How to Use Imaging Colorimeters for Automated Visual Inspection of Displays

Display brightness, color uniformity, contrast, and defects are most accurately assessed using the same visual sensitivity as the method used to define display quality. The human eye is the ultimate determinant of quality in automotive displays, and its ability to discern light, color, and contrast differences is imperative to display operation and perceived quality of the vehicle brand. In display design and manufacture, however, human inspection is one of the least efficient, least consistent, and least quantifiable methods for quality analysis. Automated visual inspection equipment like machine vision systems are capable of quantifying visual data and ensuring fast, repeatable performance, but these systems are not able to replicate the human eye’s acuity and sensitivity to slight variations in light and color that may indicate poor quality.

Evaluating illuminated displays is best accomplished using technology specifically designed for photopic measurement, such as imaging colorimeters. A fundamental difference between an imaging colorimeter and a machine vision system is imaging colorimetry’s accuracy in matching human visual perception for light and color uniformity (and non-uniformity), even identifying unprogrammed quality issues in unpredictable locations on a display. In this white paper, learn how imaging colorimetry can be used in a fully-automated testing system to identify and quantify defects in high-speed, high-volume production environments. This paper describes the requirements for display test setup and the range of tests that can be performed – spanning simple point defect detection to complex mura detection and evaluation.

Radiant Vision Systems engineers imaging systems to critically evaluate light and color in displays, illuminated indicators and tell-tales, map lighting, headlamps, LEDs, and other light sources. Using photometric and colorimetric imagers calibrated to human visual perception of light and color, Radiant solutions offer the most sophisticated inspection technology for meeting customer expectations for quality in high-value automotive assemblies and surfaces, ensuring the absolute accuracy of light, defect-free surfaces and assemblies, and elevated brand perception.