Engineering challenges in industry and automation
Industrial optical systems operate under demanding conditions — vibration, contamination, variable lighting, and the need to work in real time at high production-line speeds. At the same time, they must achieve precision unattainable by the human eye — detecting defects just a few micrometers in size, geometric measurements accurate to micrometers, reading QR codes on very low-contrast materials.
Designing optics for such systems — selecting the camera lens, illumination, and measurement-setup geometry — is a task that demands simulation. TracePro lets you optimize the illumination setup (structured light, dark field, bright field, coaxial) for maximum defect contrast. OSLO enables precise design of a lens with the appropriate depth of field and resolution. OptiSystem supports simulating LiDAR systems and 3D scanners used in robotics and logistics.
How does our software support design?
| Product | Role in this area |
|---|---|
 | Machine-vision illumination setups, structured light, industrial LiDAR, laser scanners |
 | Designing lenses for inspection cameras, telecentric lenses, collimating systems |
 | Long-range LiDAR systems, time-of-flight (TOF), industrial 3D scanners |
dark-field illumination for detecting scratches on a metal surface
Surface inspection assumptions
The goal of the project was to develop an optical system for detecting micro-scratches and surface defects on metal parts after cutting and industrial machining. The system had to identify defects a few micrometers in size against a strongly reflective metal surface.
Dark-field illumination design
A dark-field illumination configuration was used, in which light strikes the surface at a shallow angle relative to the material plane. This setup limits direct reflection from a smooth surface and enhances the signal coming from the edges of scratches, irregularities, and micro-defects.
Light-distribution simulation
The geometry of the illumination setup, the surface of the inspected part, and the reflective properties of the metal were modeled in TracePro. Different angles of light incidence, LED source positions, and baffle configurations were analyzed to achieve maximum contrast between the defect and the background.
Image-contrast optimization
The analysis showed the effect of illumination geometry on background noise level and micro-scratch visibility. Selecting the right illumination angle and source array increased the signal-to-background ratio of the defect, improving the effectiveness of automatic detection.
Design verification
The simulation made it possible to prepare the optical configuration before building an inspection-camera prototype. The verified model reduced the number of hardware trials and optimized the LED array, baffles, and test-station geometry for industrial applications.
Frequently asked questions
Industry and automation
Does TracePro support modeling 3D laser scanners (structured light, TOF)?
Yes. TracePro models both structured-light systems (fringe projectors and camera) and TOF (time-of-flight) sensors — analyzing the laser beam's energy distribution, reflection from objects, and the signal at the detector.
Does OSLO support designing telecentric lenses for machine vision?
Yes. OSLO supports designing telecentric systems (object-space telecentric, image-space telecentric, and bi-telecentric) — standard in industrial measurement setups.
Are the tools compatible with industrial standards (GigE Vision, GenICam)?
The software is a tool for designing optics — it is not a camera interface. IES photometric files and simulation results can be exported to formats compatible with popular machine-vision simulators.
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