SMALL FORM FACTOR INDUSTRIAL PCs FOR IMPLEMENTERS OF MACHINE VISION AND AUTOMATION IN LABS, FABS & FACTORIES Click on thumbnail images to enlarge The EASY (Embedded Application SYstem): an innovative PC-compatible, industrial computer and machine vision implementation platform which in an exceptionally compact, aluminum-housed package provides all of the core hardware components needed to cost-effectively develop and deploy vision systems in particular as well as other automation solutions that would benefit from unusually small, powerful, embedded PCs.    Developed by VEA member Visics Corporation (Wellesley, MA) and factory floor-tested, EASYs are delivered running Microsoft® Windows® XP, Windows® XP Embedded or Linux. They come in configurations that allow any combination of processors ranging from lean Celeron®-powered units to fully loaded Core™ Duo-based versions. Regardless of the processor power selected, one can independently dial up or down the amount of RAM (0.5 – 2 GB), Flash Disk (0 – 8 GB), and Rotating media (40-80 GB) with DVI or VGA video display, 4 to 8 USB2.0 ports, an optional 6 port GigE switch with intelligent Power Over Ethernet (POE) on all channels, an optional PLC with 16 opto-isolated, bi-directional, programmable digital I/O pin points.  An especially noteworthy feature is the embedded NxN DMA engine which by handling all incoming images as well as display related tasks enables EASYs outfitted with this option to vastly outperform PCs with equivalent processors that are handicapped by having to expend CPU resources on those demanding tasks.   The EASY is ideally suited to serve as 1) the host PC for VEA software equipped Data Matrix decoding and OCR applications that support multiple USB camera-based read stations or 2) the centralized processor in extensive automatic identification architectures composed of networked cameras.  By purchasing EASYs with the CHASSIS rapid vision solution development and implementation environment installed and bundled with the appropriate premium performance USB and/or GigE cameras, lighting and optics, OEMs, system integrators and automation engineers employed by end user companies can now obtain from a single source all of the components required to in addition to auto ID efficiently and effectively address other common machine vision tasks such as alignment, assembly verification, gauging, grading, Optical Character Verification, sorting, and various types of inspection. In situations that involve precisely controlled movement of parts, Ethernet motion control is easily accomplished by running the requisite control software on an EASY and communicating with positioning devices of choice via one or more of the EASY's Ethernet ports.  The EASY also simplifies the Human-Machine Interface (HMI). Its abundance of USB ports allows one to be dedicated to I/O associated with the touch-sensitive flat panel displays favored by many suppliers of automation solutions.   COMPACT VISION SYSTEMS FOR LAB & FACTORY AUTOMATION APPLICATIONS Click to enlarge The SmallFrEYE_PC provides vision-integrated equipment designers, automation specialists, quality control types and manufacturing engineers with an economical, compact, flexible and user-friendly vision system to use in monitoring laboratory and factory operations, controlling the associated processes and whenever circumstances warrant enabling the requisite levels of product traceability to be achieved.  Currently incorporating modules that are applicable to many of the alignment, assembly verification, defect detection, gauging/dimensional characterization, surface inspection, symbol/character verification, and automatic identification/product traceability related tasks that abound in the aerospace, automatic test equipment (ATE), automotive, cosmetics, electronics, medical, pharmaceutical, printing/converting and semiconductor industries, new modules are added incrementally whenever enough customers require a new function to justify the development of an appropriate tool. The systems are delivered ready to install and operate on easily upgradeable Intel Pentium 4 processor-powered PCs running Windows XP. Configured with an appropriate Firewire camera/lens/lighting combination and depending on the customer’s requirements outfitted with cards that support computer-controlled illumination, I/O, and networking, it is possible for OEMs, system integrators, and experienced engineers employed by end user organizations to obtain the SmallFrEYE_PC’s application software unbundled, purchase the requisite hardware components from suitable suppliers and configure their systems in-house. Set up and configured software–wise using simple GUI screens, SmallFrEYE_PCs offer multi-level password protection, include data management functions and feature diagnostic tools.     Originally developed and used to enhance the efficiency, accuracy and reliability of operations routinely carried out during the manufacture of electronic devices and components, the SmallFrEYE_PC’s architecture supports multi-tasking and its modular software design enables various functional blocks to be combined and exercised as needed to address an ever increasing array of vision-based automation tasks.  Part detection, pin 1 detection, package location, mark inspection/Optical Character Verification (OCV), 2D Ball Grid Array (BGA) inspection, Chip Scale Packaging (CSP) pad inspection, various types of device lead inspection, pattern recognition, package surface inspection, ECC080 and ECC200 Data Matrix decoding, 1D bar code decoding, Optical Character Recognition (OCR) and a collection of general purpose measurement tools are the main modules that have been used extensively to provide fast, accurate and repeatable results during the production of integrated circuits.  Readers and prospective purchasers are strongly encouraged to submit suggestions regarding capabilities of interest to them which if added would significantly increase the SmallFrEYE_PC’s levels of appeal and acceptance in non-electronics related arenas. 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