Setting up a full project

1. Investigate the Environment

  • Lighting, Dust, and Movement: Assess the stability of the environment.

    • A more stable environment without dynamic lights, shadows can significantly reduce costs.

    • If you are in control of the environment, make sure no external movement occurs in the detection zone.

2. Assess What Needs to be Checked

Considerations:

  • Object Alignment: Do objects change alignment/angle? Can objects be detected without AI modules?

  • Object Speed: High-speed objects may require cameras with higher shutter speeds.

  • Surface Characteristics: Proper lighting can drastically reduce detection difficulty.

  • Lighting: If lighting can not be controlled and dynamic, the problem most certainly should be solved with AI.

3. Determine if AI is Required

  • Vision Methods: If methods outside AI can't solve the problem robustly, AI might be necessary.

  • Cost Consideration: Solving problems without AI can reduce costs significantly.

4. Experiment with What You Have

  • Camera/Lighting Angles and Colors: Experiment/think to see if different angles and colors make the problem easier to solve.

5. Purchase and Test Camera/Lighting

Camera

  • High Shutter Speed: Requires more powerful lighting. Allows faster detection.

  • Global Shutter: Recommended to minimize distortion.

  • Resolution: Resolution is also important:

    • Higher: Higher resolution cameras may detect smaller details better. However, takes longer to process.

    • Lower: May solve your problem better.

    To check if your resolution is enough, it's always more accurate to buy a dummy camera before hand. You can follow the to steps check if the resolution is good enough:

    • Use AugeLab Studio and inspect the image. Is the detail you are looking for clearly visible?

    • If visible, calculate the mm/pixel ratio using a simple ruler and assess the precision.

Lighting

  • LED Lights: Recommended to avoid flickering from other light sources.

  • Soft LED Lights: Sometimes, using soft LED lights may reduce reflections.

  • Reflecting off a Surface: Leaving the object under indirect lighting, reflecting of a surface can prove softer lighting.

6. Buy Correct Hardware and Configuration

  • PC/Lighting/Camera: Based on the questions above, choose the correct PC setup for your project.

  • Correct Cables: Ensure you have the correct communication or power cables for dummy or GigE cameras.

  • Network Connectivity: Ensure all devices are connected to the same network or router.

7. Test and Iterate Your Solution

  • Continuously test and iterate to refine your setup for potential errors.

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