Industrial inspection-the ease-of-use/flexibility trade-off

This paper describes a recent project, undertaken jointly by SmithKline Beecham (Toiletries) and the Department of Cybernetics at Reading University, to implement automatic visual inspection of components on a filling and packing production-line. Over fifty different vision system options were considered with a shortlist of seven systems chosen by virtue of their performance and cost. Five distinct types of user interface were encountered within this group of shortlisted systems. The final system was then primarily picked for the suitability of its human computer interface and its flexibility in use. This paper describes a number of currently available options and follows the decision process made for purchase