Yanfeng Johnson Automotive Components Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Yanfeng Johnson) is one of the largest automotive seat and headliner system suppliers in China. The company's business covers seat assemblies, mechanical parts, interior and metal parts, providing customers with zero-distance and real-time supply and services.
Car locks are one of Yanfeng Johnson's main products. Their production is automated assembly, which requires strict inspection of the assembly of seven parts, including two latches, screws, springs, screws, bolts, and the front and back of the springs. The accuracy deviation is only 0.1mm , and the production inspection cycle is stable at 0.2s with a stability of 99.99 %. The inspection requirements are extremely stringent.
Liaoning Best Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Best Company) is a testing equipment supplier for Yanfeng Johnson, providing product testing technical services. In the initial rapid testing phase of the project, Yanfeng Johnson believed that high-end intelligent cameras or PCs could meet the testing requirements more quickly.
“However, during the design process, we found that a single camera could not fully meet the detection needs due to the angle and timing,” said an engineer from Best. “This put a lot of pressure on the customer’s costs, and the whole solution was a big challenge for us.”
At this time, Cognex launched the In-Sight 2000 series vision sensors. The IS2000 not only possessed the powerful functions of the In-Sight vision system, but also had the advantages of the simplicity and affordability of vision sensors. Its powerful functions and excellent cost-performance ratio immediately attracted the technical personnel of Yanfeng Johnson and Best.
Figure 1: On-site photos
Figure 1 Description: This workstation inspects the correct installation of vehicle lock components. The components are installed at parallel angles on both sides and at a right angle in the middle (IS2000), resulting in an aesthetically pleasing and space-saving design. Once the workpiece is in place, the camera is simultaneously triggered for rigorous inspection, ensuring product quality control.
Therefore, Best Inc. proposed the concept of a "camera door" and applied the IS2000 for analysis during testing. Cognex positioning pattern tools were used for positioning, and depending on different testing requirements, the presence/absence of components, measuring tools, and mathematical logic tools were used to test the assembly of various parts of the lock. In the mechanical solution, due to the limited space, the Cognex In-Sight 2000 can be angled for easier and more aesthetically pleasing installation. The test results fully met the testing and cycle time requirements, and the product offered excellent value for money, receiving high praise from engineers from both companies.
Figure 2. Schematic diagram of vehicle lock qualification test.
Figure 2 Description: This program uses Cognex positioning pattern tools for positioning. Based on different testing requirements, it uses methods such as detection of the presence/absence of components, measurement tools, and mathematical logic tools to stably test the assembly status of various parts of the car lock.
After the debugging was completed, Mr. Wu from Best Company said, "Cognex's product has a very high cost performance. We have always known the Cognex brand, and the success of this test makes me even more confident in Cognex's problem-solving approach. We are also very gratified to be able to eliminate our customers' concerns, improve production quality, and reduce costs."
“There are many Cognex products on the production site. I used Cognex products when I first joined the company in 2014. Over the years, Cognex's technology has become more and more mature.” Mr. Zhou from Yanfeng Johnson pointed to the site and said, “We also used a smart camera solution for this project, but in comparison, this vision sensor is more economical and stable. I hope Cognex can develop even better products to adapt to the faster production pace.”
This new vision sensor is suitable for simple, error-proof applications. Its modular design, coupled with proven In-Sight vision tools and field-replaceable lighting and optics, makes it easy to set up and sets a new standard for the high value, ease of use, and flexibility of vision sensors.
The In-Sight 2000 series includes an integrated, high-performance imaging system consisting of field-changeable lenses and an LED ring light that provides uniform, diffuse illumination across the entire image, eliminating the need for expensive external lighting. Lenses and a variety of colored lights can be easily interchanged to meet specific field application requirements.
Figure 3. Schematic diagram of bicycle lock failure detection
Figure 3 Description: This program uses the pattern function in the Cognex positioning tool for positioning. According to different testing requirements, it can reliably detect that the assembly of components such as latches, springs, screws, and bolts is in a non-conforming state.
In this project, the assembly of the entire component was largely automated. Although a car lock is a small part, it safeguards the vehicle's security. The equipment's inspection process is as follows: automated assembly of the car lock; after assembly, it enters the camera gate for comprehensive inspection; to avoid affecting the inspection results of each part, a separate triggering mode is adopted, that is, the right-hand camera in the workstation is triggered first, and after the inspection result is qualified, the middle camera is triggered, and so on; if one camera detects a defective device, it directly flows to the next workstation for rejection, and the remaining cameras are not triggered; when the entire inspection equipment is completed, the workpiece proceeds to the next workstation for assembly.
Of particular note in this system is the In-Sight2000 series vision sensor, which can be configured for both tandem and right-angle mounting. This modular design offers exceptional flexibility for installation in confined spaces, simplifies wiring and optical paths, and reduces the need for new mechanical mounting hardware. Zhou, an engineer from Yanfeng Johnson, also pointed out, "This integrated design of the light source and vision system reduces faulty components and makes problem finding easier."
In mass industrial production, manual visual inspection of product quality is not only inefficient but also lacks precision. As Mr. Li from Yanfeng Johnson Equipment Department said, "Cognex's visual inspection methods have discovered subtle product defects that many human eyes cannot detect, which has also promoted the improvement of our company's production processes."
Amidst the wave of Industry 4.0 and Made in China 2025 initiatives, Cognex, a company consistently focused on innovation in machine vision technology, will provide more reliable and efficient solutions for the development of Chinese industry. Cognex will undoubtedly play a greater role in propelling China's manufacturing sector towards intelligent manufacturing.
