Teledyne DALSA’s advanced Sherlock vision system software now includes Shape Extraction

The new Sherlock SE offers a solution for extracting and inspecting features on parts or assemblies based on their 3-dimensional shape. This includes features that are raised, such as embossed characters or features that are impressed or indented, such as stamped and engraved markings.

“Sherlock SE extracts data from a series of images acquired under different lighting conditions to reveal surface features or defects that were previously hidden,” says Steve Geraghty, General Manager of Teledyne DALSA’s Industrial Imaging Solutions US. “For some applications this approach offers a distinct advantage over one-shot imaging.”

The Sherlock SE solution combines multi-directional lighting with advanced software algorithms to eliminate surface background effects, such as noise or color, and produces an output image focused on the features most relevant to the inspection. This output image can then be inspected using Sherlock vision tools.

Sherlock SE plug-ins extract the 3D surface structure of parts using a process known as “Shape from Shading.” The same process can be used to remove glare from highly reflective parts.