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Vision Market on the Upswing

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STUTTGART, Germany, Nov. 9, 2009 – Machine vision and image processing strongly depend on the success of the applications they serve, such as automotive and other manufacturing technologies. This became evident at last week’s Vision 2009 trade show, one of the key showcases of these industries. And while some seemed to have been hit hard by the downturn, quite a few had not been. Overall, we saw no signs of a fundamental problem but instead an optimistic crowd waiting for the dip to be over.

Many exhibitors shared the view that, although there appeared to be fewer visitors on the floor, the show was going very well. “Although a little fewer people seem to be around, on the first day we counted the same number of inquiries as two years ago,” said Dr. Lutz Kreutzer, public relations and marketing manager of MVtec.

At the end of the show, the organizers found that the number of visitors had dropped by 5 percent to 5900, with significantly higher numbers from (mechanical) engineering (up from 18 to 25 percent of the visitors) and medical (from 6 to 14 percent). In terms of exhibitors, 293 presented at the show – one more than last year.

VisionDays09.jpg
Panelists of the discussion “All you ever wanted to know about 3-D – technologies, applications, benefits,” held as part of the Industrial Vision Days, are (l-r):  Dr. Christian Wöhler, Dr. Heiko Frohn, Len Metcalfe, Per Holmberg, Dr. Wolfgang Eckstein and Dr. Mats Gökstorp. (Photonics Media Photo by Jörg Schwartz)

Without a doubt, the machine vision industry has been hit relatively hard by the downturn, and a number cited by many is a decrease of 30 percent in overall turnover for the sector in Germany represented by VDMA, the country’s engineering federation. The number was presented by Patrick Schwarzkopf, managing director of the federation’s Robotics + Automation Association and general secretary of the European Machine Vision Association, under the provocative title “The lost year 2009?”

He sees signs that in 2010 there will be positive numbers again (following more than 10 years of constant growth up to 2008). However, Paul Kellett, director of market analysis for the Automated Imaging Association, saw “the recovery not around the corner,” but a good chance that the recovery for machine vision will start in June of next year. He says his analysis takes into account a time lag between clear signs of recovery in most manufacturing technologies and regions and machine vision demand.

But he also confirms that it’s not all the same, with manufacturing technologies in some areas of the world being hit much less hard than others, and industry veteran Wilhelm Stemmer agrees that “whoever has strong sales in India and China is doing okay ….” Also suppliers operating in niches or emerging markets, such as Xenics in infrared imaging, say that they have not been hit as hard – or not at all.

Is the future 3-D?

The first big splash this year in terms of technology was the 17th Vision award. It had 26 submissions, such as a 50-megapixel camera from Minnetonka, Minn.-based Illunis. But of course machine vision is not all about cameras and resolution, and the prize went to Adimec and its consortium partners for the development of CoaXPress, “a link faster than Camera Link with reach as far as GigE, and carrying power, too.” The Dutch camera company originally came up with the technology together with chip set developer EqcoLogic. They subsequently formed the CoaXPress Consortium with the intention to standardize the interface. Current members are Active Silicon (frame grabbers), Component Express (cables), Aval Data (frame grabbers) and NED (line-scan cameras).

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“The customers wanted coax back,” said Maarten Kuijk, chief technical officer of EqcoLogic. “It’s our pure and straightforward transmission medium,” which has now been extended to offer asymmetric, high-speed, point-to-point serial communication for transmission of video and still images, also scalable over single or multiple coaxial cables. It has a high-speed downlink of up to 6.25 Gb/s per cable for video, images and data, plus a lower-speed 20 Mb/s uplink for communications and control. Power is also available over the cable (“Power-over-Coax”), and cable lengths of greater than 100 meters are feasible. The jury is out on whether and to what degree this new approach will be adopted as a standard. The developers say it will be hosted as a standard by JIIA, the Japanese Industrial Imaging Association. On the other hand, there is at least one competing approach in the form of Dalsa’s HSLink, based on the Camera Link interface.

Looking at what’s next in industrial imaging, a panel discussion as part of the show’s “Industrial Vision Days” suggested that 3-D imaging has the potential to become a major trend. With moderator Gabriele Jansen (of Inspect magazine) stating that currently only 10 percent of machine vision sales in Europe come from 3-D techniques, the panelists – all active in the field – agreed that this is likely to grow. Per Holmberg, president of Hexagon Metrology, sees the main reason for moving to 3-D as increased efficiency. This was supported by Sick’s Dr. Mats Gökstorp, who sees benefits in using 3-D for 2-D applications, e.g., as this would often allow becoming independent of contrast issues. An area likely to move to 3-D altogether is robot vision, according to Dr. Heiko Frohn of Vitronic. For 3-D metrology, for example in car manufacturing, the big goal is an integrated solution comparing measurements with CAD data.

However, the two main challenges seen by Dr. Christian Wöhler, senior research scientist at Daimler, are managing the huge amounts of data and achieving the resolution needed to cover large objects with the required accuracy, especially in the lateral dimension. Looking forward from a software perspective, MVtec’s Dr. Wolfgang Eckstein sees the biggest items to be addressed in the 3-D world as speed, standardization and ease of use.

Jörg Schwartz
Europe correspondent, Photonics Spectra 

 


 


Published: November 2009
Glossary
coaxpress
CoaXPress (CoaXPress or CXP) is a standardized digital interface and communication protocol used primarily in machine vision and industrial imaging applications. It enables high-speed data transmission and real-time communication between cameras and computers or other image processing devices. CoaXPress was developed to address the need for high-resolution and high-speed image acquisition in various industrial and scientific fields. Key features and characteristics of CoaXPress include: ...
gige
GigE, short for gigabit Ethernet, refers to a standard for high-speed Ethernet communication, capable of transmitting data at rates of up to 1 gigabit per second (Gbps), or 1000 megabits per second (Mbps). GigE is an extension of the ethernet family of networking technologies, which is widely used for local area network (LAN) communication in homes, businesses, and data centers. Key features and characteristics of gigabit Ethernet include: Speed: GigE offers significantly higher data...
infrared
Infrared (IR) refers to the region of the electromagnetic spectrum with wavelengths longer than those of visible light, but shorter than those of microwaves. The infrared spectrum spans wavelengths roughly between 700 nanometers (nm) and 1 millimeter (mm). It is divided into three main subcategories: Near-infrared (NIR): Wavelengths from approximately 700 nm to 1.4 micrometers (µm). Near-infrared light is often used in telecommunications, as well as in various imaging and sensing...
machine vision
Machine vision, also known as computer vision or computer sight, refers to the technology that enables machines, typically computers, to interpret and understand visual information from the world, much like the human visual system. It involves the development and application of algorithms and systems that allow machines to acquire, process, analyze, and make decisions based on visual data. Key aspects of machine vision include: Image acquisition: Machine vision systems use various...
metrology
Metrology is the science and practice of measurement. It encompasses the theoretical and practical aspects of measurement, including the development of measurement standards, techniques, and instruments, as well as the application of measurement principles in various fields. The primary objectives of metrology are to ensure accuracy, reliability, and consistency in measurements and to establish traceability to recognized standards. Metrology plays a crucial role in science, industry,...
photonics
The technology of generating and harnessing light and other forms of radiant energy whose quantum unit is the photon. The science includes light emission, transmission, deflection, amplification and detection by optical components and instruments, lasers and other light sources, fiber optics, electro-optical instrumentation, related hardware and electronics, and sophisticated systems. The range of applications of photonics extends from energy generation to detection to communications and...
resolution
1. In optics, the ability of a lens system to reproduce the points, lines and surfaces in an object as separate entities in the image. 2. The minimum adjustment increment effectively achievable by a positioning mechanism. 3. In image processing, the accuracy with which brightness, spatial parameters and frame rate are divided into discrete levels.
3-DAdimecAIAautomotiveBusinesscamerasChinaChristian WöhlercoaxCoaXpressCommunicationsDaimlerEmploymentEMVAfiber opticsGermanyGigEImagingIndiaindustrialIndustrial Vision DaysinfraredJapaneseJIIAJorg SchwartzLight SourcesLutz Kreutzermachine visionMats GokstorpmetrologyMVTecNews & FeaturesOpticsPatrick SchwarzkopfPaul KelletphotonicsresolutionTest & MeasurementVDMAVision 2009XenicsLasers

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