Focal point

What is claimed to be the world's smallest complete machine vision system has the potential to make installation on the production line faster and easier.

In-Sight Micro, which looks like a remote-head camera measuring 30mm x 30mm x 60mm, is a complete system that can be mounted in tight spaces on robots, production lines and machinery at angles up to 45º for hard-to-reach applications.

Its design, which the company calls the 'origami of PCB placement,' was the brainchild of Tim Jakoboski, head of research and development at Cognex. 'You're basically running a full computer in a box that's 30 by 30 by 60,' he said.

The system is made up of four distinct printed circuit boards, one of which is a special kind of PCB called rigid-flex, which is a foldable board used in electronics such as the Apple iPod.

A rigid-flex PCB consists of a combination of flexible and rigid substrates laminated into a single package. These boards can be bent and folded in a way that allows electronics designers to replace multiple PCBs interconnected with connectors, wires and ribbon cables with one single package.