Overview

Making 3D Easy

We live in a 3D world with manufacturing processes that demand high speed and highly accurate part inspection. Machine vision solutions designed to support automated production can be complicated to design, setup, and install; often requiring specialized staff with an engineering background. 2D solutions designed to solve 3D measurement problems are complicated, expensive, and are often times unsuccessful. 2D simply can’t compensate for height variation without some sort of compromise in cost, quality, or reliability.

Although 3D solutions are traditionally thought of as costly or complicated to configure, LMI’s revolutionary Gocator product family makes 3D measurement for factory automation easy. Here’s how…

Meet Gocator: Powerful, Flexible, and User Friendly

Gocator is a family of all-in-one 3D smart sensors designed to be easy to use yet very powerful. Out of the box, Gocators are pre-calibrated to scan and measure within minutes. No coding or complicated calibration is required making Gocator accessible to all levels of expertise. From factory floor production staff to technicians and engineers, the Gocator embedded web browser interface gets you from setup to measurement in minutes.

Sensors are easily configured using an intuitive and responsive interface. Almost immediately you will be able to measure 3D features like width, thickness, and angle in order to precisely monitor production. Gocator’s suite of built-in measurement tools makes it easy to inspect materials, improve quality control, and introduce factory automation solutions at low cost.
With Gocator on your side, your manufacturing process will never be the same.

Gocator 2000 Family

Offers a good balance of VGA resolution vs. scanning speed Pre-calibrated and available in various models to scan small to large objects Available in laser classes ranging from 2M to 3B Industrial IP67 rated housing Communication via 100 Mbaud Ethernet Easily scalable to multi-sensor system No additional hardware required - an all-in-one experience

Gocator 2300 Family

Provides 3D profile data down to micron level detail at faster speeds than the 2000 family Pre-calibrated and available in various models to scan small to large objects Available in laser classes ranging from 2M to 3B Industrial IP67 rated housing – small size and light weight for mounting in tight spaces or on robotic arms Communication via Gigabit Ethernet for ultra-fast data output Easily scalable to multi-sensor system No additional hardware required - an all-in-one experience * Available Q1 2012

Web Interface

Let Programming Take a Backseat

Gocator's built-in web application provides a rich, intuitive and fun to use interface all at the click of a mouse. You don’t have to be a vision engineer or a programming guru to use the built-in measurement tools to make this sensor work in your system.

All of Gocator's features are easily configured through our web interface. Some applications may require more involved configuration, if so, Gocator provides a rich SDK (software development kit) to easily solve these problems.

Setup in Minutes

Experience the simplicity of being able to connect to Gocator from any standard browser and operate it right out of the box with an Ethernet connection. No special drivers, software or interfaces are required.

Let Your Imagination Run Wild

There’s no shortage of mechanisms by which you can measure something with Gocator.

At the click of a mouse select any one of the many measurement tools and then decide the pass/fail limits to turn the Gocator from a simple 3D sensor into a smart measurement device. Multiple tools can be selected and combined for full inspection of parts making Gocator extremely versatile.

If you need more than our tools, you are encouraged to be creative and are able to write your own through our built-in scripting language. Gocator provides the tools, you provide the intelligence.

PVR Functionality

Ever have a part go through a measurement device and wonder what happened and why?  We have developed a replay system similar to that of your PVR.

Record a series of profiles, measurements and their results then play them back at your own convenience. Never leave the interface, each recording and their results can be played back right in the browser, allowing you to make adjustments to your setup and quickly review them to make sure you made the right call. 

Features

Quick Connect

Solve your applications at lightning speeds. Gocator can be fired up and plugged directly into your PC's Ethernet port in the comfort of your office. Connect to it, like you would with any consumer router, and you will be solving your problems in no time.

Gocator is fully functional as a stand-alone sensor, meaning that no external controllers are required for it to operate. The magic is the built-in web application that gets you up and running in minutes. There is no software to download or install, everything from networking to configuring the sensor's operation is done through an intuitive web application that eliminates all guesswork.

All the data is beautifully visualized in realtime so that configuration is a snap, and once setup, your Gocator is ready for production.

Flexible Input/Output

Integrate to your existing systems using the provided digital I/O, analog, serial RS-485 and Ethernet connections.

Gocator also allows outputs to operate simultaneously, acting as a bridge across platforms. Trigger signals and quadrature encoder inputs are provided to fully control the measurement process and timing.

A rich set of inputs and outputs makes the Gocator a complete solution and one that will fit nicely into your existing control system.

Dual Sensor Mode

Looking at a differential thickness or wider materials? Gocator can be easily configured to work with another Gocator to offer a more complete picture.  The sensors can be configured within our world class interface, and with the click of a mouse they operate as if they were one. 

Difference Area

Measures cross-sectional area of live profiles (in mm2) and compares results against a registered template for better detection of parts with a less than ideal area. Easily set limits in the Difference Area tool panel to establish the pass and fail conditions required to make effective area inspection decisions.

Difference Peak

Measures the maximum height of live profiles (in mm) and compares results against a registered template for improved detection of inconsistencies in surface height. Simply set limits in the Difference Peak tool panel to establish the pass and fail conditions required to make efficient height inspection decisions.

Dynamic Exposure Control

An exposure control mode that continuously self-adjusts to varying surface colors and reflectivity. Dynamic Exposure is valuable for measuring surfaces that have both light and dark colors or are comprised of multiple materials – such as circuit boards.

Multiple Sensor Synchronization (via SDK)

Eliminates cross-talk in multi-sensor systems for better syncing and measurement results. Recently added function calls within the Gocator SDK to provide full flexibility for configuring of sensor timing. See Go2Sensor_SetExposureDelay in SDK documentation for more details.

Raw Profile Output

For more advanced users who only want raw data, this operation mode acquires unprocessed range data from the sensor and delivers it as (x,z) coordinate pairs. In this mode, all data post processing is disabled so that Gocator sensors can feed back raw data at the highest possible speed.

Output Scheduling

Configures delays for greater control over tracking and sorting decisions of parts on a conveyor. Through the digital or analog channel, a future time or position (as measured from the start of camera exposure on a conveyor) can be specified. More advanced users can also use a software command for scheduling outputs.

Whole Part

LMI’s revolutionary Whole Part feature makes factory automation easier and less expensive by eliminating the multiple components and software engineering required for automated part scanning and detection. As the name suggests, Whole Part mode automatically detects the edges of a component so that the whole part can be scanned and measured. Gocator can now automatically detect multiple parts on a conveyor and understand their dimensions, location, and orientation. Measuring an entire part rather than a series of profile scans opens the door to a world of 3D volumetric measurement tools and allows for better factory automation decisions.

Regional Language Support: Chinese

With the new multi-language support, Gocator is now more friendly for non-English speakers to setup and fully utilize. Currently supported are English, French, German, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Traditional and Simplified Chinese. (Additional languages coming soon.)

Modbus TCP Support

Gocator sensors can now “plug in” to the factory floor via Ethernet communication over Modbus TCP protocol. PLC connected Gocators more easily and cost effectively integrate into existing factory automation systems than ever before.

Intensity Output

Intensity Output expands upon Gocator’s core 3D scanning ability to offer the benefits of 2D visual inspection. Using laser intensity to produce a grey scale image calibrated to actual dimensions, Intensity Output data can be combined with 2D image processing libraries to easily identify surface defects and patterns. Gocator can now inspect surface features in the same way a traditional 2D camera system can.

Bi-directional Encoder Triggering

Bi-directional encoder triggering allows Gocator to scan an object while it is moving in either direction on a conveyor; reducing production time when an item needs to be scanned multiple times or in different directions.

Gated Triggering

Gated Triggering allows Gocator to easily integrate into systems that use a PLC or photocell to trigger a scan sequence. By having precise control over the start and stop of scanning, Gocator provides you the valuable data you want, and none of the data you don’t.

Data Drop Notifications

With Gocator’s ability to scan at exceptionally fast speeds, it’s important to know if a particular setup is functioning perfectly. When a condition is detected that leads to loss of data due to over triggering, overloading the CPU, over scheduling output events, or over running Ethernet transmission rates, a notification will now appear in the Gocator interface. This means users can always keep their setup functioning at its optimal level.

Applications

Part Verification

Gocator is a champion in part verification. With its advanced feature detection algorithms Gocator finds corners, edges and physical extremes so that it can perform a host of measurements such as thickness, width, distance and angle, just to name a few.

Gocator can perform measurements simultaneously and can do so with speeds in the kHz range. Detecting problem parts accurately and quickly saves you time, money and reduces manufacturing errors. There is peace of mind in knowing your processes are on target, every day, every shift and for every part.

Surface Scanning

Need to scan a large surface? Gocator is perfect for scanning continuous surfaces of any size. Gocator’s suite of measurement tools helps in detecting unwanted features, such as bulges and dents, to feature requirements such as surface notches and extrusions.

Gocator’s wide field of view provides excellent surface coverage, minimizing the need to reposition sensors in order to cover a larger surface area. In situations where one sensor might not be enough, Gocators can be linked together to provide an even larger field of view. Combining pictures across multiple sensors keeps the resolution at its highest so that measurements on your surface can continue to be performed in the finest detail.

Be Creative

Need to have something measured or verified? Dream up an application and the Gocator will likely be able to assist, it’s just that flexible.

With a whole host of detection algorithms and measurement tools this sensor is for much more than just data collection. Find something distinctive and detectable on your object then Gocator will handle the rest. Each measurement can be fine tuned and set with pass/fail limits providing for a complete measurement solution, sure to be of major assistance in your very particular application.

Videos

Automate 2011

LMI Technologies demonstrates the Gocator 3D sensors at the Automate 2011 show in Chicago. Review the Gocator video filmed from our trade show booth demonstrating its features and benefits. The Automate show was a great success for LMI Technologies with live hands on demonstrations at the booth creating standing room only at times. Dan Howe, Regional Development Manager, shows the easy to use GUI to set up viewing area, exposure and the built-in tools.

Release 3.0

Release 3.0