Search results

To draw attention to some recent developments in machine vision equipment.

Presents advances in light emitting diode (LED) lighting, cameras and software, and gives examples of new products and their capabilities.

New thermal management techniques allow LED lights to take over many machine vision illumination systems. Lights and cameras can be ruggedised to withstand wash down. Standard interfacing is being adopted for machine vision cameras.

Highlights some new products which have applications including the food industry.

Describes the properties and uses of a new colour‐change chemical for laser‐printing of human and machine‐readable data.

Presents the characteristics and modes of application of the chemical, its advantages over the current techniques of inkjet printing and laser‐marking, and a number of applications which show its distinctive features.

This chemical gives faster throughput and better print clarity than existing laser scribing processes, and opens up new anti‐counterfeiting techniques.

Draws attention to an invention that will make an impact on factory date‐coding procedures.

To review the use of near‐infrared (NIR) spectroscopy in the process control of foodstuffs.

Presents two spectroscopy products used in the production environment: a single‐board system aimed at OEMs, and a complete fibre‐optic spectrometer ready for the end‐user. Gives examples of applications within the food and drink industry.

Finds that these instruments are fast, effective and inexpensive, and rugged enough for the processing environment.

Draws attention to the potential of NIR spectroscopy outside the confines of the laboratory.

This paper reviews bowl feeders with optical sensors, used in industrial automation and assembly, describing their advantages over mechanically tooled bowl feeders, their underlying technology and development trends.

To describe a new substrate for use in surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS).

Novel SERS substrates have been produced by the nanometre‐scale patterning of gold surfaces on silicon. This forms photonic crystals which tightly control the physics of the surface enhanced Raman amplification process, producing consistent SERS signals.

It has been shown that these substrates can increase significantly the sensitivity and reproducibility of SERS.

These substrates will allow SERS to be used in critical applications requiring high sensitivity detection of chemical compounds such as security, forensics, healthcare and environmental monitoring.

To examine the possibilities for dry calibration or in situ calibration for flowmeters in the field.

Reviews history and current situation with regard to in situ/dry calibration of flowmeters. Its acceptability for modern flowmeters is considered. Various options are considered to achieve dry calibration or in situ calibration. The possibility of action at a distance via the internet, for example, naturally follows from these developments.

The paper concludes that this development is likely to be of importance to manufacturers. It will need to be addressed by certification authorities.

The concepts will reduce the cost of calibration and the discussion should be of value to research workers, industry and government.

The paper draws together a range of somewhat unusual machine vision applications, with an integrating overview.

The National Centre for Engineering in Agriculture is amassing a portfolio of projects involving machine vision. These include identification of animal species, visual counting of macadamia nuts, analysis of animal behaviour and a number of quality control functions. DirectX tools have been developed and are applicable across a wide range of applications, while theory is extended in several ways.

Most of the projects are still in progress, but results are reported on the degree of success of a range of methods. Strategies and algorithms are discussed.

Vision‐based solutions are applied to a diversity of tasks. There will be a continuing stream of such problems with abundant opportunities for research.

The projects are in essence practical, although they have inspired new methodologies. They are conducted in close collaboration with the industries involved and will be deemed to have failed if the outcome is not put to commercial use.

The paper draws together a portfolio of projects, allowing an analysis to be made of the features that unite and differentiate them. It will be of interest to both researchers and those with instrumentation problems.

This paper discusses the size and structure of the global biosensor market which is presently dominated by medical applications.

It considers a number of recent developments based on nanotechnology.

Identifies homeland security as an emerging area offering significant prospects for technological innovation and market growth.

Of interest to those concerned with technology developments.

Feathermoss is ubiquitous in the boreal forest and across various land‐cover types of the arctic and subarctic. A variety of affordable commercial sensors for soil moisture content measurement have recently become available and are in use in such regions, often in conjunction with fire‐susceptibility or ecological studies. Few come supplied with calibrations suitable or suggested for soils high in organics. Aims to test seven of these sensors for use in feathermoss, seeking calibrations between sensor output and volumetric water content.

Measurements from seven sensors installed in live, dead and burned feathermoss samples, drying in a controlled manner, were compared to moisture content measurements. Empirical calibrations of sensor output to water content were determined.

Almost all of the sensors tested were suitable for measuring the moss sample water content, and a unique calibration for each sensor for this material is presented. Differences in sensor design lead to changes in sensitivity as a function of volumetric water content, affecting the spatial averaging over the soil measurement volume.

The wide range of electromagnetic sensors available include frequency and time domain designs with variations in wave guide and sensor geometry, the location of sensor electronics and operating frequency.

This study provides information for extending the use of electromagnetic sensors to feathermoss.

A comparison of volumetric water content sensor mechanics and design is of general interest to researchers measuring soil water content. In particular, researchers working in wetlands, boreal forests and tundra regions will be able to apply these results.