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When developing a Computer Vision project, a multitude of factors and characteristics must be taken into account in order to obtain a fully functional and optimal system.
Some of these elements can be as obvious as the type of camera to be used and the working distance at which the camera will be installed. One of the most important elements, and that can determine the correct functioning of the computer vision system, is the lighting system used. In today’s post we will tell you about 8 lighting systems.
The importance of illumination in Computer Vision
A Computer Vision system consists of analyzing and extracting data from a set of images to obtain information or automate certain actions. Due to this characteristic, the use of a good illumination becomes very important.
The lighting system used can completely change the appearance of the images taken, which can greatly facilitate the development of the vision or deep learning application. For this reason, illumination is often used to highlight the elements to be observed. The aim is to ensure that the image can be seen correctly at all times independently of external factors, such as ambient light or the weather on a particular day, among others.
Likewise, the use of poor lighting or no lighting at all can cause the entire application to malfunction due to the appearance of unwanted shadows or glare. If the system is subjected to uncontrolled lighting, the images may be completely different depending on the day they are captured.
Lighting Systems
As discussed throughout the blog, it is very important to be able to choose the right lighting for each situation and for each application you want to implement. Below are some of the most useful lighting types and techniques used in Computer Vision projects.
Front Light
This is the most common system. It consists of illuminating the desired object directly in such a way that the desired characteristics are highlighted.
Side Bars
It is a technique similar to frontal light. In this system, the light source is placed on the sides of the object to reduce the amount of glare or shadows generated. In this way, a sharper and more constant image is achieved.
Indirect Light
This technique is similar to the previous ones. In this case, indirect light is characterized by not focusing the light source directly on the object. Instead, the light is intended to hit the object indirectly to reduce overexposure of the object and the appearance of glare in unwanted areas.
Infrared lighting systems
For this type of system an infrared camera is required. The objective is to observe the object independently of the ambient illumination in such a way that the variation between objects is reduced and details that were not visible with conventional illumination can be observed.
Domo Lighting Systems
In this case, a dome is used to cover the object on which the Computer Vision is to be applied. This allows the illumination to be evenly distributed over the object, thus ensuring that the element to be inspected is fully illuminated.
Back Light lighting systems
This type of illumination consists of placing the light source below the object to be inspected. In this way, the object is left in shadow for the most part, which facilitates the detection of defects or breaks that may let the light pass through.
Laser Ilumination systems
Laser illumination can also be used to analyze other dimensions of the object, making it possible to observe the depth of certain areas of the element to be inspected.
Environmental Lighting Systems
This type of lighting is the least common. However, it may be the case that, depending on the purpose of the application or the elements to be inspected, no illumination is required or it is impossible to apply to the space to be observed. This may be the case, for example, in video surveillance applications.
As explained above, there are a multitude of lighting systems and methods focused on Computer Vision. The most important thing when starting a project is to know which one is the most suitable and which one can offer the best results depending on the elements to be inspected and the characteristics of the application itself.
Do you want to apply Lighting Systems in any of your Computer Vision Projects? Contact with us!
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- How to select the right camera and optics
- Computer vision begginer´s guide
- Applications of Computer Vision in industry
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