Machine Vision & NeuroCheck® Technical Training Course (#MVC-201)

This is our main and most popular NeuroCheck® course, which covers how to do automatic inspection applications using NeuroCheck-powered machine vision. This is a 1 2/3 day, “industrial strength” non-commercial course. Commonly used topics are covered in greater depth, and the more advanced or specialized topics are covered as overviews. There is substantial focus on the use of NeuroCheck software, and highly condensed sections cover other areas that are crucial to project success. Topics include:

• Brief general overview of machine vision technologies, architectures, evolution and purposes.

• An overview and framework for successful machine vision project implementation. Strategies for mission and application definition that successfully fulfills the mission while avoiding unnecessary cost escalation. Feasibility studies, application review, review of scope questions and related implementation, project management.

• Basic setup and navigation of NeuroCheck® software for implementing machine vision applications.

• NeuroCheck® software tools and their use including image acquisition, asynchronous image acquisition, using NeuroCheck® ’s 54 standard filters or custom filters for image processing, creating / applying look-up tables to images, image thresholding, defining, processing, sorting, screening, counting regions of Interest, template matching, thresholding, bar code reading, deriving object-level mathematical results (elsewhere), gauging color processing, Neural Net color classifications, Neural Net processor use, Neural Classifier use. Creating and passing results of checks as ROI objects, image-level math and other tools.

• Other NeuroCheck® system features which are utilized for machine vision applications. Password and multi-level security profiles. Creating and exporting output files and data, networking, Check Routine Wizards, operating modes (manual, test, live and automatic) and their uses. Configuring the user interface / automatic mode screen. Use of XML self-documentation capabilities.

• Brief introduction to Plug-Ins, and NeuroCheck Plug-In capabilities. If requested in advance, a section on how to install, enable and access plug-ins will be added.

• Implementation of example machine vision applications: Presence verification to check for proper assembly and forming of parts, character recognition, print quality inspection, robot guidance, pattern recognition, gauging, color analysis, surface analysis, and flaw detection.

• Overview of principles and implementation concepts for triggering and high-speed image acquisition. Overview parallel processing. If requested in advance, a detailed section on parallel processing is added.

• The 4 methods of discrete I/O control: global, check level, tool level and combining flow control with I/O tool insertions.

• NeuroCheck software & license media and administration.

• Introduction to NeuroCheck capabilities for unusual (non-default) program flow control, including non-sequential passage/linkage of input and output objects from and to tools, and conditional branching.

• Hardware overview of machine vision systems powered by NeuroCheck. Includes various approaches utilizing FSI pre-tested systems and pre-tested building blocks where compatibility issues have already been resolved. Overview of relevant image acquisition / camera specifications and selection including resolution, speed, and comparison of performance and operational characteristics of monochromatic, color and line-scan image acquisition. Brief overview of image acquisition, I/O hardware functions, plant-floor enclosure ratings, and relevant specifications.

• Machine vision lighting purposes, principles and implementation. This briefly distills and covers the key points of this important and extensive topic. It covers the objectives of machine vision lighting, and how they are often the opposite of just “lighting it up”. Next is an introduction to the fundamental illumination scenarios, their uses and how they are created. This includes the geometry of the workpiece, the imaging equipment and the lighting equipment, and the geometric relationship between these three. Review of types of light sources that are inside lighting products, and the types and terminology of lighting products. Finally, examples are given which combine all of the above principles.

• Machine Vision lens types and selection. Standard and specialized lenses. Brief overview of this extensive topic.

An extensive notebook, NeuroCheck CD, and a training course CD with example images, problems and solutions are provided to each participant.

The duration of the MV-201 course is 1 3/4 days.

A technical starter package is also available is also available as an add-on to the course, or available separately. At the core of it is a complete (extensive) set of manuals; but additional demo & presentation software and other publications are also included. Consult your FSI representative for pricing. Another popular add-on is the book “Industrial Image Processing” by C. Demant and other core NeuroCheck® personnel. Recommended source is www.amazon.com or other booksellers, but for convenience it is also available at higher cost through FSI.