The organization of the hardware and software as well as the application of a remotely operated vision system are all described. The system enables a vision engineer, working a long way from the site of a proposed installation, to experiment with a prototyping image-acquisition sub-system that is already in situ. Once suitable images have been obtained, he then designs a suitable image processing algorithm. In this way, the vision engineer is able to construct a prototype vision system that can be used to test the algorithm in a realistic operating environment, collect performance statistics and possibly refine the algorithm in the light of the experience gained. The objective of this research is to stream-line the design and prototyping phase for on-line factory-floor inspection systems, so that the optimum benefit use can be obtained from the efforts of a skilled vision engineer.
|