Checking connector pins in cars is a real Sisyphean task – impossible for humans. A laser scanner combined with powerful image processing software can do the job. This ensures the quality of millions of pins every day.

The automotive industry has developed rapidly in recent years. Nowadays, almost every function in a vehicle is electronically controlled, from window operation to automatic light control. Electromobility in particular is playing an increasingly important role: in large markets such as China, electric vehicles now account for around 51 percent of cars sold, underlining the rapidly growing transition to electromobility. In the US, too, the proportion of e-cars is now around 8-9 percent, a significant increase that illustrates the growing acceptance and spread of this technology. This technological evolution has led to an increasing demand for high-precision electronic connectors, which act as the backbone of the vehicle control system. A modern car contains up to 5,000 different connectors, totaling around 100,000 pins. These connections are essential for the functionality of vehicles, especially in the area of electronics and automation. Each of these pins must therefore undergo a strict quality check before installation, as even a single defective pin can cause the entire electronic system to fail.

This is where the expertise of Aku Automation from Germany comes in. As a system integrator for machine vision solutions, the company has developed an application in collaboration with the northern German company AT Sensors that enables precise inspection of pins. This inspection is carried out in continuous operation on up to 40 machines simultaneously, which means that more than 1.7 million pins can be inspected every day.

No Occlusions Thanks to Sensor with Dual-Head Function

The biggest challenge when testing the pins is to ensure that they function perfectly even after assembly under a wide range of external influences, such as vibrations or moisture. The solution lies in the use of the 3D dual-head sensors from AT's XCS series. These sensors make it possible to scan the pins of electronic connectors simultaneously from two sides, thus avoiding shadowing (occlusion) and achieving a high precision.

The sensor is also characterized by its optimized laser and a field of view of 53 millimeters. The XCS series laser offers a uniform line thickness along the entire laser line, which is achieved by the optics in the laser projector. This homogeneity of the line thickness allows for high-precision scanning of small structures, regardless of whether the object to be inspected is in the center or at the edge of the line. This is a decisive advantage for the quality control of pins, as an exceptionally high level of accuracy and repeatability is achieved.

Detection of Small Surface Details through Laser Line Projection

Another feature of the XCS sensors is the clean beam technology developed by AT. This function protects the laser from external interference factors, such as optical anomalies, and ensures precise and focused laser projection. Clean Beam also enables a uniform intensity distribution, which leads to consistent and reliable results.

High-Performance 3D Sensor in Electronics Industry

Dr. Athinodoros Klipfel, Head of Sales at AT highlights the features of the free AT software, which supports very detailed data output with features such as Multipart and Multipeak. Multipart enables the simultaneous output of up to ten different image features, while Multipeak allows highly reflective materials to be scanned without disturbing reflections.

Right from the start, Aku Automation focused on innovation when developing a reliable solution for inspecting electronic connectors. An experienced team of developers worked intensively for over six months to realize the optimal design of the application. The challenge was to put together all the necessary components for a reliable system, program user-friendly software and integrate the output of quality data. To do this, Aku Automation relies on image processing software called Aku Visionmanager, which then evaluates the data using AI-supported deep learning algorithms. This enables customers to read out their data in a simple and uncomplicated way.

Innovative Use of the Application by the Customer

"Our priorities during development were a reliable quality procedure and ease of use for the customer. We therefore designed the application in such a way that it can be used for a wide range of electronic connector types and has a high multiplier effect," explains Boris Gierszewski, Managing Director of Aku Automation.

The connector test developed by Aku Automation and AT is now used by numerous well-known car manufacturers. The reject rate of defective pins always remains below one percent.