Machine vision systems that provide 3D data, including height, width, and depth, have traditionally been expensive, complicated to install, and difficult to maintain. While these systems are factory calibrated to generate 3D data, they are difficult to program and maintain and pose eye safety concerns due to their laser light.
A better system would integrate all the necessary components for a 3D solution, including sensors, lasers and powerful computers in a compact format. It will also use true 3D algorithms on 3D point clouds in an intuitive programming environment, instead of requiring designers to learn special code to apply 2D algorithms to 3D applications. using less accurate surface maps. As a result, it improves accuracy while reducing complexity, and is more capable and powerful for a wide variety of installations.
Enter the In-Sight 3D-L4000 machine vision system. With groundbreaking 3D vision technology and a spotless blue laser illumination system, the In-Sight 3D-L4000 fulfills all of these requirements and more in a smart camera format. It enables plant engineers to quickly, accurately and cost-effectively address a wide range of automated production line inspection challenges.
Compact, powerful 3D solution
The In-Sight 3D-L4000 delivers the compact form factor of a smart camera while delivering the power of an FPGA-accelerated, 8-core Intel processor. Featuring a patented spot-free blue laser optics corrected 2K linear sensor, the In-Sight 3D-L4000 is capable of simultaneously capturing high-resolution 3D point clouds for measurements and high-resolution 2D images for secondary 2D quality inspection and product tracking.
In addition to its IP65 housing, making it industrial-ready, the In-Sight 3D-L4000’s unique spotless laser means customers can confidently install the device underneath the conveyor. The system will operate at full resolution and speed, even if up to 50% of the laser window is blocked by debris. This makes the In-Sight 3D-L4000 the first 3D vision solution that can be mounted upside down without concern that random debris in the air will block the laser and adversely affect operation.
Laser line without spots in blue (left) and red laser with spots (right)
Spotless laser ensures safety and accuracy:
In addition to reinforcing the 3D camera’s rigidity against debris and contamination, the patented spot-free blue laser optics in the In-Sight 3D-L4000 captures higher quality images than those in the In-Sight 3D-L4000. traditional laser displacement sensor. The shorter blue wavelength and unmatched sharpness of the spotless laser line combine to provide more precise 3D point clouds, which means a more precise quality assurance system.
The In-Sight 3D-L4000 inspects molded automotive components with a spotless laser line
The unique 3D scanning engine also brings more light to the test surface and is safer than any other competitive 3D laser scanning solution. Competing solutions are classified as 3B or 3R devices, while the In-Sight 3D-L4000 is a 2M laser device, which significantly reduces the protections required to install the system on-line manufacturing. More optical power means the In-Sight 3D-L4000 can run at higher frequencies – up to 4 kHz. When combined with an FPGA-accelerated integrated 8-core processor, the In-Sight 3D-L4000 not only generates high-resolution 3D point clouds, but also generates 2D grayscale images for confirmation. labels, OCR, code reading and many more applications.
Intuitive software designed specifically for 3D:
To deliver on the promise of the most accurate 3D smart camera, Cognex engineers rebuilt their most popular algorithms from the ground up. This allows them to get the most out of the 3D point cloud approach compared to the more common elevation map approach used by competitors.
2.5D elevation map (left) and 3D point cloud (right)
Programmed within In-Sight’s intuitive spreadsheet environment, the In-Sight 3D-L4000 includes all the traditional 3D measurement tools that users expect, such as plane and height finding. However, it also comes with a full set of 3D vision tools, designed to take advantage of true 3D inspection. Unlike typical 3D systems, which convert 3D images into representational 2D elevation maps for basic tool processing, the In-Sight 3D-L4000 allows users to place visual tools directly on the image. Real 3D images of parts. Real 3D inspection increases accuracy and expands the types of inspections that can be performed. Better yet, because the inspection is in 3D, users can instantly experience how the visual tools work on a real part. The In-Sight 3D-L4000 currently offers many specialized 3D algorithms, including Blob3D, PatMax 3D, Edge3D, ExtractSphere 3D,
From a compact form factor to a spotless laser and intuitive In-Sight spreadsheet interface, the In-Sight 3D-L4000 is designed to help customers get up and running 3D applications quickly and easily. . The system simplifies application development and streamlines factory integration with a full suite of I/O and communication functions. It also combines 2D and 3D visualization tools in the same application, making deployment faster.