Machine Vision

Machine vision systems tend to mimic the human vision system. An optical sensor and electronic main processor typically act as the eyes and brain and, as in humans, they work together to interpret visual information. Also like their human counterparts, the sensor and processor are each somewhat responsible for filtering out the useless information within the scene before it is analyzed. This reduces the overall processing requirements and allows humans and well-designed machine vision systems to make decisions based on visual information very quickly.

Filtering the information within a scene begins with matching the vision system to its industrial requirements. Just as humans can adjust to a variety of situations by dilating their pupils or by tuning themselves to look for a particular shape or color, machine vision systems must also be somewhat flexible. Typically, however, the most efficient system is one which is designed with only limited applications in mind. For this reason, machine vision designers have developed a variety of application-specific techniques and systems to meet the speed and accuracy standards that modern industry demands.