Skip to main content
European Commission logo print header

AUTOMATIC SYSTEM FOR SURFACE INSPECTION AND SORTING OF TILES

Objectif


A complete prototype for visual inspection of ceramic tiles has been integrated and installed at the production plant; it has been used to carry out tests against real products in real environmental conditions. A significant set of tile products has been identified and tested. Two sets of techniques, a quick and a sophisticated one, have been tested. The quick one, suitable for real-time processing, obtained results comparable with human ones in uniformly coloured tiles and in some kind of textured tiles; it performed less reliably in pseudo-random textured tiles (marble like).
The sophisticated approach, tested in the laboratory, detected defects in all kinds of products examined, both in plain and in textured tiles.
Excellent results have also been reached in colour grading, comparable with those of specialised operators but more time-invariant.
The expert system has been implemented and partially tested. More extensive tests will be possible only on the final product after an extensive training on line.
The project aims at developing a pre-competitive image processing system for visual inspection of ceramic tiles towards automated surface quality analysis and storage.

The project deals with the definition and implementation of an advanced equipment for high-resolution colour-image acquisition, based on a newly developed sensor, the implementation of appropriate image analysis algorithms for colour measurement, texture characterization, and defect detection in ceramic tiles, and their integration into an automated inspection system.

The research effort will then address the problem of objectively analyzing and characterezing tile surfaces (with texture and color features) in order to reject tiles, if pattern faults or defects are found, or to sort them into different categories. The inspecting (CCDE camera) and measuring tools, together with thesoftware module for data processing and classification, will be incorporated into a prototype system, which will be used to carry out on-site exhaustive evaluation of performances of the novel instrumentation.

The research program is designed to devise a non-contact inspection and measuring tool that, once completely industrialized and commercially available, will replace the current obsolete and subjective inspection procedures, carried out manually. As a result, the human attendance in hazardous environments will be significantly reduced. In addition, it will play a crucial role in advancing the development of ceramic tile manufacturing process and, in this respect, it will help in maintaining and consolidating the leadership that the European Community countries currently enjoy in this area. This will be the first time that a so sophisticated integrated research programm will be carried out in this industrial sector.

Appel à propositions

Data not available

Régime de financement

CSC - Cost-sharing contracts

Coordinateur

Bull Italia SpA
Contribution de l’UE
Aucune donnée
Adresse
Via del Parlamento 33
20098 Borgolombardo Milano
Italie

Voir sur la carte

Coût total
Aucune donnée

Participants (5)