Image-Pro Plus Benefits
- Point-and-click interface
- Automatically measures set characteristic such as best-fit arc, circle and line
- Built-in database with macro-creation features
www.mediacybernetics.com |
|
Imaging Software Increases Lab Efficiency
Image-Pro Plus
Reliable Analysis, an independent testing lab that extensively tests automotive components for DaimlerChrysler, Ford and General Motors, was searching for new ways to make its materials analysis
more precise and efficient and to improve the presentation quality of its results. To attain these goals, Reliable began using Media Cybernetics'
scientific image analysis software, Image-Pro Plus, to thoroughly inspect each automotive component for material defects.
Reliable tests all nonmetal automobile components to find any failure or defect in material thickness, size or basic build. Its aim is to help the Big Three
produce better-quality vehicles with safer builds. Image-Pro Plus provides Reliable with an easy way to acquire, process and
analyze images while integrating text, data and graphics. The software system meets two of Reliable's most pressing needs by providing the laboratory with
both an accurate inspection system and a means for producing high-quality results presentation. Reliable uses Image-Pro Plus primarily to measure film thickness and substrate
thickness. Image-Pro Plus allows testers at Reliable to capture images seen through a microscope and display them on a computer screen. After adjusting
the resolution and the light, testers see a real-time display of the material. By entering general commands into the Image-Pro Plus system, they're able to
effortlessly acquire the data they need to test material quality and assess what changes must be made to improve the product.
Testers at Reliable used to examine film by using a gage to measure a sliver of the film build and then mathematically extrapolating the measurements, a
lengthy and error-prone process. With Image-Pro Plus, material defects and film builds are processed, evaluated and improved immediately. The software
allows users to collect and visualize data using scattergrams, histograms, line profiles and pseudocolor, as well as add, subtract or mask images with
Boolean or arithmetic functions while applying geometric transforms for spatial manipulations. "You know what you're getting, and it's a lot more
accurate--that's where it has improved our processes," says Winston Seto, test coordinator at Reliable.
Unlike manual methods, Image-Pro Plus quickly calculates length, radius, diameter and distance between feature measurements. Its caliper tool detects
edges and measures distances, allowing the user to automatically locate edges along straight or irregular lines and circles. In addition, the number of edges or
spans between edges can be reported, making any changes or defects easily identifiable. Absolute spatial calibration, closely coupled with an image-acquisition device
(such as a video camera, digital camera, scanner, scientific instrument or image database), ensures the most accurate measurement data. Advanced filtering
and segmentation techniques help separate overlapping objects, complete grain boundaries and recognize clusters. Once segmented, each grouping can be
color-coded for quick visual identification and class verification. "Our former system was accurate, but it took a long time and could introduce
human error," says Seto. "Now the computer does everything for us--it accelerates our process, and it's more accurate and repeatable and much more presentable."
High-quality presentation is vital at Reliable because it enables lab workers to effectively evaluate test results and provides clients like the Big Three with a
quality showcase for the material they use to construct their products. Image-Pro Plus can process the necessary images in a way that guarantees accuracy and reproducible results.
The system's integrated sequencer tool allows users to capture or create, process, and play back image sequences, which is especially useful in
time-related image acquisition work. Operators can specify intervals for image acquisition to create animations that show changes over time. Image-Pro Plus
also handles color images effectively; it provides full support of 8-, 12- and 16-bit grayscale and 24-, 36- and 48-bit color images as well as 32-bit floating point images.
Additionally, the software offers equalization, background subtraction, correction and field-flattening methods to enhance images and filtering functions
that sharpen, soften, blur or enhance edges. For improved data visualization, version 4.0's Surface Plot Tool can display image intensity in a full-color 3-D
plot, which can be rotated, tilted, colorized and wireframed to aid in data visualization. The plot can be exported to the report generator or a printer.
Finally, Image-Pro Plus' Auto-Pro macro-creation features allow for customized applications and automated functions, compressing lengthy
operational sequences into a single keystroke or mouse click. Image-Pro Plus can be used for any life-science research or industrial
application where image analysis can help the user to understand processes, make comparisons or identify objects. |
