Verifying Product Logo on Paperboard Packaging
Challenge
During packaging, tubes of toothpaste are placed into paperboard boxes for shelf display and sale. A logo on the packaging indicates the specific type of toothpaste inside the box. Frequent product changeover, printing mistakes, human error and other factors can result in packaging errors.
Solution
A VE Series Smart Camera inspects the product logo on each box before the tube of toothpaste is inserted. As a box enters the inspection area, it is detected by a sensor on the line and an output is sent to the trigger input on the camera, which captures an image of the region of interest (ROI). A red LED ring light powered by the camera enhances the contrast between the product logo and the surrounding packaging.
The camera is configured and inspection parameters set using Vision Manager, Banner’s free image processing software. A graphical user interface simplifies setup and management and provides users with real time information from each inspection. The software emulator allows the operator to develop inspections offline and send them to the camera when the application is ready.
Configured to use the Match tool, the camera inspects each box, verifying that the logo matches the reference pattern and meets the criteria established during setup. If inspection parameters need to be altered, runtime editing makes it possible to update an inspection while the camera is in operation without stopping and restarting inspections.
Boxes failing inspection are rejected from the line before the toothpaste tube is inserted. An optically isolated output on the camera triggers a CL50 Column Light to shine red for each failed inspection and green for all passing inspections, providing high visibility status indication from the packaging line.
VE Series Smart Cameras can store up to 999 inspections, ideal for applications with frequent product changeovers. Operators can change the inspection using the PC interface or on the camera using the four on-board buttons and the two-line, eight-character LCD display.