Vision systems are automated devices for recognising and processing images.
In contrast to vision sensors, which only perform simple optical yes/no checks, vision systems can recognise complex situations, ‘read out’ specific information from them and process it further.
Vision systems consist of various components for this purpose:
➡️ Camera
➡️ Lens
➡️ Light source
➡️ Interface for image processing
The technical range of all components is, of course, enormous, depending on the application.
The decisive component is the image processing interface. This refers to a graphics processor that uses programmed algorithms to recognise certain visual features or patterns and derives the next actions from them.
A concrete example: In a fully automated production line for a bicycle lock, individual components are fed in loosely and unsorted. A vision system reads the position of the components in the feed and uses this to derive a safe and efficient gripping operation for a handling robot.
