What is hyperspectral machine vision ?
Before launching into this topic, let’s get comfortable with a few terms:
Hyperspectral: 1) Any technique that employs a large part of the electromagnetic spectrum, especially those parts of the spectrum invisible to the eye; 2) Very high-definition spectral imaging.
Machine vision (also known as Computer Vision): 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 refers to many technologies, software and hardware products, integrated systems, actions, methods and expertise. It attempts to integrate existing technologies in new ways and apply them to solve real-world problems.
Hyperspectral machine vision systems analyze the molecular properties of objects being investigated and create a chemical fingerprint of the materials that comprise them.
What are some real-world problems that hyperspectral machine vision helps solve?
Though there are multiple industrial applications of hyperspectral machine vision, today we are going to focus on three that are promoted by a key Integrys supplier, Perception Park, an Austrian company passionate about hyperspectral machine vision.
1) Chemical color imaging (CCI) for pharmaceuticals: In the pharmaceutical industry manufacturing capacities are growing rapidly all over the world, requiring faster and more complex production processes. To reduce the risk of product recalls and to protect consumers from contaminated drugs, strict safety regulations and guidelines have been put in place to optimize and monitor pharmaceutical production processes. Inspection systems are fundamental to this. Vision systems are already state of the art with respect to evaluating products according to shape, size, weight etc. in real time. CCI now enables a 100% inspection of pharmaceuticals according to molecular properties.
The image above illustrates how Perception Park CCI technology can be applied to pharmaceuticals, in this case detecting the content of different capsules. Hospitals and retirement and nursing homes administer personalized drugs that are often manually mixed and packed by pharmacists. The first and the third (from the left) of the four capsules above were filled with Respicure, the second was filled with Silybum Marianum and the fourth was filled with nothing. CCI allows for quick identification of the content of capsules, ensuring the patients receive the right drugs—which can be a matter of life and death.
2) Wood moisture measurement: The quality requirements of wood industry customers are increasing dramatically. The measurement of humidity is an important quality marker in professional wood processing. Hyperspectral imaging can now be used to quickly and accurately indicate moisture content (MC) in wood, a major indicator of product quality and hence price and producer margins. In the example below the moisture levels of a piece of spruce were measured using hyperspectral technology and a regular wood moisture meter. The portion of the wood on the left captured with CCI clearly shows the distribution of moisture within the wood, helping in a non-destructive manner quickly determine the quality and thus value of the wood.
3) Fruit quality measurement: Every year tons of food is wasted, compromising the bottom line of companies in many sectors of the food industry. Purchasers of food, be they grocery sotres, restaurants or the end consumer, can be fanatical about food quality and are loath to purchase fruit, for example, that is bruised. Bruises are an indicator that the fruit is in the process of decay, but are often not visible to the naked eye. With hyperspectral imaging, however, it is possible to make the invisible visible with a non-destructive technique for fruit quality analysis.
As Computer Vision using Hyperspectral imaging is relatively new to many, Integrys has invested in setting up a Hyperspectral imaging station in their engineering laboratory. We would like to offer qualified customers an opportunity to review samples of their materials/parts in our lab and consult with our team of experts on application details.
Click Below to begin evaluating your samples in our Hyperspectral Imaging lab
 Perception Park is a company with a passion for Hyperspectral Imaging and the focus on generic and configurable hyperspectral data processing solutions for industrial inline applications.
Their unique technology Chemical Colour Imaging (CCI) makes complex hyperspectral data on a molecular level usable for machine vision. Hyperspectral imaging systems combined generic, intuitive configurable data processing platform to make the scientific methods of hyperspectral analysis accessible for everyone and open up new application areas. |
Resonon is a rapidly-growing, high-technology company that provides an exciting and friendly working environment. The company designs, manufactures, and supports hyperspectral imagers and related hardware and software. They provide complete hyperspectral imaging systems as well as custom hardware and software solutions with compact, cost effective cameras.
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Machine vision technology has gone through a constant development process over the past few decades and Perception Park, with its expertise in chemical color imaging, has developed an impressive range of solutions in hyperspectral machine vision with myriad real-world applications. Click here to contact Integrys to learn how our partnerships with Perception Park and Resonon could help your company optimize its operations through hyperspectral machine vision.
