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Outlines the factors causing the automotive industry to increase machine vision application, reviews new developments in vision technology that are targeted at expanding and improving it use in the automotive industry, reports on an innovative application of vision guided robotics at DaimlerChrysler

Focuses on the JL Automation Company of Sunderland, a major supplier of both turnkey and OEM solutions for the quality control of components for the automotive industry. The company is relatively unique in that it develops both its own hardware and software for the machine vision applications. This allows JL to design low‐cost solutions for OEM markets and advanced high technology turnkey systems as one‐off projects for high‐volume products. Describes some of their core machine vision products and applications.

The resolution capabilities of cameras, modern pattern recognition algorithms, and the physical capabilities of robots allow for the creation of machine vision solutions in many production situations. In this paper, examples are given for using vision at various stages of automotive production. Specifically, machine vision is used for robust part inspection, operator part placement verification, 3D robotic guidance, and a combination thereof. These solutions to car‐making certainly suggest other applications in other industries. With new and more versatile robots with more and more sensitive and sophisticated pattern recognition systems, new applications are only limited by the imagination.

This paper deals with two aspects of optical inspection in the automotive industry: machine vision and colour measurement. Machine vision, by smart camera or by personal computer and camera, is used for such tasks as gauging, part identification and presence monitoring. In conjunction with local area networks it facilitates part tracking and quality documentation. Two new colour measurement instruments, a robot‐mounted multi‐angle spectrophotometer and a solid state eight‐waveband instrument, are used to inspect the colour on car bodies and sub‐components, respectively.

An account of some of the machine vision systems on display at the 2001 Manufacturing Week exhibition held at the NEC in Birmingham. A re‐occurring theme was 2D code reading and descriptions are given of products and some applications from Toyota Tsusho, DVT Corporation and Cognex. Also described are miniature contact assemblies exhibited by Micro Contacts, including the development of an assembly for automotive airbag sensors in which vision inspection plays a part in maintaining quality and improving production.