Comparison

Our VisionGauge® Digital Optical Comparators systems let you display a CAD file on top of the actual video feed. The software will automatically size and compare the image with the overlay. Our digital optical comparators can be integrated into systems with a wide field of view, low distortion lens, computer controlled illumination and a high resolution digital camera; all this powered by our easy to use VisionGauge® Online software. View more information on our digital optical comparator systems.

Windshield Urethane Bead Measurement with Laser Triangulation Systems

The common way that windshields are bonded to a vehicle is through a urethane bead based adhesive. Given that there are many laws regarding the minimal holding strength the sealant must have, accurate measurement of the amount used is paramount. Our VisionGauge® OnLine software is capable of measuring the width & height of the sealant bead used in the automotive industry.

This is possible thanks to our Laser triangulation systems:

LASER Profiling Systems for Fast and Accurate Thickness Measurements

VisionGauge^® OnLine LASER profiling systems are a complete hardware and software solution for fast, easy, and accurate 3D measurements. Theses systems use fully-automated LASER profiling to carry out thickness measurements. With VisionGauge^® OnLine LASER profiling measurement tools, Z-axis measurements can typically be carried out as quickly as regular (X,Y) measurements.

VisionGauge^® OnLine LASER profiling systems have no a priori restrictions regarding the part geometry and they can deal with a wide range of 3D geometries.

These systems include a high-resolution camera as well as a LASER oriented at 45 degrees relative to the camera’s optical centerline. The LASER projects a very thin and straight line at the point of measurement. By measuring the LASER line’s offset across the camera’s field-of-view, the system can automatically measure, very accurately, the height of the sealant. In the case of the windshield urethane bead application, these laser measurements are carried out when the sealant bead is still un-cured, and thus “gelatinous”.

Above you can see a sample image of our Laser triangulation system working on a urethane bead. Our systems have proven accuracy when measuring urethane beads. Furthermore, the systems are fully customizable to better fit your application – with several options for mounting, illumination, magnification, and much more.

As is the case with the entire VisionGauge™ family of products, the LASER Profiling Edition of VisionGauge™ is very powerful but remains extremely easy to use. It is perfectly suited for use on the shop floor and in the quality control and production lab.

Download a pdf with information on our Laser Profiling Systems

Some of VisionGauge® Online’s other tools for similar industry inspections include automated measurement, defect detection, presence / absence detection, color verification, 3D laser profiling, optical character recognition/verification and assembly verification. For information on our VisionGauge^® specifications to help you achieve the best results on your automotive component verification, please contact us.

Information is also available about more recent applications solved with our fleet of VisionGauge® Digital Optical Comparators.