Abstract: A method for accurately placing a surface mounting device (SMD) with a vacuum nozzle analyzes a video image of the SMD to locate the SMD leads and compute corrections. The positions of the lead centers are processed to determine the translation and rotation of the SMD relative to a desired location. The position of the SMD centroid is transformed from an image-referenced coordinate system to a space-referenced coordinate system. The SMD rotation relative to a desired orientation is derived from the slope of a line drawn through colinear SMD leads.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is provided for controlling the laser cutting of a laser beam machine by image processing techniques. A photographing device is provided to photograph a pattern or material object and to obtain a pattern image. According to the pattern, an article is cut by the laser beam machine. The photographed pattern image is digitized and stored in an image processing card. In turn, by using image processing techniques, the digitized pattern image is thresholded, and contours and/or skeletons are extracted therefrom. Each of the extracted contours and/or skeletons is linked point by point to form a series of characteristic points, and the linked lines are stored in a memory device of a microcomputer. The linked lines are replaced by a plurality of vector points in a curve approximation process, and the vector points for each linked line form a series of line vector data.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for automatically recognizing the characters on a license plate which is fixed on a vehicle. A sensor/controller device is utilized to detect whether the vehicle has reached a predetermined position for image sampling, and to release a trigger signal when the vehicle has reached the predetermined position. An image processing unit is coupled to the sensor/controller device to receive the trigger signal and then to send an image-sampling instruction to an image-sampling device. The image-sampling device is coupled to the image processing unit, and samples a vehicle image including the image of the license plate in response to the image-sampling instruction. The vehicle image is converted into an electric signal by the image-sampling device, which in turn is sent back to the image processing unit.

Abstract: A machine vision process and apparatus for reading a plurality of separated figures, such as the hole-position diagram of a printed-circuit board; the apparatus comprises an X-Y table to be moved on a plane and to be positioned at a given position, two photographing devies such as camaras being mounted over the X-Y table, and an image processing unit. The X-Y table is used for placing a diagram or the like so as to facilitate a first camera to photograph a large area and to facilitate a second camera to photograph a small and detailed separated figure. The image signal obtained will be transmitted to the image processing unit to find out the center coordinates of every separated figure, and the size and shape of every separated figure classified so as to find out the control data of size, position and the moving path in the real production process.