FLIR Photon User Manual

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Chapter 4
and includes the ability to dene
complex pass/fail decisions, control
digital I/O, and communicate with serial
or Ethernet devices, such as PLCs, PCs,
and HMIs. Similar features are available in
Common Vision Blox, a Stemmer Imaging
product that contains hardware- and
language-independent tools and libraries
for imaging professionals.
By using third party software to get much
of the analytics, command, and control
functions out of the camera and onto a
PC, application possibilities are greatly
expanded. One possibility is creating a
mixed camera system. For instance, IR
cameras could be used to supply thermal
images and temperature data, while
visible light cameras could provide “white
light” color recognition.
The food processing industry is one in
which higher level analytics are used with
IR cameras for automated machine vision
applications. A broad area of applications
where IR vision systems excel is in 100%
inspection of cooked food items coming
out of a continuous conveyor oven. A
primary concern is making sure the
items have been thoroughly cooked,
which can be determined by having
the camera measure their temperature,
which is illustrated in Figure 6 for
hamburger patties. This can be done by
dening measurement spots or areas
corresponding to the locations of burgers
as they exit the oven. If the temperature
of a burger is too low, the machine
vision program logic not only provides
an alarm, but also displays an image to
the oven operator to show the specic
burger that should be removed from the
line. As in other applications, minimum,
maximum, and average temperatures can
be collected for specic burgers or the
FOV as a whole and used for trending and
SPC purposes.
Figure 6. IR machine vision image for
checking hamburger doneness by measuring
temperature
In another example involving chicken
tenders, temperature is again used to
check for proper cooking. The pieces
come out of the oven and drop onto
another conveyor in more or less random
locations (Figure 7). The operator can
use the thermographic image to locate
undercooked items within the randomly
spaced parts and then remove them from
the conveyor.
In the production of frozen entrées,
IR machine vision can use pattern
recognition software to check for proper
lling of food tray compartments.
Find any number of
edges
Set up coordinate
systems
Find and match
patterns
Acquire with IEEE 1394
and GigE cameras
Detect and measure
objects
Calibrate measurements
to real-world units
Perform advanced
geometric analysis
Find and measure
straight edges
Find circular edges
Make caliper distance
measurements
Make pass/fail
decisions
Read text (OCR)
Communicate with
external devices suc
h
as PLCs
Measureintensity
Read 1D and 2D
bar codes
Figure 3. Examples of the many functions
available in Vision Builder for automated
inspection

FLIR Photon Specifications

General

Brand	FLIR
Model	Photon
Category	IP Camera
Language	English