Machine Vision

Machine vision (MV) is the technology and methods used to provide imaging-based automatic inspection and analysis for such applications as automatic inspection, process control, and robot guidance, usually in industry. Machine vision is a term encompassing a large number of technologies, software and hardware products, integrated systems, actions, methods and expertise. Machine vision as a systems engineering discipline can be considered distinct from computer vision, a form of basic computer science. It attempts to integrate existing technologies in new ways and apply them to solve real world problems. The term is also used in a broader sense by trade shows and trade groups; this broader definition also encompasses products and applications most often associated with image processing.

Definitions of the term "Machine vision" vary, but all include the technology and methods used to provide imaging-based automatic inspection and analysis for such applications as automatic inspection and robot and process guidance in industry. This field encompasses a large number of technologies, software and hardware products, integrated systems, actions, methods and expertise. Machine vision as a systems engineering discipline can be considered distinct from computer vision, a form of basic computer science; machine vision attempts to integrate existing technologies in new ways and apply them to solve real world problems in a way that meets the requirements of industrial automation and similar application areas. The term is also used in a broader sense by trade shows and trade groups such as the Automated Imaging Association and the European Machine Vision Association. This broader definition also encompasses products and applications most often associated with image processing. The primary uses for machine vision are automatic inspection and industrial robot/process guidance.

The primary uses for machine vision are imaging-based automatic inspection and robot guidance. in this section abbreviated as "automatic inspection".

This refers to both the process of defining and creating a solution, and the technical process that occurs during the operation of the solution.

This includes user interfaces, interfaces for the integration of multi-component systems and automated data interchange. Nonetheless, the first step in the MV sequence of operation is acquisition of an image, typically using cameras, lenses, and lighting that has been designed to provide the differentiation required by subsequent processing. MV software packages and programs developed in them then employ various digital image processing techniques to extract the required information, and often make decisions (such as pass/fail) based on the extracted information.

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