Lighting & Optics

Session 14

Optics

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Types of Lenses
Wide Angle
• Focal length less than standard 50 mm. Ex: 16 mm
• Wide depth of field, closer focusing distance.
Telephoto
• Focal length greater than standard. Ex: 75 mm
• Shallow depth of field; enlarges distant objects.
Zoom
• Range of focal lengths. 35-70 mm
Macro
• Size of image = size of object (1:1)
Telecentric
• No perspective distortion.

Depth of Field

Range over which image remains in focus.

Critical in gauging applications.

Directly related to aperture – the smaller the better. 4

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Lens Advisor

http://www.cognex.com/ExploreLearn/UsefulTools 5

Lighting

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Lighting Considerations

Is the surface finish specular (smooth and glossy) or diffuse (rough and dull)?
Does the surface exhibit directional reflectance (reflects light in a specific
direction)?
Does the appearance of the part change under different colors of light (darken
or lighten)?
Is the part’s surface flat or 3-dimensional? Curved? Irregular? Etched?
Embossed? Raised?
Is the surface of the part stable or will it change over time (tarnish, oxidize,
fade)?
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Light
• Definition: Light, or visible light, electromagnetic radiation that
can be detected by the human eye. eye Electromagnetic radiation
occurs over an extremely wide range of wavelengths, from
gamma waves, with wavelengths less than about 1 × 10−11
meter, to radio waves measured in meters. Within that broad
spectrum the wavelengths visible to humans occupy a very
narrow band, from about 700 nanometers (nm; billionths of a
meter)) for red light
g down to about 400 nm for violet light.
g The
spectral regions adjacent to the visible band are often referred
to as light also, infrared at the one end and ultraviolet at the
other.
from Britannica.com

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 Image Spectrum

• Visible light
• If all frequencies are present, then the light is considered white
light
• Refracting the white light results in the spectrum above

Light and Camera

• Images are created when light reflects

i t the
into th camera

• It is bright when reflection is direct (or

from stray light entering the lens)
• It is dark when light rays miss the camera

• This
Thi allows
ll ffor edges
d or texture
t t to
t
become prominent

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Lighting Options
• Placement of part with respect to light and camera
• Angle
g and direction can greatly
g y change
g appearance
pp of part
p

Lighting Options

Same Part -
Different Light Position

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 Bright Field

• Rays are perpendicular to

surface

• Shape and contour are enhanced

• Diffuse surfaces are dark
• Flat, polished surfaces are bright
• Used to emphasize height
changes

Bright Field Application

Ambient Light
Bright Field Lighting

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 Dark Field

• Rays are at an angle to the

surface

• Shape and contour are

enhanced
• Diffuse surfaces are bright
• Flat,
Flat polished surfaces are dark
• Use to emphasize height
changes

Dark Field Application

Ring Light Low Angle Light

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Dark Field Application

Direct Front Light Low Angle Light

Going from Bright Field to Dark Field

Far

Near

Distance from Object

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Dark Field and Bright Field
• Advantage
• Shows surface detail on veryy low contrast p
parts
• Disadvantage
• Not good for light absorbing surfaces or applications with high
accuracy requirements
• Applications
• Very low contrast parts (gray-on-gray, metal-on-metal)
• Shinyy ((specular),
p ), metallic parts
p

Diffuse Light
Frosted Glass or Plastic

Collimated Light Rays

Scattered Light Rays

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 Diffuse Light
• Advantages
• Softer,, more even,, less likelyy to cause g
glare and shadows
• Covers a larger area without creating hot spots
• Disadvantages
• Diffusers lower light intensity, which may be critical when using low
intensity sources, such as LEDs
• Applications
• Illuminating
g shinyy metallic p
parts
• Hints
• Choose the material based on how much light is lost vs. diffused
• Bouncing light off reflective, rough surfaces also diffuses light

Diffuse Light Application

Diffuse Light (from Dome

Ring Light Light)

• Also known as Dome, Cloudy Day, or Tent Lighting

• Creates minimal glare

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Collimated Light
Condenser Lens

Collimated Light Rays

Scattered Light Rays

Collimated Light
Parabolic Reflector

Collimated Light Rays

Light Source

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 Collimated Light
• Advantages
• Intensifies the light
g to allow a higher
g output
p further from the source
• Disadvantages
• More likely to cause glare and hot spots on shiny surfaces
• Applications
• To improve the sharpness of edges, measurement accuracy of back
lit parts, or project an image of a feature onto a surface
• Used at a distance from object
j to avoid colliding g with moving
g parts
p
• Hints
• Many lamps have reflectors built into them
• Use a toric lens with a ring light

Light Control Film Application

Back Light Back Light with Light

Control Film
• Used to collimate light
• Increases parallelism of light to enhance edges

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 Lighting Sources

Halogen
• Pros
• Veryy bright
g
• Adjustable

• Cons
• Cannot be strobed
• Hot
• Degrades
g over time
Hints:
• Run at 80%
• Keep voltage constant
• Use fiber optics

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Incandescent
• Pros
• Inexpensive
p
• Easily available

• Cons
• Cannot be strobed
• Degrades over time

Fluorescent
• Pros
• Various shapes
p and sizes
• Diffuse – minimal glare

• Cons
• Cannot be strobed
• Flicker
• Degrades
g over time
• Difficult to dim Hint:
Use high frequency ballasts
to reduce flicker

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Laser
• Pros
• Highly
g y collimated
• Diode lasers can be strobed
• Can show 3D (z dimension)

• Cons
• Expensive
• Grainyy texture
• Fragile Hint:
• Safety is an issue Use fiber optic line light
to increase safety

Xenon
• Pros
• Can be strobed
• High intensity for short periods

• Con
• Degrades over time

Note:
Older strobes were Xenon

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LED (Light Emitting Diode)
• Pros
• Long-lasting
g g (10,000+
( hours))
• Can be strobed
• Available in specific
wavelengths (colors)

• Con
• Lower intensity (in the past)
Note:
Intensities of LEDs have
increased dramatically over
the last few years

How the Light Sources Stack Up

Type Strobe Cost Intensity Life Heat

Halogen
l Poor Fair Good
d Poor Poor

Incandescent Poor Good Fair Poor Poor

Fluorescent Poor Good Poor Fair Fair

Laser Good Poor Good Good Good

Xenon Good Poor Good Poor Poor

LED Good Fair Good Good Good

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 Lighting Techniques

Techniques

Direct (or Front)

Back Light

Diffuse On-Axis
Diffuse Off-Axis Structured

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Back Light
• Creates optimal contrast
• Very little light lost

Back Light
• Pros
• Maximum contrast
• Simplifies image by creating silhouette of part

• Cons
• Surface detail lost
• Difficult to use with objects in a fixture

Hints:
• Applications • Keep light clean
• Gauging and measuring • Use collimated film
dimensions (especially holes)
for high accuracy

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Back Light Applications

Ring Light Back Light

Back Light Applications

Ring Light Back Light

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 Direct Front Light

Direct Front Light

• Pros
• Easyy to set up
p
• Maximum contrast

• Cons
• 3D parts will cast shadows
• Causes specular reflection on shiny parts Hints:
• Use 2 or more
spotlights to
• Applications minimize shadows
• Maximum contrast for low contrast images
• Shadows can be
• Used as a strobe to freeze movement
used to improve
contrast

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Direct Front Light Application

Front Light Accentuate Shadows

Structured Light
Uses laser or fiber optic line light

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 Structured Light
• Pros
• Inexpensive
p for measuringg height/depth
g p
• Shows surface profile on low contrast

• Cons
• Lasers are expensive and must be handled
with care
• Z direction is not highly accurate
Hint:
• Applications Use fiber optic as
• Gauging continuous features opposed to laser
• Very low contrast part (line deformation) when possible

Structured Light Applications

Line Light Change in Depth

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 Diffuse On-Axis Light (DOAL)

Diffuse On-Axis Light (DOAL)

• Pros
• Camera is normal to the part
• Creates a bright field effect

• Con
• Thickness of mirror can produce a
double image

• Applications Hint:
• Detecting flaws on flat, shiny surfaces Use with another
• Illuminating small cavities source for
fill light

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Diffuse On-Axis Light (DOAL) Applications

Diffuse On-Axis (DOAL)

Ambient Light

Diffuse On-Axis Light (DOAL) Applications

Diffuse On-Axis (DOAL) Diffuse On-Axis (DOAL)

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 Diffuse Off-Axis Light
• Cloudy Day Illumination or Dome Light

Diffuse Off-Axis Light

• Pros
• Complete diffuse illumination
eliminates shadows
• Avoids hot spots and glares

• Cons
• Dead spot due to hole for camera
• Reduced intensity
Hints:
Hints:
Hi
• Use with DOAL toto
fillfill the
• Applications • Use with
dead
DOAL
spot
the
• Detecting flaws on rounded,
dead spot
shiny surfaces
• CDI devices
• Cloudy are available
Day Illumination devices
in a variety of sizes
are available in a variety of sizes

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Diffuse Off-Axis Light Applications

Direct Front (Ring) Diffuse Off-Axis (Dome)

Diffuse Off-Axis Light Applications

Direct Front (Ring) Diffuse Off-Axis

(Cloudy Day Illumination)

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Diffuse Off-Axis Light Applications

Dome Flat Dome

(by CCS)

Note: The “dead spot” is gone

Review of Techniques

Back Light
Ring Light Diffuse On-Axis
(DOAL)

Front Light Ambient Light Diffuse Off-Axis

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 Filters and Colored Light

Filters

Use to select light transmission.

• Shortpass, Longpass, Additive, Subtractive

Effective at reducing ambient light.

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Polarized Light

Used to minimize glare or

specular reflection.

Light is polarized using

polarizing sheets.

Analyzing filter is fitted to

front of lens.

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Polarized Light
Advantages
• Allows you to separate specular and diffuse reflection.
Di d t
Disadvantages
• Requires higher light intensity due to filters.
Applications
• Control amount of specular reflection from shiny parts.
Hints
• Leave one filter fixed and rotate the other.
other
• Specular reflection is minimized when polarizing filters are
crossed (aligned perpendicular to each other).

60

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Polarized Light Application

Ring Light without Ring Light with Polarizer

Polarizer

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Color Filters

White Light

Red Filter

Blue Object
Red Background

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Color Filters
Advantages
• Enhances contrast in color scenes.
• Relatively simple and inexpensive technique.
technique
Disadvantages
• May require increase in light intensity.
• Depending on saturation, color filters may not always help.
Applications
• Increase contrast in scenes where the color of object and background
are different, but they appear to be the same when converted to grey
values
values.
Hints
• Red filter darkens blue and green objects.
• Blue filter darkens red and green objects.
• Green filter darkens blue and red objects.
• Colored lights can be used instead of color filters.
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Color
• Use colored light to create
contrast

• Use like colors or families to

lighten
• Yellow light makes yellow
features brighter

• Use opposite colors or

families to darken
• Red light makes green
features darker

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 Color Application

Actual Colors White Light

Red Light Green Light Blue Light

Colored Light Application

Ambient Light Blue Light

• Date information is accentuated with blue light

• Blue print is negated
• Red print (opposite color) is now darkened

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 Infrared Light (850 - 940 nm)

• Infrared (IR) light is invisible to the human eye

• Operators don’t know they are there
• Negates all color – everything is gray

Infrared Light Application

Ambient Light IR Light and IR Filter*

(IMIF-BP850)
*Filters should be used in most IR and UV applications

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 Ultraviolet Light (365 - 400 nm)

• Many materials fluoresce under ultraviolet (UV) light

• Ink, Labels, Glue
• Direct
Di t UV ((or Near-UV)
N UV) light
li ht on partt - visible
i ibl light
li ht is
i emitted*
itt d*

*Filters should be used to block out UV light and only allow

fluorescent wavelength into camera

Ultraviolet Light Application

No Filter Longpass UV Filter

• UV ink lettering illuminated using a Black Light

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 Lighting Use

Use: Constant or Strobed

Constant Strobed

• Always on • Only on at acquisition

• Consistent light • Stops movement
• Easy to set up • Requires light that
• Heats up responds quickly
• Needs to be controlled

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Use: Constant or Strobed

Strobed Not Strobed

Use: Ambient Light

• It is “all around light”

• Application lighting should be brighter than the surrounding

light
• Additional glare
• Positional light
• Time of day disruptions

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 Quick Quiz…

Question 1
What lighting technique is best suited to illuminate
round metal shinyy p
parts?
A. Dark Field
B. Back Light
C. Bright Field
D. Diffuse Off-Axis (Cloudy Day Illumination/Dome)

D. Diffuse Off-Axis – it illuminates all around the part

evenly and without hotspots. No features would be
lost due to the lighting choice, just part position.

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Question 2
• If you had this part to inspect and was only concerned about
the blue vertical p
print,, what color light
g would yyou use?
A. Red
B. Green
C. Blue
D. Infrared

A. Red – it negates the

red print and
accentuates the blue

Question 3
• One lighting technique will inspect all parts in any application.

• True
• False

False - depending upon part and what is being inspected,

one lighting solution does not solve all applications.

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