Product: HALCON 7.0 (Machine Vision Software)
Manufacturer: MVTec Software GmbH, Munich
Innovative 3D tools for robotics, enhanced bar code reading, image mosaicking – and the best pattern matching ever! With the new version 7.0, MVTec Software GmbH strengthens HALCON’s position as a comprehensive software for machine vision used worldwide. HALCON 7.0 opens up new application areas while simplifying the solution to many difficult machine vision tasks.
HALCON’s pattern matching is a featured key technology, invaluable for many fields of machine vision such as positioning, print inspection, and quality control. This shape-based matching overcomes arbitrary illumination changes, translation, rotation, occlusion, scaling, or perspective distortions. Version 7.0 furthers HALCON’s technological leadership with a shape-based matching tool that is faster, more user-friendly, and even more robust than in previous versions. Models for all orientations and scales can be generated even when using the most difficult templates. Unique to this new version, the model may be composed of components that can move with respect to each other. This component-based matching gives HALCON 7.0 maximum flexibility in recognizing objects.
Robotics and semiconductor industries are targeted with brand new stereo tools. In these and many other industries it is getting more and more important to consider the third dimension for optical inspection. Now, for the first time, the 3D shape of objects can be measured using a machine vision software that supports many standard platforms. HALCON 7.0 calculates the 3D data required for these tasks highly accurately and interprets them in the blink of an eye.
HALCON’s bar code and data code reader have proved their capabilities in innumerable applications world-wide. Version 7.0 makes the reading of data codes even more robust and user-friendly. The identification of a code works extremely reliably, even when the code is etched or embossed on metal surfaces, or when the code appears disturbed, mirrored, or inverse. In addition to the supported Data Matrix Code ECC 200, HALCON now also supports the QR code.
Traditionally, when an application requires images with high resolution, it has been necessary to install a high resolution camera. Now it is possible to use multiple, cost-effective standard resolution cameras instead: HALCON 7.0 introduces image mosaicking, a new technique that automatically combines images of an arbitrary number of cameras into a single large high resolution image without calibration. This opens up many new alternative solutions in such different areas as surveillance or PCB inspection.
HALCON’s color image processing introduces additional revolutionary features: A novel method facilitates the subpixel-precise extraction of color edges and lines. This means that for the first time in machine vision history, accurate measurements are possible for color images.
HALCON 7.0 also provides the latest technology in classification. The new classifier is based on special neural networks and results in several improvements. For example, HALCON’s already very powerful optical character recognition (OCR) has become even more reliable, and also works under the most difficult conditions. New preprocessing operators have significantly improved the reading of dot prints on metal surfaces or on adversely textured backgrounds. Texture analysis also benefits from the enhanced classification – for example, scratches, inclusions, or oxides are detected and classified reliably in surface inspection tasks.
Another important feature of HALCON 7.0 is the rectification of complex image distortions. With this new feature, users can perform precise measurements also on curved surfaces like bottles or beverage cans. A further advantage: Even heavy distortions of lenses can now be rectified to allow postprocessing operations like OCR or bar code reading to be performed reliably.
Furthermore, HALCON’s intuitive development tool HDevelop is enhanced substantially. Users can now generate and use procedures, which makes large projects easier to handle and thus further cuts down development time. Of course, procedures can be exported into the target languages supported by HDevelop: C, C++, and Microsoft Visual Basic.
The key to the full power of HALCON is its extensive documentation. In addition to the online and printed manuals, a new, interactive "Quick Guide" helps new customers as well as advanced HALCON programmers to rapidly find relevant data, descriptions, application examples, and recommended programming techniques.
Moreover, HALCON 7.0 includes many further improvements such as a simplified handling of perspective transformations and subpixel-precise detection of significant points in an image.
Further information about HALCON is available at www.mvtec.com/halcon.
Caption (for image file halcon7-component-based-matching.tif):
The new component-based matching recognizes objects robustly, even if parts of the objects can move with respect to each other.
MVTec Software GmbH
(Contact: Tobias Wosegien)
Neherstr. 1
D-81675 München
Tel. +49 89 457695-0
Fax +49 89 457695-55