Real-time image processing for edge inspection and defect detection in stainless steel production lines

An image acquisition and processing system to measure the width and inspect the quality of the stainless steel strip in a production line is presented in this paper. It is based on the real-time processing of the images acquired by a twin linear camera system. Image processing algorithms to detect defects and anomalies in the edges have been implemented. The core of the image processing is submitted to the GPU of the graphic card to reduce the total processing time. A system like this has been proved and installed in a stainless steel production line for quality control purposes.