Omron has introduced new colour models to its ZFV range of vision sensors. Its main benefit is still its ease of use; the ‘teach & go’ concept allows an inspection routine to be configured in just a few steps using the sensor’s integrated, high-resolution colour LCD screen and simple menu system. The screen provides live colour image display during set-up and operation, and instant feedback during the inspection process. A choice of controllers provides the tools to perform reliable and repeatable inspections which were previously the territory of Machine Vision Systems.
Use of the new ZFV colour sensor instead of the conventional monochrome sensor widens the choice of applications and increases the stability of measurement. Through its automatic colour filter function, image contrast is increased, making measurements more reliable. There are seven colour filters in total; the one that obtains the most suitable contrast is automatically selected, so users do not need to worry about colour setting parameters.
The ZFV is easily expandable; controllers can be added as required to expand the functionality of the system. Up to five controllers can be connected together to perform multiple inspections on a work-piece.
The ZFV contains up to eight different inspection tools. These sophisticated tools offer flexibility for solving inspection problems. The tools are Counting (number), Pattern (shape), Area (size), Position; Brightness, Width, Character (text) and Hue (colour).
Four adjustable sensing heads are available with the ZFV. A Focus Adjustment function eliminates the need to change the head for different sizes of work-pieces. The range of detection heads is now larger than ever before, extending the field of view to 150 mm. This enables the inspection of large work-pieces that could not be previously handled.
The ZFV has eight memory ‘banks’ so it is very simple to change the sensor when a different product line is being manufactured. The ZFV to colour version also features USB and RS-232C interfaces for connection to a personal computer, enabling the easy downloading of data and results. Software for remotely configuring the sensor will be available later this year.