Abstract

The vision control system is now one of the key functional unit in an IML Yogurt cups production system. It'll inspect the quality of the IML Yogurt cups produced, which will include the ill labeling, insufficient injection molding, the flash, the polluting etc. Here in this chapter we're discussing how is a vision control system working in the IML Yogurt cups production system.

About the IML Yogurt Cups Vision Control System

The IML Yogurt cups vision control system is designed according to the new quality standard of the dairy giants in China which request a non-touch production of the Yogurt package. According to the new regulation, the IML Yogurt cups production system will produce the IML Yogurt cups automatically from Yogurt cups injection molding, quality control to packing without human intervention. The vision control unit is the vital parts of the production system in control the quality of the system.

Inspection Items & Quality Standard

Inspecting Area	Inspection Items	Standard	Accuracy
Cup's Outer Edge and Below	Black Dot Foreign Matter Dirt Broken Lable	≥0.2mm	≥99.99%
	The label joint looks askew The top/bottom edge of the label looks askew	≥0.5mm
	With/Without Label	Yes/No
	Bad labeling Double Lable Misplacement	≥1mm
Cup's Top Edge and Inner Side	Black Dot	≥0.2mm	≥99.99%
	Label Get in (Offset, Misplacement)	≥0.5mm
	Flash, Insufficient Injection	≥0.2mm
	Foreign Matter (Hair, worn)	≥0.2mm
Inner Bottom	Black Dot, Dirt	≥0.2mm	≥99.99%
Outter Bottom	Black Dot, Dirt	≥0.2mm	≥99.99%

IML Yogurt Cups Vision Control System Cameras Configuration

System Layout Design

Working Process: Cups Feeding → Inspecting Cup's buttom → Inspecting Cup's outside → Inspecting Cup's edge & inner side → Good go next or Bad rejected.

Inspecting the IML Cup's Top Edge

Take the camera's depth of field into consideration, a two cameras system is preferable for a deeper IML Yogurt cups which have one camera focus on the upper part of the cup and the other camera focus on the lower parts of the cup.

Inspection Items

• Item: Insufficient Injection Molding
• Position: IML Yogurt Cup's Edge

• Item: Flash
• Position: IML Yogurt Cup's Edge

• Item: Black Dot, Foreign Matter
• Position: IML Yogurt Cup's Edge, Inside, Inner Bottom

• Reject with a greyscale >50%
• Accept with a greyscale < 50%

• Item: Dirt
• Position: IML Yogurt Cup's Edge, Inside, Inner Bottom

• Item: Label get in
• Position: Inner IML Yogurt Cup's Edge, Cup's Inner/Outside Bottom,

Inspecting the IML Cup's Bottom

The camera here will focus on the bottom of the IML Yogurt cup and the items to inspect will include:

• Black dot and foreign matter
• Grayscale (Feature and background grayscale values, white → black, 255 →0), difference (MAX - MIN) ≥ 50

Inspection Items

• Item: Black Dots, Foreign Matters
• Position: IML Yogurt Cup's Bottom

Inspecting the IML Cup's Outside

The inspecting of the IML Yogurt cup's outside will mainly check the labeling quality of the cups which include:

• Inspecting Items: Bad Labeling
• Position: IML Yogurt Cup's Outside

• Inspecting Items: Not Labeled
• Position: IML Yogurt Cup's Outside

• Inspecting Items: Gap of the label joint 0.5~1mm
• Position: IML Yogurt Cup's Outside

Yogurt Cups Vision Control System Configuration

Q & A About IML Yogurt Cups Vision Control System

• Is It Possible to have One Vision Control Unit for Different IML Yogurt Cups Quality Inspection?

  For this question it'll depends on the size difference among the cups limited by the camera's depth of field. Anyway, for an IML Yogurt cups production system the best solution is to have one system designed for the bulk production of a single IML Yogurt cups. A custom made system will ensure the production efficiency and minimize the difficulty of system maintenance.

• Will the Vision Control System for IML Cups Inspection a Plug & Play System?

  Actually the vision control system for IML cups inpsection is not a plug & play system but will have a deep study process to learn the quality standard of the IML Yogurt Cups. With the quality inspecting standard clearly defind the IML Yogurt cups inspecting system will perfectly handling the quality control of the IML Yogurt cups with the bad parts precisely rejected.

• How is the Vision Control System Trained for a Perfect IML Cups Inspection?

  The philosophy of the vision control system for IML Yogurt cups quality inspecting is to compare the picture of the passing by cups to the picture of "a Standard IML Yogurt Cup" according to a pre-set tolerance in the database which we called a moldule. The building up of this moldule is what we called "Deep Study" of the vision control system. We can train the system with either "Acceptable" or "Rejected" philosophy to build up the module while starting up the IML Yogurt Cups Vision Control System.

  1. ACCEPTABLE PHILOSOPHY: For a system with module build under this philosophy, a database of standard "GOOD IML YOGURT CUPS" pictures are recorded in the system with tolerance defined and the cups pass by would be compared to these standard pictures, it would be accepted if they're the same as the standard one, and would be rejected if there's any difference.
  2. REJECTED PHILOSOPHY: For a system with module build under this philosophy, a database of standard "BAD IML YOGURT CUPS" pictures are recorded in the system with tolerance defined and the cups pass by would be compared to these standard pictures, it would be rejected if they're the same as the standard one, and would be accepted if they're different.

  The vision control system is a "Deep Study" system because this system will allow the operator to add new "Good" or "Bad" IML Yogurt Cups to the database when there's any new conditions happened in the future production or if there's any change in the quality standard. The system will increase the precision of inspecting with continued "STUDY".

• What's the Advantage and Disadvantage of an IML Robot with a Vision Control System Integrated Compared to an IML Robot with an Independent Vision Control Unit?

  In the just finished K-show 2025, the big names of European IML solutions providers such as BRINK, BECK Automation, Roboplast etc. all on showed their new IML robots with the vision control unit integrated to provide the IML cups producers a turn-key solutions. Compared to the IML system with an independent vision control system, the IML robot with vision control system integrated has a compact structure and will reduce the occupation of follor space, but what's the disadvantages of such a solution?

  Compared to the IML system with an independent vision control unit, the IML robot with the vision control system integrated is more complex in system integration and less flexible. There would be a lot of system modification when there's any change of the cups design while the IML system with independent vision control unit will only need to change the magazine and EOAT sets for the new cups and build up new moldule for comparison but minor adjustment to the vision control unit.