Automotive wire harnesses contain a variety of components, including connectors, relays, sensors and even small controllers. Inspecting them is a challenge. For example, relays for different models often share identical dimensions and can be installed in the same location. Attention to detail is critical, and the risk of errors is high.

Harness assemblers would like to automate the process, but technology is lacking. Inspecting harnesses with conventional vision systems is problematic. The camera must be stationary or mounted to a robotic arm. That’s a problem, because the system must work in tandem with the movements of assemblers. In complex assembly scenarios, image acquisition may have problems such as blurring and scale variation, which will adversely affect accuracy.