Smart Camera for a Flexible Production

Equipped with a multi-color light and 12 megapixel image sensor, the FHV7-series Smart Camera by Omron it’s ideal for quality control checks in the manufacturing industry. For the benefit of a mix production line

di Massimo Brozan

Omron Corporation launched its new FHV7-series Smart Camera combined, with illumination and image processing functionality for advanced vision inspections. Thanks to its multi-color light and a 12-megapixel high-resolution camera, it’s the ideal solution for achieving industry’s high standards of precision in vision inspections on a high-mix production line. While consumers’ quality requirements are becoming stricter, manufacturers are introducing strict control checks, even to promptly identify causes of defects. In addition, different products are more often produced on a single line. To carry out such advanced inspections, it is crucial to minimize downtime for changeover to different products.

It’s ideal when many types of products are produced in different quantities
Equipped with a multi-color light and an autofocus lens, the FHV7 Series can respond flexibly to changes in the color and size of objects to be inspected. This eliminates the need for special skills for camera installation and adjustment to cater for different products and inspection criteria, even in a flexible production line where many different types of products are produced in different quantities. Moreover, image processing and a 12-megapixel camera make it possible to raise production quality without dropping the speed of production. Added to these features is a high-speed image compression algorithm, enabling all image data to be saved even during measurement, and allowing complete traceability in production processes. At one one-quarter of the case volume of Omron’s leading model, the FH-Series Sensor Controller, the FHV7 Series offers the same high level of image processing capacity. This is achieved by integration of camera design technology provided by Omron Sentech also.

Some technical features
Multi-color light provides a quick solution to the issue of measuring different colors. When the product design is changed or a new model is added, you can simply change a parameter. The image sensor with a maximum of 12 megapixels enables inspections for wider areas. This eliminates the need for installing multiple cameras, or a mechanism to move a camera to capture different inspection points on different models on the same production line. This reduces design work and component costs. The autofocus lens covers a focal length range from 59 to 2,000 mm. Even when products in different sizes are produced, the focus range can be changed easily by parameters.
Modular structure allows you to freely combine the lens and light with the camera. The footprint of the camera is not affected by module replacement. Dual-core CPU provides a high image processing speed among smart cameras. Production cycle time can be maintained even if resolution is increased or inspection items added. l