Our contactless counting technology is based on digital imaging of a stack of flat items, followed by dedicated image processing to infer the number of objects in the image. The basic structure of a typical card/envelope OptiCard counter is shown in the next functional diagram:

A box with items is placed by the operator on the conveyor belt at the start position, to the left/right of the camera. When the start button is pressed, the box travels under the imaging module and images of the edges of the cards are captured by the camera. These images are sent to the computer, combined to a very high resolution image of the entire box and processed by the image processing software to determine the number of items in the box. The result is then compared to a target number, if set in by the operator, displayed on the monitor and stored in a report file for later use. In case of a mismatch, the batch is registered as incorrect and the box is returned to the start position. If the count is verified as being correct, the box comes to rest at the other end of the conveyor belt.

A typical image of standard plastic cards, as captured by an OptiCard counter, is shown next. The result of the analysis the OptiCard software does can be seen by hovering the mouse over the image.

The red lines represent the cards identified by the software. The image processing is two-dimensional, so the entire captured area is analyzed to detect the edges of the cards and finally count them. This is a key feature that allow us to outperform all other counting techniques available. Other methods use only a few separated horizontal lines for counting, and obviously cannot compete with analysis of over 1,000 lines processed together. In spite of the computational complexity of our process, the net counting time with a modern computer is less than a second!

The combination of smart optical setup, illumination, image capturing, 2D image processing and error detection, let us count accurately almost all card types (colored, translucent, black, …; PVC, ABS, PET, paper, metal, …; cello wrapped, …), while overcoming imperfections and manufacturing defects. In addition, in most cases a new counting algorithm for a new item can be created remotely, just by receiving a few images captured with the counter and making adaptation to a set of parameters. No physical delivery of items is required, so the process is fast and simple. Our technology and know-how are generic and can be applied to virtually any flat stacked objects, therefore the possible applications can go far beyond the current markets of the company.

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