On-line automated inspection based on image digitization boards

The authors have been involved in the implementation of a total quality control project in communications equipment company, whose products are mounted and tested in a manufacturing plant controlled by an IBM Token Ring LAN. The most significant products are RF and microwave amplifier boards for satellite TV receivers, with electronic components based on SMT technology. The first implementation of total quality control project was an ATE (automatic test equipment) LAN node that runs a program of verification for single-channel and multichannel electronic amplifiers, in which bandwidth is in the TV spectrum (50+850 MHz). This ATE LAN node is supported in its performance for an RF analyzer connected to it through an IEEE 388 bus. The last implementation is an automated inspection LAN node to detect the missing of SMT and non SMT components mounted in the electronic cards of above mentioned amplifiers. This LAN node for automated inspection is based on artificial vision and will be called MVI (Machine-Vision Inspection).