New edge inspection tools available with Cognex In-Sight Explorer 4.4 Software

NATICK, MA, USA, 25. February 2010, Cognex announced In-Sight® Explorer 4.4, a new software release for its In-Sight vision systems. In-Sight Explorer 4.4 adds new color tools, improved calibration and expanded data access within its EasyBuilder® configuration software, and expands support for larger line scan images. The new software also introduces InspectEdge™, a powerful and easy-to-use new family of tools for detecting edge defects and inspecting edge pairs.

“In-Sight Explorer 4.4 makes Cognex In-Sight systems more powerful, flexible, and easy to use than ever,” said Bhaskar Banerjee, Business Unit Manager for Vision Systems. “The addition of the InspectEdge tool family will enable many new applications that could not be performed reliably with existing edge detection tools.”

In-Sight’s new InspectEdge tool gives users unprecedented flexibility to solve vision applications that rely on accurate edge detection, such as finding dents in can lids or edge cracks in solar wafers. InspectEdge finds gaps and defects in both straight and circular-shaped edges, and can inspect the width of features for gaps and defects by tracking multiple edge pairs. Support for irregular shapes in InspectEdge enables better performance on challenging width inspections, such as automotive glue beads. The tool’s graphical user interface makes it simple to set up an edge inspection, and also gives users more flexibility to define defect criteria such as size, area and distance, and the ability specify outliers in order to eliminate noise.

In-Sight Explorer 4.4 software also includes:

• New color tools in EasyBuilder that simplify the process of color training. Trained colors can now be shared among multiple tools, and new application-specific color tools make the task of solving color applications easy and flexible.
• More powerful distortion correction for line-scan cameras, and support of up to 8192 lines for large part imaging.
• Improved 32 point calibration in the In-Sight spreadsheet and more calibration options within EasyBuilder with easier access to pattern, blob, and edge data.
• A position timing feature for scheduling programmed and job complete discrete outputs.

Available in a wide range of models to meet any price and performance requirement, In-Sight vision systems set the standard for automated inspection and quality assurance across a wide range of industries. In-Sight’s EasyBuilder configuration software helps users of all experience levels to quickly set up their entire In-Sight application—no programming or spreadsheet knowledge required. In-Sight vision systems can be easily integrated with any factory network or automation control system and feature an optional operator display panel for monitoring the runtime operation of any In-Sight vision system on the network.

In-Sight Explorer 4.4 software is available now. For more information and to download software, visit www.cognex.com/explorer.

Cognex
Cognex Corporation designs, develops, manufactures, and markets machine vision sensors and systems, or devices that can "see." Cognex vision sensors are used in factories around the world to automate the manufacture of a wide range of items and to assure their quality. Cognex is the world's leader in the machine vision industry, having shipped more than 500,000 machine vision systems, representing over $2 billion in cumulative revenue, since the company's founding in 1981. In addition to its corporate headquarters in Natick, Massachusetts, Cognex also has regional offices and distributors located throughout North America, Japan, Europe, Asia, and Latin America. Visit Cognex on-line at http://www.cognex.com.