wenglor Sensors in Action at Bosch in Reutlingen, Germany
When a car recognizes the fact that its skidding and corrects itself, when a laptop is dropped and safeguards the hard disk before it hits the floor, when a cell phone places a call to the rescue team in case of emergency and directs them to its owner’s precise location – in each of these cases, sensors are involved which perceive the environment, i.e. “electronic sense organs”. Sensors are a key factor where technical devices have to react to human demands in a more and more intelligent manner – technology for life.
“Bosch Team Wins German Future Award with Smart Sensors” – Bosch proved its outstanding research performance in the field of sensor technology with this news. The Bosch group is an internationally leading technology and service enterprise. During fiscal year 2007, roughly 271,000 employees generated turnover amounting to €46,300 million with motor vehicle and industrial technology, as well as consumer durables and building services engineering. Bosch currently produces more than 200 million micro-mechanical sensors each year – a total of more than 1000 million pieces to date. The company is thus the leading supplier in markets throughout the world for this type of sensor. Roughly 2000 employees work in this division at Bosch.
The Bosch business division for automotive electronics (AE) with headquarters in Reutlingen, Germany, manufactures and markets microelectronics for use in motor vehicles. Further core business areas include systems integration and vehicle applications. The product spectrum ranges from components (semiconductors and sensors) and controllers (e.g. for brake control systems and motor controllers), right on up to passenger safety and driver assistance systems.
The Application
One of the driver assistance systems involves radar distance measurement. Sensors mounted under the radiator grille measure distance to the next car ahead. If the following car is too close, and acoustic signal is generated and speed is reduced. If the leading car accelerates, the following car is accelerated as well, but never beyond the previously selected speed. The radar distance measurement sensor is comprised of several parts, amongst others a housing. A thermal compound plays a decisive role in manufacturing the housing bases. The compound is safeguarded by a protective film. However, the film has to be removed before processing in order to assure that the thermal compound fulfills its function in further production steps. The Vision Sensor supplied by wenglor determines beyond the shadow of a doubt whether or not the protective film has been removed from the thermal compound before further processing.
The BS40 Vision Sensor
wenglor provides world class image processing solutions ranging from the world’s smallest vision sensor for image processing in sensor format, right on up to flexible, complete vision systems!
From simple checking for the presence of objects and shape analysis through pixel and reference image comparisons, right on up to deciphering ECC 200 data matrix code, wenglor is the preferred image processing partner for its international customers.
wenglor’s Vision Sensors with compact housing provide fast, reliable image processing. Camera, optics, illumination and analysis module are all integrated into the compact housing, and external lamps can be optionally connected.
Users benefit from the Vision Sensor’s continuously sharp image. This decisive advantage allows for motorized auto-focus. Features include higher image repeating frequencies of up to 100 images per second thanks to reproducible resolution, flexible digital zoom, color or monochrome image processing, a great variety of illumination options and adjustable exposure time, as well as optimized adaptation to the application by means of LED brightness.
The Vision Sensor provides numerous functions, which can also be linked to one another. Objects are recognized regardless of position and skew. The working range can be individually defined as well, and interfering image areas can be suppressed. The wenglor vision sensor can thus be used with any background. The sensor reads out diagnosis images to the PC for quality assurance purposes.
Its functions include shape analysis, pixel comparison, checking for the presence of objects and reference image comparisons. The Vision Sensor is equipped with four outputs which can be set to respond to various events. Up to three objects can be linked to each other. The USB port allows for easy wiring, plugging in and unplugging with the PC switched on and high speed data transmission.
wenglor offers lamp systems which allow for ideal illumination for every application, and which can be quickly and easily installed with the wenglor mounting system. wenglor LED Light Sources create incident light, transmitted light or diffuse light, and can thus be ideally adapted to prevailing ambient conditions. Selectable types of light range from red, white, green and blue light, right on up to infrared and UV light (each of these wavelengths has its own particular advantages). The wenglor Annular Illuminator is especially well suited for the detection of colors and printing. wenglor Spotlights illuminate contours and drill holes, so that they can be reliably detected. Transparent and reflective objects and object contours can be readily detected with the help of the wenglor Flood Light thanks to the through-beam operating mode. Ideal illumination is the first basic prerequisite for reliable image processing.
Thanks to wenglor software, the sensor can be quickly adapted to any desired application. The sensor can be configured with the help of user-friendly software from a PC or a laptop. Selection from as many as ten previously saved projects is also possible via the digital input, or with the help of the touch-screen.
Reiner Failenschmid is Facility Manager for data networks, controllers and electrical power supply at Bosch’s plant in Reutlingen. “For us, the most significant characteristics of wenglor’s Vision Sensor are auto-focus and color evaluation”, he says.
The Vision Sensor in the Application
Within the application, the dome (a cast aluminum part to which the thermal compound is applied) is selected by the PC software as the area of interest, i.e. the portion of the housing base to be compared is specified. Filter settings can be selected for attributes including hue, saturation and brightness. “Inspection is executed by a Vision Sensor with color chip and white light”, explains Michael Sanchez, wenglor sales engineer. “The sensor reliably detects whether or not the red protective film, the thermal compound or both are present on the dome. All three inspections can be executed simultaneously. The results can be precisely allocated and are rendered ideal by means of the software settings”, he says.
The plant in Reutlingen uses wenglor Vision Sensors in lots of other applications as well. The goal is to shorten production time in all applications by having the sensor monitor whether or not each part is processed as specified.
wenglor – Quality from the German Electronics Town of Tettnang
wenglor’s product range encompasses Photoelectric Sensors, Inductive Proximity Switches, ID Products and Safety Technology. Innovation, precision, rapidity and flexibility are essential ingredients in wenglor’s recipe for success. The wenglor group includes a sales network which spans the entire globe with 28 partners and further representatives all over the world, thus assuring personalized on-site support for more than 50,000 international customers.
Sales engineers provide customers with on-site assistance in planning the ideal solution for their applications. The support team offers help with all sorts of technical challenges as well. Michael Sanchez is a qualified contact person for the Bosch plant in Reutlingen. He advises engineers and technicians, and tests the respective application during the pilot phase. If an ideal solution has been found for the application, the sales engineer provides his customer with a complete solution including all of the necessary accessories such as mounting components, cables and illumination. And the customer is not left alone with the product after the deal has been closed. Sales engineer Michael Sanchez, the technical support department and inside sales at the manufacturing facility in Tettnang continue to serve the customer as direct contact persons. The sensor manufacturer is continuously expanding its training department as well: In 2007 wenglor opened an ultramodern logistics, sales and training center at company headquarters in Tettnang in order to better meet its customer’s requirements. Customers are prepared for use of wenglor sensors by means of product-specific training programs in modern facilities.