The future looks bright
Completion of the new smart camera vision system
- 1 May 2020
- 6 minutes
The mood is elevated at the Machine & Systems unit in Deventer. Why? Because the team just completed the project for the new smart camera vision platform and the future looks bright. The camera platform is now being presented at several trade fairs and the first order is in. Business Development Manager Arjan Kleiboer expects the unique and innovative nature of the camera vision platform to appeal to new clients.
Most clients looking for specific camera systems for their industrial environments find the market to be limited. While there are technical solutions available, most of these are too pricey. ‘Many clients can put something together using standard components’ explains Arjan Kleiboer.
‘A standard market camera, the right housing, and your own platform will get you a long way. But if you take it a step further, you start to see that things don’t seem to fit. It’s too big, too complex, or requires too many products, which ultimately drives up the price, especially when you’re working with large quantities. In other words: the technical know-how is there, but it’s not cost-effective. That’s where we come in.’
Unique combination
The strength of Machine & Systems is developing products for clients who are unable to find them on the market. The new camera vision platform is an excellent example of this. ‘It’s a client-specific solution with several unique features,’ says Arjan with pride. ‘Images can be processed on the camera itself thanks to its huge processing power. The network structure also differs from the average IP camera: the system can be looped through the Ethernet, which reduces the number of cables needed. It also has an industrial housing that has extremely high waterproof, dust-proof and acid-proof properties. These three elements combined make our new product entirely unique.’
“Our strength is to develop products for clients who are unable to find them.”
Custom made
The camera vision system works with an open platform on which clients can create their own applications. ‘It runs on a Linux-based platform,’ Arjan continues. ‘The best part about this system is that clients can use standard vision software like Halcon or write their own application software. Our client chose the latter. While this may be a bit more labour-intensive than programming with Halcon, they understand the specifics of their industry better than anyone, which means we could offer them a custom product. Paired with the aforementioned features, this was the icing on the cake for our client.’
Endless application potential
The new system can be used in various fields, including the egg industry. ‘One possible application is to use the camera to check eggs for cracks, shape, blood, etc.,’ explains Arjan. ‘Depending on the number of properties to be checked during processing, it may be possible to install looped cameras. The cameras assess the egg images and transmit the results to machine control, which determines what to do with eggs that don’t meet the requirements. The camera has to be water-proof and dust-proof, as both are present in an industrial environment like this. Our camera fits the bill perfectly!’
