Vision 2016 to map evolution of 3D MV applications

06 Sep 2016

November’s Stuttgart expo will reveal the transformation from traditional vision to production optimization.

LMI will present its CMOS-based Gocator line profiler and smart 3D sensor range.

Two months before the Vision Show in Stuttgart, Germany, and organizer Messe Stuttgart is promoting the event with its latest analysis of the business and by giving a taster of what visitors can expect at the bi-annual expo and conference.

“Traditional machine vision is morphing into an intelligent tool for optimization of industrial production,” says the latest statement. “Vision systems are now taking on far more than just pure inspection tasks.

This year’s Vision show, between November 8th and 10th, will showcase 3D technology that will enable users to improve logistics handling and which they can use with wearable data glasses to enable augmented reality.”

In-line control

Berlin-based LMI Technologies says its customers are concerned with three significant factors: reliability, rapid and precise measurement, and easy operability. Managing Director Terry Arden said, "Our products are used in 100% in-line control scenarios. Customers often use our technology in harsh environments."

Terry Arden, managing director of LMI Technologies.

For that reason, the devices need to be sufficiently robust to ensure that they still perform extremely well in spite of vibrations or dust. Arden added, "Our sensors deliver a high resolution so that crucial features of a component can be verified with a high repeatability rate."

LMI incorporates CMOS chips and embedded technology into its chips. At Vision 2016, LMI will present its latest CMOS technology (Gocator 2410 smart 3D laser line profiler, and Gocator 3506 smart 3D snapshot sensor), which are said to offer the highest resolution in this sector at 2 and 5 mega pixels, respectively.

Demand for 3D vision

Jana Bartels, Product Manager for 3D/Time of Flight at Vision exhibitor Basler, commented: "There is growing interest in 3D cameras for process automation and monitoring to simplify the control of robotic systems, and to optimize and increase the security of man-machine interfaces." Among the highlights she mentioned is a collaborative project between Jungheinrich and the Hanover Institute for Integrated Production with companies Basler and Götting and the Institute for Technical Computer Sciences at the University of Lübeck.

Jana Bartels, product manager at Basler.

This project has resulted in the creation of a high-reach fork-lift truck that understands human language and uses 3D machine vision to interpret gestures. “This project points the way to future communications between man and machine,” Bartels said.

Basler will present cameras with an LVDS-based BCON interface for embedded vision systems and the new time-of-flight camera. Bartels added, "This will be the first industrial VGA camera available in the mainstream price segment that operates on the Time of Flight principal.”

Industry 4.0

Ritchie Logan, VP Business Development at Odos Imaging, Edinburgh, Scotland, believes that Industry 4.0 is now an important driver for innovation in the vision sector. "Industry 4.0 and the new 3D ToF technology are meeting a wide range of user demands. That is helping Odos to develop new solutions in connection with both Industry 4.0 and Logistics 4.0 approaches."

He also commented that the Vision show offers great opportunities for networking: "We return home with all of this visitor data to help us get on with developing new solutions for current challenges." With one eye on the Vision Award, which his firm won in 2014 for its Machine Vision with Depth concept, Odos will this year be presenting developments such as StarForm, a high-resolution 3D ToF camera, and the StarStop event recording camera with freeze motion function.

Uwe Furtner, technical director at Matrix Vision.

Moving targets

At Matrix Vision, Oppenweiler, Germany, the rapid acquisition of 3D data from moving objects is a crucial objective. Technical Director Uwe Furtner said, “Our solution, which involves real-time 3D point cloud generation with a sufficiently high resolution level, fully meets this requirement."

Rapid 3D data capture is also desirable because it represents a valuable addition to Industry 4.0; users can compare CAD data directly online with results of calculated point clouds.

Rather than representing a pure 3D solution, the company's mvBlueSIRIUS product consists of a "6D" camera which provides movement vectors and RGB color data as well as 3D point clouds. Furtner added, "In addition to a pure data calculation, our camera can recognize objects, which can be described in terms of data relating to shape, color, size and velocity."

About the Author

Matthew Peach is a contributing editor to optics.org.