Standard Software Packages

We're proud of the speed with which WAY-2C can be taught to identify even the most complex colored objects. However, we know that, no matter how capable the vision system, real automation tasks often require much more time and effort to get up and running than originally anticipated. Then there's the issue of retraining the system to accommodate light source aging or replacement, product updates etc. without losing expensive production time.

Drawing on our experience in developing color-based recognition systems, we have put together a set of standard packages which can dramatically reduce this time and effort. These packages, often utilized in our custom turn-key systems, are also available separately. Each contains automated script generation, operator interface, and other modules that utilize customer maintained databases to facilitate such operations as:

• camera alignment
  
• training setup and execution
  
• inspection setup and execution
  
• goodness of fit testing
  
• switching from product to product
  
• operator interfacing
  
• digital I/O interfacing
  
• system maintenance
  

Assembly Inspection Package	This is a general purpose WAY-2C front end. It automates the generation of scripts for inspection of assemblies when configuration changes are relatively infrequent and many identical items are inspected between product switchovers. The Assembly Inspection Package is specially designed for applications in which the potential exists for most components to be incorrectly installed in more than one place. It is based on our original Fuse Color Inspection System which has been successfully used for many years in automotive fuse block inspections. Added functionality and updated documentation reflect its usefulness in other areas such as electronic assemblies, wiring harnesses, sample cards and kit inspection.
Color-based Sorting Package	This is a powerful, easy-to-use menu based system designed for high speed identification and sorting of singulated objects. It incorporates our experience with successful applications in such areas as sorting plastics for recycling and lumber. The many features simplify routine training, retraining and product switching.
Sample Card Inspection Package	Can be setup for a new card in just minutes and switched between different card designs in seconds. A typical single-camera manual feed sample card inspection system can inspect over 3600 30-swatch cards per hour. Customers report inspection reliability generally much better than human inspectors.
In addition to the above standard packages we have a library of literally hundreds of scripts and other software modules for all aspects of color-based assembly inspection and sorting. These include such things as multi-lane and web based sorting, handling as many as 190 discrete outputs, area, length and curvature measurements. There is a good chance that some of these may be applicable to your project.

Hyperspectral Data Selection and Analysis (Coming soon, contact us for details)

With the increasing availability of multispectral and hyperspectral imagery it is important to know which combination of spectral bands is most useful for differentiating a specific set of classes of interest in a scene. We have developed an automated method of rapidly determining the optimum band combination to differentiate any particular set of target classes. This method, which we refer to as relevance spectroscopy has been demonstrated by experimental studies on suites of hyperspectral images collected by NASA, military, and other sources. The resulting optimum image combination is suitable for analysis by traditional methods and/or using WAY-2C.