Meaning
Real time streams of operational data from optical inspection units provide a constant update on the health and performance of the cameras and lighting. Vision system telemetry includes metrics such as frame rate, processor temperature, network latency and the status of the image buffer. This data is transmitted to a central dashboard to allow for the remote monitoring of multiple inspection lines.
Metric Extraction
Processing units inside the camera or the controller calculate the performance values without interfering with the inspection task. The vision system telemetry allows the maintenance team to see if the exposure time is drifting or if the light intensity is dropping. These warnings provide an opportunity to replace a failing bulb before it causes a production stop.
Network Bandwidth
Transporting high resolution image data and the associated metadata requires a stable and fast connection. The vision system telemetry is often sent over a dedicated virtual local area network to prevent it from competing with the main factory data traffic. Monitoring the packet loss and latency of this stream ensures that the remote dashboard remains accurate.
Operational Health
Analysis of the long term trends in the data can predict the end of life for critical components like sensors or cooling fans. By using the vision system telemetry to schedule preventive maintenance the factory can avoid the high costs of unplanned downtime. The health score of the system is a primary indicator used in the daily production report.
