Compact Vision Box-PC with flexible interfaces

Vision Box AGE-X4 compact

  • Powerful combination of an x86 CPU with versatile PCI-e options and interfaces that are ideally suited for machine vision applications
  • High flexibility through the support of PCI-e plug-in cards for Ethernet, frame grabbers, GPUs, VPUs, LED controllers, I/Os, A/D converters and other modules
  • Optional individual configuration and customer-specific adjustments including extensive tests

The Vision Box AGE-X4 Compact is a passively cooled, modular embedded industrial PC optimized for flexible extensions for machine vision, machine learning, factory automation and other applications.

Choosing the right computer hardware for machine vision applications is not easy. It should be efficient, flexibly adapted if necessary and, if possible, correspond to the current state of the art. This also includes the ability to cover modern concepts from the field of machine learning. In addition, the long-term availability of components over many years is a very important criterion for machine builders.

PCIe plug-in cards can help here. They are available on the market as variants for Ethernet interfaces, as frame grabbers, with graphical processing units (GPU) or vector processing units (VPU), as LED controllers, I/Os, A/D converters and as modules with many other functions. Compared to components permanently integrated into PCs, these plug-in cards offer the essential advantage that they can be exchanged without great effort and the user can thus adapt the system performance to the existing and even changing requirements.

PCI-e plug-in cards, which enable computing power to be accelerated and the use of machine learning technologies, are of particular importance for machine vision applications. GPUs and VPUs whose architecture has been specially optimized for this purpose are predestined for this. GPUs are ideal for training machine learning applications as well as for inference applications, but are further developed in extremely short cycles and therefore do not offer the long-term availability that is so important for machine builders. VPUs are also suitable for use in inference applications, but allow for a longer-term availability than GPUs and are therefore the better choice for certain tasks. Which hardware offers the best performance depends on the requirements of the respective application.

The Vision Box AGE-X4 Compact is an embedded industrial PC that was specially developed with the aim of enabling the greatest possible flexibility for use in different applications. Numerous options with regard to the processors, the interfaces and the plug-in cards for a wide variety of functions make the Vision Box AGE-X4 Compact an extremely flexible machine. With it, users have, among other things, the possibility of using the extremely fast developments in the area of GPU computing power by simply changing the GPU plug-in card or, if necessary, switching to VPU-PCIe modules.

In combination with the compact design of only 263 mm Ă— 192 mm Ă— 114 mm (W Ă— D Ă— H) and the passive cooling, this embedded industrial PC combines all the properties to reliably survive in harsh industrial machine vision applications in factory automation to keep all options for the use of machine learning technologies open or to safely take on special tasks.

The well-known risks of flexibility and modularity are reduced using series devices with precisely qualified tests and outgoing goods test procedures. The Box PC Vision Box AGE-X4 therefore focuses on long-term series use.

With the choice of CPUs up to the Intel i7 with 4.3 GHz clock rate in turbo mode and six cores, the machine vision computer Vision Box AGE-X4 Compact already provides outstanding computing power for many conventional machine vision applications. However, its special feature is particularly important when the prepared options for the use of PCIe plug-in cards are used. At that point, developers can choose whether they want to expand our embedded industrial computer with the help of the available slots to include Ethernet interfaces, frame grabbers, GPUs, VPUs, LED controllers, I/Os, A/D converters and other functions. With the selection of suitable plug-in cards, it is also possible to turn the Vision Box AGE-X4 Compact into a PC with machine learning capabilities. With the option of simply exchanging the plug-in cards used, users can benefit from the rapid development steps that exist with GPUs and other technologies.

IMAGO Technologies offers a broad portfolio of suitable PCI-e expansion cards that already cover a large number of functions. If customers want to use a special card in the inference computer Vision Box AGE-X4 Compact that is not available in the IMAGO portfolio, this is also not a problem: The corresponding card is qualified by IMAGO Technologies to ensure that it is supplied with sufficient power, the necessary cooling is ensured and all drivers or SDKs work properly.

Users benefit from the many years of experience of the IMAGO experts, who support them in the customer-specific configuration and adaptation of the embedded industrial PC. The possible service from IMAGO Technologies also covers special developments such as the use of special CPUs and associated changes in the power supply or mechanical design as well as practical tests in the control cabinet. Individual requirements can thus be implemented in close consultation with IMAGO Technologies and ensure efficient solutions that are adapted to the respective application.

The flexibility of the embedded PC Vision Box AGE-X4 Compact and its ability to provide machine learning functionalities that are perfectly adapted to the task at hand is also evident in the possible areas of application and industries. This embedded industrial PC is suitable, among others, for the following branches of industry

Food & Beverage

In many areas of the food industry there is the particular challenge that the objects to be inspected, such as fruit, vegetables or meat products, have natural variations and still have to be classified as good or bad by machine vision systems. Methods such as artificial intelligence, deep learning or machine learning enable errors to be reliably identified in such cases. The inference computer Vision Box AGE-X4 Compact can be optimally adapted for such tasks using the appropriate plug-in cards.

This also applies to the reading of fonts, which are printed on labels, for example, to identify the goods and which are often difficult to read by machines, e.g. due to different fonts or poor printing. The mathematical formulation of the solution to such tasks is usually extremely time-consuming using conventional image processing algorithms. Expanded by a suitable plug-in card with GPU, VPU or machine learning options, the embedded PC Vision Box AGE-X4 Compact enables the reliable reading of text and imprints even in difficult situations.

Further sample applications

Pharma

For use in the pharmaceutical industry, the machine vision computer Vision Box AGE-X4 offers flexible options through the modularity of its interfaces in order to optimally adapt the hardware or software of machine vision systems to the needs in terms of performance and long-term use without any changes. There are special requirements in this application segment, as extensive tests and, in particular in the series production of devices, extensive tests are required in the outgoing goods area. In addition, it must be ensured over the years that the components used do not change in order to avoid costly and expensive validations of the application software. With in-depth outgoing goods tests, IMAGO Technologies ensures that all Vision Box AGE-X4 devices delivered correspond exactly to the given specifications and are therefore optimally prepared for long-term use.

Further sample applications

Production

Due to the variety of products manufactured and the required processes, industrial production offers an almost infinite playing field for industrial machine vision. Due to its extreme flexibility in terms of performance, the possibility of adapting to individual framework conditions, the openness for the integration of machine learning applications and its robust design, the industrial PC Vision Box AGE-X4 Compact is the perfect machine vision platform for use in assembly control, for inspecting injection molded parts, in welding processes and in many other applications in the production environment.

Further sample applications

Elektronics Production

Precision and a high production speed are essential characteristics in electronics production. By using suitable plug-in cards, e.g. with an additional GPU, it is possible to significantly increase the computing power of the machine vision computer Vision Box AGE-X4 Compact and thereby reduce the CPU load in order to adapt the image processing tasks to the requirements. The additional use of innovative technologies from the area of machine learning can be implemented with little effort if required. The experts from IMAGO Technologies will be happy to support you in the optimal design of the embedded industrial PC for the respective task.

Further sample applications

Packaging & Logistics

The increasing demands in logistics can only be met with high-quality automation and the use of suitable machine vision systems. The box PC Vision Box AGE-X4 Compact provides all options for recognizing and reading codes and fonts on products quickly and without errors, for correctly recording packaging sizes or for determining the exact number of products. Thanks to the flexible adaptation options using a variety of forms of PCI-e plug-in cards, which also allow the use of machine learning approaches when using GPU or VPU modules, this embedded industrial PC is also the perfect choice for use cases in packaging and logistics.

Further sample applications

Print

High production speeds and frequently changing products are essential features in the printing industry. With its extensive PCI-e expansion options, the inference computer Vision Box AGE-X4 Compact offers adequate solutions for the diverse scenarios of this industrial sector and is able to achieve the required speeds for image processing through the use of GPU and VPU plug-in cards. The use of plug-in cards with machine learning technologies also opens up applications that go far beyond the possibilities of classic machine vision.

Further sample applications

Machine building companies as well as manufacturers of inspection or production machines of all kinds benefit from the flexibility and performance of the embedded PC Vision Box AGE-X4 Compact as well as from the possibility of adding Ethernet interfaces, frame grabbers, etc. to their machine vision system via a wide range of PCI-e plug-in cards. GPUs, VPUs, LED controllers, I/Os, A/D converters and other functions can be precisely adapted to the requirements at hand.

The success of the industrial PC Vision Box AGE-X4 is particularly evident in long-term series use of once qualified configurations and is based on solid outgoing goods tests, some of which are carried out with automation peripherals provided by the customer.

Explain your task to the experienced experts from IMAGO Technologies, who will then recommend an optimal Vision Box AGE-X4 Compact configuration. Defining your tailor-made machine vision solution couldn’t be any easier!

Sales Manager Christoph SiemonChristoph Siemon
Sales Manager

Telephone: +49 6031-684 26 13
sales@imago-technologies.com

Sales Manager Fabian GarbsDipl.-Phys. Fabian Garbs
Sales Manager

Telephone: +49 6031-684 17 84
sales@imago-technologies.com