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 refers to many 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 computer science. It attempts to integrate existing technologies in new ways and apply them to solve real world problems. The term is the prevalent one for these functions in industrial automation environments but is also used for these functions in other environment vehicle guidance.
Automation describes a wide range of technologies that reduce human intervention in processes, mainly by predetermining decision criteria, subprocess relationships, and related actions, as well as embodying those predeterminations in machines. Automation has been achieved by various means including mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic, electrical, electronic devices, and computers, usually in combination. Complicated systems, such as modern factories, airplanes, and ships typically use combinations of all of these techniques. The benefit of automation includes labor savings, reducing waste, savings in electricity costs, savings in material costs, and improvements to quality, accuracy, and precision.
National Instruments Corporation, doing business as NI, is an American multinational company with international operation. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, it is a producer of automated test equipment and virtual instrumentation software. Common applications include data acquisition, instrument control and machine vision. Since October 2023, NI operates as Emerson Electric's Test and Measurement business unit after getting acquired.
A smart camera (sensor) or intelligent camera (sensor) or (smart) vision sensor or intelligent vision sensor or smart optical sensor or intelligent optical sensor or smart visual sensor or intelligent visual sensor is a machine vision system which, in addition to image capture circuitry, is capable of extracting application-specific information from the captured images, along with generating event descriptions or making decisions that are used in an intelligent and automated system. A smart camera is a self-contained, standalone vision system with built-in image sensor in the housing of an industrial video camera. The vision system and the image sensor can be integrated into one single piece of hardware known as intelligent image sensor or smart image sensor. It contains all necessary communication interfaces, e.g. Ethernet, as well as industry-proof 24V I/O lines for connection to a PLC, actuators, relays or pneumatic valves, and can be either static or mobile. It is not necessarily larger than an industrial or surveillance camera. A capability in machine vision generally means a degree of development such that these capabilities are ready for use on individual applications. This architecture has the advantage of a more compact volume compared to PC-based vision systems and often achieves lower cost, at the expense of a somewhat simpler (or omitted) user interface. Smart cameras are also referred to by the more general term smart sensors.
SPIE is an international not-for-profit professional society for optics and photonics technology, founded in 1955. It organizes technical conferences, trade exhibitions, and continuing education programs for researchers and developers in the light-based fields of physics, including: optics, photonics, and imaging engineering. The society publishes peer-reviewed scientific journals, conference proceedings, monographs, tutorial texts, field guides, and reference volumes in print and online. SPIE is especially well-known for Photonics West, one of the laser and photonics industry's largest combined conferences and tradeshows which is held annually in San Francisco. SPIE also participates as partners in leading educational initiatives, and in 2020, for example, provided more than $5.8 million in support of optics education and outreach programs around the world.
The Design Automation Conference, or DAC, is an annual event, a combination of a technical conference and a trade show, both specializing in electronic design automation (EDA).
Hisense Group is a Chinese multinational major appliance and electronics manufacturer headquartered in Qingdao, Shandong Province, China. Televisions are the main products of Hisense, and it is the largest TV manufacturer in China by market share since 2004. Hisense is also an OEM, so some of its products are sold to other companies and carry brand names not related to Hisense.
Pleora Technologies Inc. is a privately held Canadian company that specializes in video transmitters and receivers that enable the streaming of data or video in real-time over standard Gigabit Ethernet networks. The company was founded in 2000 by George Chamberlain and Alain Rivard.
The Poznań International Fair is the biggest industrial fair in Poland. It is held on the Poznań fairground in Poland. Poznań International Fair is located in the centre of the city opposite the main railway station – Poznań Główny, in the centre of Poland and in the centre of Europe.
The European Photonics Industry Consortium (EPIC) is a not-for-profit association with headquarters in Paris, France. EPIC serves the photonics community through a regular series of workshops, market studies and partnering. EPIC focuses its actions on LEDs and OLEDs for lighting, optical fiber telecommunications, laser manufacturing, sensors, photovoltaics and photonics for life sciences. EPIC coordinates its activities internationally through its membership in the International Optoelectronics Association.
The IEEE Robotics and Automation Society is a professional society of the IEEE that supports the development and the exchange of scientific knowledge in the fields of robotics and automation, including applied and theoretical issues.
EMO is a European trade show for the manufacturing industries. It occurs every odd-numbered year, with a cycle that finds it at the Hanover Fairground in Hanover, Germany for 2 shows, then the Fiera Milano exhibition center in Milan, Italy for 1 show.
Comau is an Italian multinational company in the automation field based in Turin, Italy. It is a part of the automaker Stellantis. The company is present in 13 countries and employs 4,000 people.
LIA - The Laser Institute is an international professional society with a focus on laser applications and laser safety. LIA was founded on February 7, 1968, as the Laser Industry Association, and acts as secretariat to the Accredited Standards Committee (ASC) Z136, which develops and maintains the Z136 series of laser safety standards. LIA is publisher of these American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Z136 laser safety standards, which provide the foundation of laser safety programs nationally.
RNA Automation, a member of Rhein-Nadel Automation, was established in Birmingham UK, in 1986, and has progressed into becoming the major supplier of parts handling equipment in the UK. The company operates in the area of specialized Automation engineering, providing automatic parts handling equipment for high volume production in the cosmetics, pharmaceutical, electronics, food and metal working industries, with seven manufacturing facilities across Europe and North America and a network of sales and service outlets across the globe.
The Association for Advancing Automation (A3) is an international trade group that serves the robotics industry. It was founded in 1974 and is headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The organization is involved in safety standards for robots, and sponsors robotics conferences. On April 14, 2021 the Robotic Industries Association, AIA-Advancing Vision + Imaging (AIA), the Motion Control and Motors Association (MCMA), and A3 Mexico merged into A3, which had long acted as a long acted as an umbrella organisation for the individual trade organizations.
EPIC Systems, Inc. is an American multi-discipline engineering and fabrication firm located in Saint Louis, Missouri. EPIC's name is an acronym which stands for “Electrical, Process, Instrumentation and Control Systems”. EPIC was founded in 1995 as a privately held automation firm and has grown to include divisions for complete modular process plants and systems, integrated packaging and assembly lines, custom machinery manufacturing, and machine vision system integration.
The British Automation and Robot Association (BARA) is a UK trade membership organisation headquartered in Wallington, Surrey.
Mengchu Zhou is a Chinese Distinguished Professor of electrical and computer engineering in the Helen and John C. Hartmann Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering at New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) and at Macau University of Science and Technology. He is the Chairman of IKAS Industries of Shenzhen in China and a Board Member of OneSmart Education Group headquartered in China.
The Processing and Packaging Machinery Association (PPMA) is a UK trade membership organisation headquartered in Wallington, Surrey.
