Let There be Light

CCS VIEW

Lighting the way for machine vision success

‘The global machine vision market is a multi-billion dollar industry which has enjoyed outstanding growth in recent years. Lighting, of course, is a critical component of this. As the machine vision market as a whole has matured and evolved, three key areas have emerged for lighting manufacturers: development of core illumination technologies, seamless integration of lighting within machine vision systems (including readily accessible lighting data via networks), and increased levels of control and functionality within plug & play, easy to use formats and processes.

Illumination technology

Being the most commonly used illumination source in machine vision applications, LED Lighting has a rich array of products on the market offering a choice of geometries, wavelengths and intensities to meet a wide variety of needs. While developments in these traditional lighting solutions continue, there is also an increasing emphasis on the way that lighting is used that opens up new opportunities. These include multi-spectral imaging using lights with different wavelengths to detect different characteristics from an object, where uniform spectral output of LEDs is required and adoption of developments such as natural white LEDs in the visible spectrum offer application benefits.

Lighting requirements are also frequently market driven. One example is the transparency of silicon to SWIR illumination, making its use popular in the semiconductor industry; another example being the varying absorption rates of IR with different types of plastics where by using selected wavelengths in SWIR, waste-sorting can be effectively achieved, since you can identify plastics by their absorption rates.

There is also significant development in areas where new illumination technology is contributing to solutions for applications which are too complex for traditional methods. Computational Imaging (CI), or multi-shot imaging, is one example where it is essential for applications where a one- shot system is insufficient because of complexities such as curved or uneven surfaces, different textures and reflectivity, embossed characters, or differing heights of inspected objects. Multi-shot Imaging relies on data extracted from a series of individual images captured under different lighting or optical conditions - a ‘computed’ image is then created and this contains the most relevant details for a particular machine vision task.

OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) lighting technology is now becoming commercially available. With a large light emitting surface in a housing typically just a few mm thick and an exceptionally stable and uniform light intensity, OLEDs can also be moulded into complex shapes, opening up new application opportunities, and providing very compact machine design capabilities because of the physical size of illumination products and their exceptionally low heat dissipation characteristics.

In tandem with these emerging technologies, manufacturers are expanding the ‘plug & play’ functionality of their products. Here users are getting the benefit of compact, easy to use lighting products with advanced in-built functionality such as embedded control and straightforward connectivity. These advantages being introduced whilst maintaining a primary driver in this lighting product sector of ease of use, flexibility and competitively priced solutions.

Integration and control

The increasing emphasis on a more integrated approach for machine vision systems has led to the control of lighting functions as well as camera functions by imaging software packages using a single software interface. This not only simplifies set up, but also ensures that advanced lighting parameters for accurate strobing and overdriving can be set in complete synchronisation with camera triggering and exposure times.

New layers of lighting control have also evolved which include monitoring, sensing and feedback to provide closed loop compensation for any variations lighting intensity to ensure reliable repeatable machine vision measurements. In addition, vision systems can be integrated directly into manufacturing processes through a variety of standard protocols to allow automation of the entire process.

Importantly, this facilitates true integration of automation and vision systems – with unprecedented flexibility in machine set-up where, for example, manufacturing engineers are able to easily select machine vision set-up parameters alongside motion or PLC parameters for automatic machine operation for multi-product production lines and processes.

Intelligent lighting

Providing access to dynamic lighting operational data has allowed intelligent lighting to become a reality where control systems can automatically access LED lighting information. This allows lights to be detected and configured in a system, where the maximum strobe and overdrive capabilities can be obtained to ensure safe operation and access to parameters such as lighting on- time, and hours of operation allow remote diagnostics and data-logging.

This evolution is allowing the creation of an open architecture approach for intelligent lighting where the illumination can be integrated into any appropriate control medium. This is an important development moving towards Industry 4.0, where data exchange between components and subsystems is an essential requirement.’

Exciting

It’s an exciting time for LED lighting within machine vision, where such outlined developments are enabling new opportunities for applications, some of which have not been achievable until now – this is driving high levels of innovation within both traditional machine vision markets, whilst also being a catalyst for solutions within emerging markets.

BASLER

Launches intelligent lighting solutions

Basler has launched what it described as intelligent, easy- to-install and cost-effective lighting solutions. Depending on the requirements of the vision system, customers can choose between a flexible and an easy approach.

Camera manufacturer has worked with CCS to develop a comprehensive portfolio of various lighting components. The new and unique lighting concepts are designed for Basler ace U and L cameras equipped with the Basler SLP feature. Basler’s patent-pending feature enables direct communication between the camera and the light source. This significantly reduces the complexity of a vision system and enables any user to easily integrate lighting early on, thus shortening the time spent on design and installation. Depending on the application requirements, customers can choose between two approaches.

The flexible option is to use the Basler SLP Controller. In this case, users are able to select the best suitable lighting, which is controlled through the controller and is physically connected to the camera, therefore enabling the communication via the SLP feature. The solution is suitable for users with lighting experience who have applications with specific lighting requirements.

The upcoming easy solution is to add lighting to a vision system by using a Basler ace U or L camera with SLP feature and a Basler Camera Light with an integrated controller. This solution is a combination of camera and light, where the light is controlled directly from the camera. The approach is suitable for users with less complicated applications who want to achieve results quickly.

In both setup scenarios, the Basler pylon Camera Software Suite supports easy integration, installation and operation as it is the only software interface for both camera and light in the system. The perfectly matched components - Basler cameras with SLP feature, the Basler SLP Controller and the Basler Camera Light series - allow an easy setup via plug and play. Easily accessible lighting functions such as strobing and overdrive can significantly increase the luminous efficacy and the life time of the LED lights used. In the overall package, both solutions offer high savings potential in material costs and valuable time in the entire process from acquisition to installation.

CCS - PRODUCT

CCS exhibited their multiple cutting-edge lighting technologies at Automate 2019, including its openarchitecture illumination system for multi-shot imaging solutions, SWIR technology that opens new pathways in inspection potential, a new series of innovative, highly flexible, plug & play lighting, and unique OLED technology for Machine Vision.

The company highlighted its LSS Series for Computational Imaging, the only solution on the market that includes lights, controller, and software for multi-shot image capture in a structured format to achieve the clearest image possible for an image processing task, in less time and at lower costs. In-booth demos will demonstrate first-hand how users can easily implement this complete CI solution.

CCS is also showcased the EL Series, a range of innovative lighting solutions from its member group Effilux. These easy-to-use lights feature customizable components for an innovative, flexible solution that delivers a solution customized to users’ exact application needs. Notable EL products to be featured at Automate include IP-rated lighting, SWIR, and pattern projectors.

In addition, CCS featured upcoming releases like the OLF Series OLED flat lights, the brightest organic LED lights available for image processing. With a slim design that still produces a high output and uniformity, the OLF will transform the way inspection systems can be designed.

New releases like the LFXV flat dome lights, which achieve a clearer, sharper image using a new guiding plate, will also be on display.

GARDASOFT

Launches new generation of machine vision lighting controllers Gardasoft Vision has launched the FP220 series of high speed lighting controllers for machine vision. This new generation of dual channel controllers uniquely combines capabilities for high frequency, high power LED pulsing with outstanding low output current performance, making them suitable for a huge range of machine vision applications.

Designed for use with any LED lighting rated up to 3A, the FP200 series provides reproducible current control to deliver continuous or pulsed light output. It utilses enhanced technology for faster pulse rise times, with trigger frequencies up to 10kHZ for high speed pulsing applications such as line scan imaging. With a maximum pulse current of 20A, applications requiring high power, long lighting pulses such as UV curing can also be easily handled. Naturally full control of overdriving, pulse width and pulse delay are provided.

With overdriving capabilities up to 999% of the continuous LED rating value for high intensity short pulses, FP220 users benefit from Gardasoft’s patented SafeSense and SafePower technologies. SafeSense regulates the pulse width timing and duty cycle according to the amount of overdriving in order to deliver the maximum light possible for the application without any possibility of damage to the LED. SafePower provides automatic flexible operation with low heat dissipation for the controller itself.

The FP220 Series also offer excellent performance for low current applications, extending the application range for these controllers. Output current below 300mA can be controlled in 100µs steps and in 6 mA steps for higher currents. The accuracy and repeatability of output current below 300mA is ±1%, providing the levels of control needed for applications that are very sensitive to lighting variation.

Integration into machine vision systems is made easy since the FP220 can be configured using a web browser and with Ethernet or RS232 commands in the same way as Gardasoft’s other controllers. Versions compatible with Gardasoft’s triniti intelligent lighting platform are also available. The triniti platform provides an API and GigE Vision interface to control the light, and LEDs featuring a ‘triniti chip’ can exchange relevant performance data with the FP220 controller.

TPL

Modular ringlight wins gold medal award at Automaticon 2019

At the Automaticon 2019 show in Warsaw in March, the innovative Modular ringlight range from TPl Vision won the Gold Medal Award.

This product range is an all-in-one lighting solution which provides superior imaging conditions for Machine Vision and Code reading systems. The range comes in two sizes with multiple colours and embedded features such as sector control and overdrive strobing functions, enabling innovative inspection techniques including surface effects to be used. Colour selection and sectors can be controlled by the user from the simple keyboard, or using discrete inputs which lock or enable the keyboard as required.

The colours, shapes and embedded features have been carefully selected and optimised to solve any kind of code reading application. The casing of the light incorporates mounting points for reflector attachments so the user can create Dome, low Angle and Darkfield illumination effects in addition to the powerful ringlight capabilities.

Furthermore, the innovative optical and mechanical design avoids hot points and loss in brightness. embedding multiple features in this way greatly simplifies the illumination selection process for the user, with just a few part number options to choose from. Many suppliers have over 40,000 part-numbers in their catalogues which makes selecting the right product difficult and time consuming.

This simplified selection process is appreciated by all users - experts can rapidly validate their designs, beginners can

learn by quickly testing various configurations, and endusers enjoy the standardised concept which limits varieties and spares stock- holding in their factories. Additionally, with only a few part number options, price and lead times are extremely competitive due to mass-series production.

The Modular ringlight product range addresses many issues users face when dealing with lighting equipment for Vision and ID applications.

Caroline Winn, Vice President Sales, TPL Vision