Chemical Colour Imaging The next step in the evolution of industrial image processing

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1 Perception Park GmbH Nikolaiplatz 4, 3 rd Floor A-8020 Graz Tel.: info@perception-park.com Web: Chemical Colour Imaging The next step in the evolution of industrial image processing Looking at the development of vision technology, monochrome imaging systems can be described as the very first evolutionary step. After colour imaging and the subsequent 3D imaging now chemical and molecular information become more and more interesting for the vision community. Chemical Colour Imaging is the next step on the evolutionary ladder that allows everybody to handle molecular material properties. VISION 2016, STAND 1D81 Manfred Pail [Marketing & Sales] w w w. p e r c e p t i o n - p a r k. c o m

2 CHEMICAL COLOUR IMAGING: Evolution in industrial image processing Chemical Colour Imaging (CCI) makes complex hyperspectral data on a molecular level usable for machine vision. Hyperspectral imaging systems based on a generic, intuitive configurable data processing platform make the scientific methods of hyperspectral analysis accessible for everyone and open up new application areas. Machine vision technology has gone through a constant development process over the past decades. Starting with monochrome cameras, which use differences in contrast for defect detection, imaging technology has advanced to increasingly precise colour cameras revealing even the smallest colour deviation. After colour imaging and the subsequent 3D imaging, Chemical Colour Imaging (CCI) takes this technological evolution to the next level. The software technology makes complex hyperspectral data on a molecular level usable for machine vision. A unique finger print Hyperspectral imaging allows chemical properties of materials to be identified and thus differences in the materials to be analyzed. Objects leave an unique fingerprint with their highly complex spectral information through chemical and molecular properties which can be identified. However, hyperspectral camera technology has not yet been widely applied in the industrial environment. Standards for interfacing are missing, data needs to be analysed by scientific-motivated multivariate and chemometric data processing, elaborate correction methodology of cameras disorder has to be considered. Figure 1: Evolution of machine vision Until now, the use of hyperspectral systems has only been accessible to a hand-full experts in spectroscopy and chemometry providing their special purpose solutions to niche markets. Machine vision is nowadays a standard technology in a lot of industries. Companies has focused on manifold applications, provide their customers special purpose solutions based on standardized machine vision technology and support based on their valued application know-how. The spread of hyperspectral camera technology by the machine vision community were strongly restricted in the past because of the aforementioned hurdles. Page 2 of 8

3 Chemical Colour Imaging as a holistic approach Chemical Colour Imaging (CCI) has closed this gap and allows - for the first time the analysis of chemical properties by means of real-time image processing. The advantages of spectroscopy and the benefits of machine vision have been merged in a holistic approach. Figure 2: Chemical Colour Imaging The core element of CCI is the extraction of two-dimensional feature data - the chemical colour images - from complex, multi-dimensional hyperspectral data. Hyperspectral cube data are described by colour images holding spatial information together with spectroscopic information coded by colour. Doing so, the user deals with spectroscopic information and problems in a domain natural to him and even is able to learn by his cognitive intelligence. Using CCI the hyperspectral camera seems like a normal colour camera. But the colours (Chemical Colours) represent molecular information of the inspected materials Intuitive real-time Plattform Perception Park has developed the Perception System, a generic, configurable data processing platform providing encapsulated scientific methods of hyperspectral analysis intuitively accessible to everyone. The abstraction of highly complex spectral information through chemical features makes handling of the cameras accessible and interpretable for the user, even without profound expert knowledge of spectroscopy and chemometry. Figure 3: Screenshot of the configuration software Perception Studio Generation of a CCI-configuration to distinguish between real and fake leafs Page 3 of 8

4 Due to the generic approach new applications do not need to be programmed from scratch. In fact, users are able to develop and configure own applications independently, without expert know-how in chemometry, spectroscopy or hyperspectral data processing, explains Mr Burgstaller. Figure 4: Perception System High-Speed-data processing unit for industrial Chemical Colour Imaging applications Once configured, the Perception system runs in stand-alone mode just like an adapter between camera and machine. The user can select a familiar machine vision format based on chemical colour imaging for interfacing. After the intuitive configuration of the Perception System by the Perception Studio user interface program, the hardware adapter switches into streaming modus, transforms camera row data into application relevant molecular information and outputs this information to an interfaced machine vision application. Therefore, CCI compliant hyperspectral cameras gets integrated like conventional machine vision cameras and interfaced by standard machine vision tools. Wide range of possible applications Chemical Colour Imaging is typically applied to industrial purposes by solution providers such as mechanical engineers. For them, CCI means greater independence from external technology suppliers and, thus, greater independence regarding bespoke applications. Since a Perception system allows easy configuration of applications without new programming effort for each adjustment, existing applications can be modified easily and quickly. This has particular advantages for the food processing industry, where the sorted products quickly change, (for example due to maturation) thanks to shorter development and modification cycles. Page 4 of 8

5 Figure 5: Chemical Colour Imaging application for chicken meat In figure 5, looking at the real image (on the left) one can hardly distinguish between fat and bones in the chicken meat, whereas CCI clearly identifies the specific differences: meat (green), fat (red) and bones (blue). Figure 6: Chemical Colour Imaging application to distinguish between real leafs and fake leafs made of plastic and paper In figure 6 CCI can be explained very well In the left image there are leafs made of paper and plastic mixed up with natural leafs. In the right CCI image it can be clearly distinguished between natural leaves (green), paper leafes (red) and plastic leafs (blue). Additionally we added a dried leaf. As we know paper is more or less pure cellulose while fresh leafs are mainly water and some cellulose. When we now have green colour for fresh leafs and red colour for paper leafs we would expect that a dried leaf (fresh leaf with nearly no water in it) must be a colour somewhere in between red and green (a mixture). As it can be seen in the image the dried leaf became yellow coloured by the system. If we have this in mind, we could imagine that we now can use standard image processing tools to quantify e.g. moisture Page 5 of 8

6 In addition to the food industry Chemical Colour Imaging systems are especially suited for recycling, mining and the pharmaceutical industry. A specific application in the recycling industry is the automated separation of plastics like shown in figure 7. Figure 7: CCI-Streams with a scan rate of around 1000 frames per second for sorting plastic flakes (PP und PE) In this example, CCI is used to detect and separate plastic parts made from polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) according to their chemical combination. Chemical colour information as well as monochrome information can be processed by the user s vision system. Thus, a hyperspectral camera may be integrated into a sorting machine which has already been using colour sorting. Moreover, CCI allows the user to combine molecular information and colour information of the scanned objects in order to fine-tune the sorting quality. Page 6 of 8

7 Even in the medical field there are initial tests using CCI technology: We have already managed to capture a human hand and visualise the blood vessels inside using CCI and a hyperspectral system, explains Markus Burgstaller (see figure 8) Figure 8: Chemical Colour Imaging visualises the blood vessels in a human hand. All-in-one system available at STEMMER IMAGING (booth: 1E52) Thanks to the cooperation of Perception Park and STEMMER IMAGING the Chemical Colour Imaging technology is now available as a modular system for industrial users without expert know-how in the field of spectroscopy and chemometry. The generic, intuitive, configurable data processing platform of Perception Park is the basis of the hyperspectral systems available from STEMMER IMAGING and supplemented by hardware components such as the appropriate industrial CMOS and InGaAs cameras, illumination, lenses and frame grabbers as well as vision computers to create all-in-one CCI systems. The innovative hyperspectral solution works in real-time while processing more than 200 million spectral points per second. Cameras from various manufacturers can be connected using the standard CameraLink and GigE interfaces. STEMMER IMAGING has been distributing the hyperspectral systems since January Page 7 of 8

8 Background Information The Austrian Graz-based company Perception Park ( is the first company which specialises on industrial hyperspectral data processing. The data processing solutions based on industrial requirements result of more than 10 years of technological experience. Further Information: Perception Park GmbH Nikolaiplatz Graz Austria VISION Booth: 1D81 Contact Person: Manfred Pail Tel: m.pail@perception-park.com Page 8 of 8