Innovative, High Resolution Imaging Techniques Applied to the Inspection of Parcels and Packages

Introduction Speaker: Dany Longval, Vice President Worldwide Sales Responsible for product vision and strategy at Lumenera Corporation Over 25 years in the imaging industry Voice of Lumenera’s vision technology blog

Lumenera Overview Lumenera is a leading developer and manufacturer of high performance digital cameras as well as custom and OEM imaging solutions for industrial, scientific, surveillance and astro applications worldwide. Company Strengths: Field tested SDK Over 160,000 cameras installed worldwide Proven, robust, common API and drivers Stable, ruggedized, reliable high performance digital cameras Superior color reproduction – we do color well! Committed to its employees, the community and the environment Plug-and-play cameras that are up and running in minutes Product innovation and expertise Flexible OEM and custom solutions tailor made to fit your application Reduced cost of ownership

What is Parcel Inspection? Sorting, measuring, identifying and handling millions of parcels per day using automatic inspection systems Automation is vital to modern postal and parcel sorting

Why Parcel Inspection? Time and cost are a highly critical factors Volume is increasing at a rapid pace with consumers shifting their habits towards online purchases High expectations of timely and quality service

Benefits – Order management Automatic invoicing Parcel tracking Eliminates manually exchanging data among separate order management, logistics tracking, shipping and customer service systems Real-time visibility into corporate data prevents costly data entry mistakes

Benefits – Quality assurance Detection of deformations, defects and broken items Archival of images for evidential purposes

Benefits – Cost optimization Optimum loading profiles of freight containers Optimum labor force needed to process the parcel flow

Challenges While bar codes have simplified retail scanning, parcel sorting equipment must deal with much more challenging conditions and targets

Parcel Dimensions Variations in parcel height make it challenging to capture a focused image

Lower light intensity Reducing lens aperture to give a larger depth of field reduces the amount of light through the lens, making it hard to capture a clear image at high speed

Positioning Parcels or packages are irregularly strewn on a conveyor belt Identify and measure individual parcels even when many are closely bunched

Poor Labelling Variation in the package labelling Require extensive real-time processing to compensate for rotation and skew as well as missing, obscured, or damaged areas before performing optical character recognition

Innovative Solutions The emergence of new technologies can help in addressing the challenges of parcel inspection systems

High Performance Image Sensors High sensitivity and high dynamic range provided by high-end image sensors allows superior speed and image quality CCD and CMOS sensors offer unique strengths and weaknesses providing advantages for different applications CCD sensors traditionally used for high-quality imaging

High-Resolution Imaging Capture full field of view to identify parcel defect and parcel dimensioning Enough details to read barcode and perform optical character recognition Resolution of 11, 16 and 29 megapixel readily available today in affordable systems All accomplished with one camera

Integrated Lens Control Motorized lens control to adapt to different package geometry Automatically adjust aperture to match level of light Automatically adjust focus to accommodate different package height Affordable DSLR consumer lenses

High-Speed Imaging High-speed sensors and data interfaces to sustain the high flow of information CMOS sensors historically used for high-speed imaging or cost-sensitive applications Frame buffer memory to ensure reliable data transfer with no loss of images

Simple Integration Robust API, common across multiple camera models, allows customized camera selection to match specific requirements GigE and GigE Vision are popular interfaces Provide upgrade path to USB 3.0 which is emerging quickly as the interface of choice

Lumenera’s Lg11059 High resolution CCD sensor with global shutter 11 megapixel full frame (35mm) sensor for superior image quality Superior sensitivity and dynamic range Reliable GigE interface Canon EF mount lens with full motorized lens control

Questions? Thank you for attending today’s presentation. Dany Longval, Lumenera Corporation