Intelligent AI-based Computer Vision for Robust Manufacturing Quality Assurance

ATS(自动化工具系统)公司为工厂设计和自动化提供解决方案。他们的生命科学部门为从事医疗器械、药品和诊断生产的世界领先制造公司提供制造解决方案。ATS还为运输、能源以及消费和电子行业开发自动化系统。滑铁卢大学的视觉图像与处理(VIP)实验室致力于了解视觉过程，并为图像和视频处理以及一般智能系统中的挑战性问题找到解决方案。ATS目前利用相机传感器对装配机器中的各种活动进行机器视觉监控。VIP的目标是通过基于人工智能的算法来理解过程，包括制造过程组件和部件的视觉场景，帮助提高稳健性和准确性。我们专注于3个具有挑战性的问题：(1)OCR和条形码在野外的检测和识别；(2)隐形眼镜制造中的实时QA(质量保证)；(3)通过观察装配机的一组外部摄像机，直观地了解装配机的正常和故障操作。

ATS (Automation Tooling Systems) Inc. provides solutions for factory design and automation. Their life sciences division provides manufacturing solutions for world leading manufacturing companies engaged in the production of medical devices, pharmaceuticals and diagnostics. ATS also develops automation systems for the transportation, energies as well as the consumer & electronics sectors. The Vision Image and Processing (VIP) lab at the University of Waterloo is dedicated to understanding visual processes and finding solutions for challenging problems in image & video processing and in general, intelligent systems. ATS currently utilizes camera sensors for machine vision monitoring of various activities in assembly machines. VIP's objectives are to help improve the robustness and accuracy by AI based algorithms that understand the process including the visual scene landscape of the manufacturing process components and parts. We focus on 3 challenging problems: (1) OCR & bar code detection & recognition in the wild; (2) real time QA (Quality Assurance) in manufacturing contact lenses; and (3) visually understanding of assembly machine normal and failure operation via a collection of external cameras observing the assembly machine.