Color Fuse Inspection

[Maharlika]

I'm would like to inspect the color fuses on a fuse block with the following to check:

1. Inspect if the fuseblock, as compared to a specific fuseblock model, has fuses with the right color and right marking (be able to tell even if the fuse is inserted upside down).

2. For adding a new fuseblock model, be able to "train" the software with the new layout of the fuses, including the fuses' right color and marking.

How am I gonna do this? Please help..thanks.

Maharlika

[ThSa]

Maharlika,

it would be a little bit easier, if I knew which SW you use...
If you have installed the Vision Builder for Automated Inspection, you will find one example which achieve approx 40% of your exercise. It is called "Color Inspection".
To have access on further examples navigate to C:\Programme\National Instruments\LabVIEW 8.0\examples\Vision\2. Functions\Pattern Matching or C:\Programme\National Instruments\LabVIEW 8.0\examples\Vision\2. Functions\Color

If you have further questions, don't hesitate to ask!
Best regards,
ThSa

[Maharlika]

Thanks alot ThSA, i'll try your suggestion and post my comments. Thanks.

Maharlika

[zio]

on a more theoretical note, you could check-out this article, rather old now, but interesting.
www.machinevisiononline.org/public/articles/mcconnell.PDF
have fun!

[Maharlika]

Hi ThSA,

I'm using LabView 7.1 and I saw the vision examples you've mentioned. But could you spare me your technical advise to further enlighten me with my queries:

1. I have a new fuseblock with a fuse-holder layout as shown in the attached "Fuse Block1.jpg ".  For the "training mode", how am I going to make this new fuseblock as the reference/template/model for the succeeding fuseblocks with similar fuse layout?

2. Am i going to capture the image of the individual fuse or take the image of the fuseblock as a whole?

3. For the "testing mode" where i'll be inspecting other fuseblock against the template I'll be creating, how am I going to use the images i captured as stated in question #2?

4. Are there any codes that i could refer to that pop-up screens to display the location of the fuse that failed, as well as the actual   color fuse that should be in that location?

Hope you could help me with this. Thanks for whatever technical advice you could spare.

/Maharlika

[ThSa]

Hi Maharlika,

I'll try to answer your questions...

    1. I have a new fuseblock with a fuse-holder layout as shown in the attached "Fuse Block1.jpg ".  For the "training mode", how am I going to make this new fuseblock as the reference/template/model for the succeeding fuseblocks with similar fuse layout?

One example, located in this folder: C:\Programme\National Instruments\LabVIEW 7.1\examples\Vision\2. Functions\Color Pattern Matching, shows the way to "create" a new pattern. A large pattern needs approx 30sec. to learn, and the search algorithm needs approx. 110ms for the resolution of your example picture. I am not sure if you could detect minor changes within the picture. You have to evaluate with "good" and "bad" pictures the right score, because the template is quiet big and perhaps, minor changes show only a little difference in the score!

    2. Am i going to capture the image of the individual fuse or take the image of the fuseblock as a whole?

The approach and problems for the whole fuseblock as template are described above. The other way to make a fast inspection is to recgonize the color intensity on specific points (e.g. of every slot) within the picture. The function for this operation is called IMAQ ColorHistogram. Out of this function you will get Hue, Saturation and Luminance. Saturation and Luminance is not important, only Hue is necessary to determine which color is present. In this case, you have to determine empirical the value range for specific colors. Pattern matching for every fuse takes a long time, but in this case you would have to determine afterwards whether the matches are at the right location.

    3. For the "testing mode" where i'll be inspecting other fuseblock against the template I'll be creating, how am I going to use the images i captured as stated in question #2?

C:\Programme\National Instruments\LabVIEW 7.1\examples\Vision\2. Functions\Color Pattern Matching -> the located example in this folder shows the way to inspect several input pictures.

    4. Are there any codes that i could refer to that pop-up screens to display the location of the fuse that failed, as well as the actual   color fuse that should be in that location?

Either you can use Overlay-Functions as a temporary announcement or  you can use "Pixel Manipulation" functions to draw text or forms on the picture. If you save the picture afterwards and you have used the 1st method, you will see nothing except the original picture. With the 2nd method you will see the original picture with customized additional information. If you want to specify the slot which includes the "false" fuse, the pattern matching of the entire fuse box will be the wrong way. To specify wrong fuses you have to use either the "color measurement" method or to generate for every fuse its own pattern. The complexity for the analysis-logic is for both methods nearly the same...

Best regards,
ThSa

[Maharlika]

Hi ThSa,

Super thanks, thanks alot for these info. I'll be doing your advice and give you feedback afterwards.

Again, thanks, and please accept my warmest regards.

[Maharlika]

Hi ThSA,

Got some confusion here:

1. Let say for example i have 2-column and 10-row color fuseblock. I want to "train" a 30A pink fuse inserted on slot Column1-Row10, and I also want to "train" a 30A pink fuse inserted on slot Column2-Row5. Both locations have different lighting conditions that would definitely affect my "inspection" for the succeeding fuseblocks. "Train" means that LV will learn the COLOR and MARKING of the fuse on a specific location on the fuseblock. My questions:

- During the "training", how could I separately "train" the 30A pink fuses inserted on both locations?

- Do I have to use OCR to "train" the MARKING on the fuses?

- Is there a way that the I could say that the 30A pink fuse is for Column1-Row10 only, or for Column3-Row5 only? Do I have to specify the fuses' coordinates? If yes, how is it done?  

I tried pattern matching.vi but i couldn't get desirable outcome. Please help me clarifty these issues.

Thanks alot for the info.

[allen_h]

Hello Maharlika,

In response to your questions:

- During the "training", how could I separately "train" the 30A pink fuses inserted on both locations?

You could create two separate templates (see the Learn Template step of the Color Pattern Matching example).  If you have these templates saved as image files on your computer already, you can use the IMAQ ReadFile function to import them into LabVIEW.  After you have your two templates, you could programmatically check if the current fuse picture matches either of the templates.

You could also try adjusting the Search Parameters such as the color sensitivity (see the Color Pattern Matching example).


- Do I have to use OCR to "train" the MARKING on the fuses?

You can use OCR if you want to recognize specific characters.
You can also try pattern matching to learn a small template of the specific marking, and then adjust the Search parameters and the minimum score for the match.


- Is there a way that the I could say that the 30A pink fuse is for Column1-Row10 only, or for Column3-Row5 only? Do I have to specify the fuses' coordinates? If yes, how is it done? 

You can specify different Regions of Interests (ROI) to search within.  See the following example:
C:\Program Files\National Instruments\LabVIEW 7.1\examples\Vision\2. Functions\Color\ColorMatching Example

Hope this helps!

Allen H.

[Maharlika]

Hi Allen,

Thanks alot, i'll try your suggestion and give you feedback afterwards. Thanks again.