Inventory of the top 10 domestic machine vision companies!

Machine vision is a rapidly developing branch of artificial intelligence. Simply put, machine vision is to use machines instead of human eyes to make measurements and judgments. So, do you understand machine vision? Do you know the application areas of machine vision? Do you know the top ten upstart companies in domestic machine vision? Come and follow the editor's footsteps to find out!

What is machine vision?

First of all, let's take a look at a short video to understand, the video is KUKA robot 3D visual guidance.


Machine vision is a comprehensive technology, including image processing, mechanical engineering technology, control, electric light source lighting, optical imaging, sensors, analog and digital video technology, computer software and hardware technology (image enhancement and analysis algorithms, image cards, I/O card, etc.). A typical machine vision application system includes image capture, light source system, image digitization module, digital image processing module, intelligent judgment decision module and mechanical control execution module.

The machine vision system uses a CCD camera to convert the detected target into an image signal, and transmits it to a dedicated image processing system. According to the pixel distribution, brightness, color and other information, it is converted into a digital signal. The image processing system performs various operations on these signals. Extract the characteristics of the target, such as area, quantity, position, length, and then output the result according to the preset allowable degree and other conditions, including size, angle, number, qualified/unqualified, yes/no, etc., to realize the automatic identification function.

The most basic advantage of machine vision system is to improve the flexibility and automation of production. In some dangerous working environments that are not suitable for manual operation or occasions where artificial vision is difficult to meet the requirements, machine vision is often used to replace artificial vision. At the same time, in the process of large-scale repetitive industrial production, the use of machine vision inspection methods can greatly improve the efficiency and automation of production.

Machine Vision Applications

After entering the 21st century, machine vision technology has developed rapidly and has been widely used in many fields, such as intelligent manufacturing, intelligent transportation, medical care, security monitoring and other fields. At present, with the rise of the artificial intelligence wave, machine vision technology is in a new stage of continuous breakthrough and maturity. After a long period of dormancy, China's machine vision market ushered in explosive growth in 2010.

If industrial robots are extensions of human hands and vehicles are extensions of human legs, then machine vision is equivalent to the extension of human vision on machines. Machine vision realizes the automatic judgment and recognition of workpiece size, shape, color and other characteristics, which can allow machines to replace human eyes for measurement and judgment, and is a necessary means to realize industrial automation and intelligence.

Generally speaking, the machine vision industry chain mainly includes the upstream component-level market, the midstream system integration/complete machine equipment market, and the downstream application market. Among them, the upstream parts market mainly includes software and hardware providers such as light sources, lenses, industrial cameras, frame grabbers, and image processing software; the midstream mainly includes providers of integrated and complete equipment; the downstream market of the industry mainly includes electronics manufacturing, automobiles, Logistics, security, printing and packaging, tobacco, food and beverage, medicine and other fields. It can be said that in the current era of "intelligent manufacturing" centered on high-end equipment manufacturing, the development of machine vision is a very important part.



Main application areas of machine vision

Machine Vision Company Inventory

At present, the global machine vision industry is in a state of confrontation. The two giants, Keyence of Japan and Cognex of the United States, almost monopolize more than 50% of the global market.

Keyence Japan



With the rapid development of industrial automation, KEYENCE, as a major supplier of sensors and measuring instruments, is constantly developing and manufacturing newer and more reliable products to meet the needs of various manufacturing industries. In addition to high-quality products, the technically trained KEYENCE sales force also provides a full range of services, from solving application problems, technical sales support, and responding quickly to user requirements. KEYENCE has always been committed to supporting its users and helping them become the best in their industry. KEYENCE serves more than 200,000 customers in about 100 countries or regions around the world, and the name KEYENCE means innovation and excellence.

Cognex USA



Founded in 1981, Cognex Corp. is a global leader in providing vision systems, vision software, vision sensors and industrial barcode readers for manufacturing automation, headquartered in Natick County, Massachusetts, USA. In 2017, Cognex's sales revenue was about 748 million US dollars, a year-on-year increase of 43.6%, and the compound annual growth rate from 2013 to 2017 was as high as 22%. Among them, the sales revenue of machine vision and industrial code reading products in consumer electronics (display manufacturing, mobile and wearable device assembly, etc.), automotive, logistics and other industries accounted for 40%, 25%, and 10% respectively. Typical machine vision applications include detecting defects, monitoring production lines, guiding assembly robots, and tracking, sorting, and identifying parts. Cognex serves international customers through offices in North America, Europe, Japan, Asia and Latin America, as well as a global network of integration and distribution partners.

Then we turned our attention to China. Compared with the two major companies above, my country's machine vision companies are generally small in scale, but there are also industry leaders Hikvision and some upstarts, such as Megvii Technology, SenseTime, Yuncong Technology, Yitu Technology, they are already uncompromising unicorns in the field of machine vision. At present, there are more than 30 well-known machine vision companies in China. Here are the upstart top 10:



Top 10 domestic machine vision upstarts (in no particular order)

In the above list, for example, Megvii Technology has obtained a database of 5 million face pictures through cooperation with many Internet companies and through "desensitization" technology, and the accuracy rate of face recognition LFW in Internet pictures has reached 99.6%. Partners include Ali , 360 and other large-scale image, social and equipment enterprises.

At the beginning of its establishment, Yitu was engaged in vehicle identification, and mainly cooperated with public security systems in Jiangsu, Fujian and Chengdu. Later, it began to develop a static portrait comparison system in the application of face recognition, and turned one of the products’ focus to finance. .

In general, my country's machine vision upstart enterprises are mainly product agents, system integration and equipment manufacturing, and there are few underlying developers. In the domestic machine vision market, in terms of secondary application development, domestic manufacturers occupy a relatively large share; however, in the underlying core components of machine vision, foreign brands are the main ones. The relatively mature automation products of domestic machine vision are of low quality and technical content, and the market is far from saturated.

The future development direction of machine vision

In 2018, segments such as artificial intelligence (AI), big data, 3D imaging, and robotic process automation all saw unprecedented growth. Likewise, in the machine vision industry, new standards and technologies are developing at an unprecedented rate.

Due to the gradual application of artificial intelligence (AI), big data and even 5G technology, machine vision has made great strides in stability, real-time performance, accuracy, and processing power. In the future, visual image technology needs to focus on building four core capabilities:

1. Intelligent identification. Accuracy and reliability are the keys to finding key features from a large amount of information.

2. Intelligent measurement. Measurement is the foundation of industry and requires precision.

3. Intelligent detection. On the basis of measurement, comprehensive analysis and judgment of multiple information and multiple indicators, the key point is intelligent judgment based on complex logic.

4. Intelligent interconnection. The massive data of images is collected and interconnected at multiple nodes, and at the same time, data such as personnel, equipment, production materials, environment, and processes are interconnected, resulting in innovative capabilities such as deep learning, intelligent optimization, and intelligent prediction.

Summarize

In the future, machine vision will bring about a wide-ranging and profound change in both daily life and manufacturing. With the outbreak of artificial intelligence, machine vision, one of the representative technologies, will surely become a new growth point in the industry.