The key feature of robot vision systems is improved manufacturing efficiency and factory automation. In hazardous work environments unsuitable for manual operation, where manual inspection is insufficient to meet production efficiency requirements, or due to misjudgments caused by eye fatigue , robot vision inspection is commonly used to replace manual inspection . Simultaneously, in mass industrial production, manual inspection of product quality is inefficient and lacks precision; machine vision inspection equipment can further improve productivity and the level of automation in manufacturing. Furthermore, robot vision facilitates information integration, a fundamental technology for achieving computer-integrated manufacturing.
There are five key factors for applying robot vision systems:
Repeatability – A robot can repeatedly perform sample inspections in the same way for 24 hours without getting tired. In contrast, the human eye makes subtle differences each time it inspects a product, even if the product is exactly the same.
Precision – Due to the physical limitations of the human eye, machines have a significant advantage in precision. Even when the human eye relies on a magnifying glass or microscope to inspect products, machines are still more precise because their accuracy can reach one-thousandth of an inch.
Robots can inspect products much faster. Especially when inspecting objects moving at high speeds on the production line, machines can significantly improve production efficiency compared to traditional manual inspection.
Objectivity – Human eye inspection has a fatal flaw: subjectivity caused by emotions. The inspection results will change depending on the worker's mood, while the machine has no emotions, so the inspection results are naturally very objective and reliable.
Cost – Because robots process data faster than humans, one automated inspection machine can perform the tasks of several people. Furthermore, machines don't need to stop, don't get sick, and can work continuously, thus greatly improving production efficiency.
