Assembly industry's fastest compact vision system claimed

Tests carried out by the company have confirmed that the FH vision system is the fastest of its type currently available, which means that users can achieve shorter machine cycle times combined with precise and dependable operation, even in difficult operating conditions. The resulting increases in machine efficiency translate directly into lower costs and enhanced competitive advantage. Designed for fast efficient operation at every stage from image capture to data output, FH vision systems are specifically intended for seamless integration with PLCs, motion controllers and robotic control systems, and are ideally suited for applications in high-speed manufacturing machines of all types. A further benefit is that FH vision systems are fully compatible with Omron Sysmac Studio Automation software. This means that only one software package is needed to set up all of the major components used in an automation system, which greatly reduces the amount of work involved in machine design. Sysmac Studio can be used to set up, debug and simulate all slave devices connected via EtherCAT, including not only vision and other sensing elements, but also motion controllers, logic devices and drives. At the heart of the new FH vision controllers is Omron's innovative Shape Search III vision algorithm. Up to nine times faster when carrying out searches than conventional algorithms, Shape Search III allows fast, precise measurements to be made even if images are out of focus, or if the targets are randomly positioned, randomly rotated or overlapping. This exceptional performance is achieved without the need for user-dependent calibration, which means that FH vision systems are particularly easy to set up and operate. Because of their exceptionally efficient image handling characteristics, the new vision systems can support multiple high-resolution cameras with no degradation of performance or image capture speed. This allows them to handle even the most complex of inspection tasks and, in some applications, it also means that a single vision controller can be used where previously several would have been needed, which makes possible substantial cost savings. To ensure straightforward and dependable integration with all types of automation and control system, Omron FH compact vision controllers incorporate support for the EtherCAT machine control network. This allows communications cycle times as short as 500 µS to be achieved as well as allowing the implementation of motion control synchronised with the communication cycle. The controllers also support custom.NET controls, which mean that images and measurement results can be readily displayed on an external PC.