Figure 1: The SICK Inspector83x is a powerful 2D vision sensor designed to simplify and enhance quality control tasks, including anomaly detection. Source: SICK

The SICK Inspector83x is a powerful 2D vision sensor designed to simplify and enhance quality control tasks, including anomaly detection. Utilizing advanced artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms, the Inspector83x is capable of performing high-precision inspections across various applications, such as tread wear analysis, black-on-black inspection and foreign object detection.

Why tire manufacturers need anomaly detection

Tire manufacturers face several challenges that make anomaly detection essential. Ensuring that every tire meets high-quality standards is crucial for maintaining brand reputation and customer satisfaction. More importantly, any anomalies such as defects, uneven wear or embedded foreign objects can compromise tire performance and safety for consumers. Tires with undetected defects can lead to serious safety issues.

Anomaly detection helps manufacturers comply with safety regulations and avoid costly recalls. Detecting defects early in the production process reduces waste and rework costs. It also minimizes the risk of defective tires reaching the market, which can lead to expensive warranty claims and damage to the brand.

Automated anomaly detection streamlines the inspection process, allowing for faster production rates without compromising quality. This efficiency is particularly important in high-volume manufacturing environments. Consistently delivering high-quality, defect-free tires builds customer trust and loyalty. Anomaly detection ensures that only the best products reach the market, enhancing the manufacturer’s reputation.

Potential safety issues with tire defects

Avoiding safety issues with tire defects is crucial for ensuring the reliability and performance of vehicles. This could include blowouts, weak spots, tread separation or sidewall defects.

Blowouts occur when a tire suddenly loses air pressure, often causing the driver to lose control of the vehicle. This can happen due to manufacturing defects like weak spots in the tire or improper bonding of tire components.

Tread separation, where the tread of the tire separates from the body, can lead to a sudden loss of traction. This is particularly dangerous at high speeds and can result in severe accidents.

Defects in the sidewall can cause bulges or cracks, weakening the tire’s structure and leading to blowouts or other failures, especially under heavy loads or high-speed conditions.

Manufacturing defects can also make tires more susceptible to punctures and cuts, resulting in slow leaks or sudden air loss. Any tire defect that affects the tire’s integrity can lead to a loss of vehicle control, including issues like uneven wear patterns caused by manufacturing inconsistencies. Additionally, defective tires can affect the handling and performance of the vehicle, making it harder to steer, brake or accelerate properly, which increases the risk of accidents, especially in adverse weather conditions. These issues highlight the importance of rigorous quality control and anomaly detection in tire manufacturing to ensure the safety and reliability of tires on the road.

Figure 2: the Inspector83x is capable of performing high-precision inspections across various applications. Source: SICK

Key features of the Inspector83x

So what makes the Inspector83x so well-equipped to handle these issues in tire manufacturing? Well, here are some key features of the camera:

• AI-powered inspections: The Inspector83x uses AI to perform high-precision inspections. It can be trained with just a few examples, making it accessible even to non-specialists.
• High-speed processing: Equipped with a quad-core CPU, the Inspector83x processes data directly on the device, allowing for up to 15 inspections per second. This is particularly useful in fast-paced production environments.
• Versatile applications: It can handle a variety of tasks such as defect detection, classification and complex assembly verification. This versatility makes it suitable for industries like consumer goods, food and beverage, automotive and packaging.
• Ease of use: The device comes pre-installed with SICK Nova software, which provides an intuitive interface for setting up inspections. Users can quickly adapt to changes in product design or packaging without needing extensive machine vision expertise.
• High resolution and built-in illumination: With up to 5 MP resolution and built-in illumination, the Inspector83x ensures detailed and accurate inspections.

Common applications

Anomaly detection on black items

Detecting anomalies on black items like tires can be challenging due to their low contrast and reflective surfaces. However, the SICK Inspector83x is well-equipped to handle this.

The Inspector83x features up to 5 MP resolution, which allows it to capture detailed images of the tire surface, making it easier to spot defects. It also comes with built-in, adjustable illumination that can be optimized to reduce reflections and enhance the visibility of features on dark surfaces. This is crucial for inspecting black items like tires.

The device uses AI algorithms that can be trained to recognize specific defects on tires, such as cracks, bulges or foreign objects. These algorithms can adapt to variations in the appearance of the tire surface. With its quad-core CPU, the Inspector83x processes images quickly and accurately, ensuring real-time detection even in high-speed production environments.

In addition, the sensor can be mounted at various angles and distances to get the best possible view of the tire, ensuring comprehensive inspection coverage.

Tread wear pattern detection

The SICK Inspector83x can be used to detect tread wear patterns on tires. With the high-resolution camera, it captures detailed images of the tire tread, allowing for precise analysis of wear patterns. The AI algorithms can be trained to recognize specific tread wear patterns, such as uneven wear, cupping or feathering.

The adjustable built-in illumination helps to highlight the tread patterns, even on dark surfaces like tires, ensuring that the details are clearly visible. And the quad-core CPU allows for images to be processed in real-time, providing immediate feedback on the condition of the tire tread.

Embedded foreign object detection

The SICK Inspector83x can detect embedded foreign objects in tire treads. Capturing detailed images of the tire tread and the adjustable built-in illumination, it can easily spot small foreign objects and make embedded objects clearly visible. AI algorithms can be trained to adapt to variations in the appearance of the tire surface.

Additional tire-related inspections

The SICK Inspector83x can perform a variety of tire-related inspections beyond the ones listed above.

• Defect detection: It can identify various defects such as cracks, cuts, bulges and foreign objects on the tire surface.
• Sidewall inspection: The Inspector83x can inspect the sidewalls of tires for any irregularities, including bulges, cuts or manufacturing defects.
• Bead area inspection: It can check the bead area for defects or inconsistencies that could affect the tire’s ability to seal properly on the rim.
• Label and marking verification: The sensor can verify the presence and correctness of labels, markings and other identifiers on the tire, ensuring compliance with regulatory standards.
• Uniformity and balance checks: It can be used to inspect the uniformity and balance of the tire, identifying any issues that could lead to vibrations or uneven wear.
• Dimensional measurements: The Inspector83x can measure various dimensions of the tire, such as diameter, width and tread depth, to ensure they meet specifications.

Conclusion

The SICK Inspector83x is a versatile and powerful tool for anomaly detection in tire inspection. Its combination of high-resolution imaging, advanced illumination, AI-powered algorithms and robust processing capabilities make it an essential asset for ensuring the quality and safety of tires in various industrial applications.