Documentation
Documentation, SDK & Integration Reference
Reference documentation for engineers integrating a VisionAxiom inspection station. Where a capability depends on the station architecture, that is stated inline.
Direct answer
How is a VisionAxiom inspection system integrated?
An inspection station accepts a hardware trigger, acquires images through standards-based industrial camera interfaces, evaluates a versioned recipe of checks, returns a verdict to the PLC over discrete I/O or an industrial Ethernet protocol within a defined worst-case decision time, and writes a structured inspection record with an image reference for traceability.
Interfaces
- Cameras
- GigE Vision / USB3 Vision class devices; CoaXPress or Camera Link with a frame grabber where bandwidth requires it (selected per project)
- Trigger in
- Photo-eye, encoder, or PLC output — hardware triggered
- Verdict out
- Discrete I/O; EtherNet/IP, Modbus TCP or PROFINET (confirmed per project)
- Data out
- Structured record to local database / MES endpoint
- Images
- Local retention with policy-driven pruning; network archive optional
Recipe model
- A recipe is a versioned set of checks bound to a product or SKU.
- Each check declares type, region, parameters, tolerance and severity.
- Recipe selection is driven by the work order via PLC/MES where possible.
- Recipe changes are logged with user, timestamp and previous revision.
Inspection record (illustrative schema)
- inspection_id
- string (uuid)
- ts
- string (ISO-8601 with offset)
- station_id / recipe_rev
- string / integer
- checks[]
- { name, type, value, tolerance, verdict, roi }
- verdict
- "pass" | "fail" | "no_read"
- reason_codes[]
- string[]
- image_ref
- string (object key or path)
- model_version
- string | null
Timing contract
- Worst-case decision time is specified and tested, not averaged.
- Timeout behavior is defined explicitly (fail-safe reject unless quality specifies otherwise).
- Heartbeat signal to the PLC so silence is distinguishable from health.
- Dropped-frame and no-read counters exposed for monitoring.
Custom development
Where a project needs behavior outside the standard configuration — custom acquisition control, bespoke algorithms, unusual synchronization, or integration with an in-house MES — we do that as engineered software work with source-level documentation handover as part of the deliverable scope.
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