Tech Briefs Magazine - May 2024 - PIT-6

The New Industrial
Application Integration
Edge Ecosystem
M
achine vision solutions can significantly improve quality
control in automated manufacturing, increase overall
equipment effectiveness, and reduce costs, such as for
end-of-line quality control in food production. However,
developing robust applications is challenging, and standalone
solutions using smart cameras or industrial PCs are expensive to
maintain and difficult to scale. That's why Siemens is collaborating
with Basler and MVTec in its open Industrial Edge Ecosystem. The
results are scalable, plug-and-play solutions that combine Siemens'
automation technology with third-party machine vision hardware
and software. Under this new partnership, Basler and MVTec have
developed innovative applications that run on Siemens' Industrial
Edge platform, which combines central device management with
de-centralized data processing in factories.
Based in Ahrensburg, Germany, Basler manufactures industrial
cameras, accessories and components that are used in factory
automation, medicine, robotics and a wide variety of other
industry verticals. The most common applications involving
machine vision include defect detection, positioning and measuring
parts, and identifying, sorting and tracking products.
Their machine vision cameras are already involved in the type
of industrial applications that the partnership's Industrial Edge
Ecosystem is targeting. One recent example involves a segment
of Germany's national railway system.
6
for Machine Vision
The Deutsche Bahn, Germany's national railway company,
developed a machine vision process using Basler's cameras in a
32-camera " arch " arrangement for visual inspection of train
surfaces for maintenance needs. Trains entering the Deutsche
Bahn maintenance hall pass through the camera arch, which
records two high-resolution images per second of the trains.
Mobile E-Check cobots are then used in the maintenance hall.
Each cobot is equipped with two robotic arms and one Basler
ace 2 camera per arm. They take care of areas that cannot be
captured by static cameras. The data collected by the cameras
is processed using the " AutomateOS " middleware from Gestalt
Robotics and made available for subsequent steps. A sophisticated
AI system then detects and classifies any anomalies and
defects. Examples include the detection of missing screws, material
wear and tear, or damage caused by stone chips.
Connecting the dots between the physical cameras, robotics
and infrastructure with the automated software, AI algorithms
and models that make this type of machine vision possible in an
easy plug-and-play approach is exactly what the Industrial Edge
Ecosystem has been established for. It is easy to learn, test, and
use because it does not require programming or an in-depth
knowledge of machine vision.
The Basler 'Vision Connector' app connects Basler's industrial
cameras to the Siemens automation portfolio, allowing
Photonics & Imaging Technology, May 2024
(Image: Adobe Stock/Murrstock)
Tech Briefs Magazine - May 2024

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