Automated inspections with the help of machine vision are one of the most important prerequisites on the way to a smart production facility. They enable error reduction compared to manual operation, better quality and uniformity, increased productivity, lower production costs and higher customer satisfaction - advantages that can make the difference in today's competitive environment. In recent years, sales of industrial image processing have risen by a stable 30 percent.

Productivity can only be increased if system efficiency and throughput are right. In conventional industrial image processing, however, high resolution and high frame rates can hardly be combined. For a high resolution, the frame rate must be low - and vice versa. Both can only be achieved with a modern, but more expensive CPU. The challenge is that the balance between resolution and frame rate and optimum efficiency is difficult to achieve on a tight budget.

The industrial operating environment is another decisive factor. In food and beverage production, for example, humid conditions and extreme temperatures are common, whereas machine halls are often contaminated with metal dust. Machine vision must therefore be able to adapt to very different operating conditions. Integration and communication between the individual systems pose further problems. Last but not least, the development of software solutions and the associated compatibility issues are further critical factors that often determine the success of an implementation.

Theory and practice
Increasingly smart machines on which data is generated are the key to the efficiency and effectiveness of an IoT system. Edge IoT eliminates sources of error in critical decisions and operations and improves latency and costs. Companies are taking advantage of this fact for numerous practical applications, for example in warehouse logistics.

The daily volume of parcels sent worldwide is constantly increasing. At the same time, consumers are demanding next-day or even same-day delivery. A warehouse may struggle to provide excellent customer service while delivering on time and increasing employee productivity. Vision-based IoT initiatives are transforming uncommunicative pallets into smart pallets with the Adlink Edge platform.

Communication without effort
Using the Edge platform, systems and devices can communicate with each other without huge technical effort. Digital test series can be used to configure warehouse management systems in such a way that they deliver the desired results even before they are "really" used.

The WMS transmits the daily load list with each smart camera, which therefore knows the correct belt and pallet for each parcel. The cameras read the parcel's barcode and track it through the entire warehouse system until it reaches the assigned pallet.

Parcels on the wrong pallets are recognized and marked by analysing the video recordings. The "smart pallet" can even communicate with other pallet positions at the current parcel location and tell you where it belongs. Edge IoT takes over this task directly on site, ensures a consistent assembly line speed and monitors the parcel positions using the shipping list.

Smart cameras can even determine whether the barcode has been falsified and intercept the parcel before it is forwarded in error. Thanks to real-time data streaming between the edge devices, WMS, enterprise resource planning (ERP), cloud and warehouse employees are always up to date.

Integration of stream control
The Edge platform with its manufacturer-independent technologies, a mass-market system, modular components and real-time connectivity between OT systems, IT systems and machines simplifies the integration of warehouse logistics. Thanks to numerous vision-based applications, analysis, safety, device management and ultra-modern visualization can be easily controlled.

In a controlled environment, digital test series with Adlink hardware and software have the advantage of not disrupting ongoing operations. As several tests can be carried out simultaneously, the desired answers can be obtained more quickly. With the right configuration, the ideal level of automation, transparency and business control can be achieved with minimal latency and increased reliability. as