The Customer Challenge

A large meat-packing plant was looking for video analytics to accurately count trays—both empty/clean and full—as they move through a high-speed production line. Off-the-shelf solutions were unable to provide reliable counts, in this highly dynamic environment. Challenges included:

• Trays back-to-back on the conveyor belt moving at a very high speed
• Variability in tray contents along the belt, full, half-full, empty/clean
• During the operation, employees reaching into or over the trays, with hands or tools

The Solution - Custom intuVision VA

intuVision’s engineering team devised a tailored video analytics solution by leveraging the flexible infrastructure of intuVision VA. Using a mix of modifications to the existing features and newly developed components, the system achieved accurate and consistent tray counts even under the most difficult conditions.

This data enabled the plant to:

• Eliminate manual counting errors and improve production tracking
• Automatically detect and alert on slowdowns or line stoppages
• Optimize operations through actionable analytics

Benefits at a Glance

• Versatile Solution: Core functionality powered by intuVision VA’s existing modules, enhanced with customizations.
• Custom-Built Accuracy: Custom components developed to manage the variability of tray contents and environmental factors provided the high accuracy counts.
• Fast turn-around: Thanks to intuVision VA’s modular architecture and in-house R&D team, the custom solution was delivered rapidly, with minimal disruption to the production process.
• Proven in the Field: Deployed and operational for over 6 years, the system continues to deliver reliable data with no reported issues.

Equipment-at-a-Glance

Hardware: AXIS Cameras, Windows PC

Software: intuVision VA custom

Technical Implementation

To meet the demands of the fast-paced, variable production environment, intuVision’s engineering team designed a solution that seamlessly fit into the intuVision VA platform. The system was built to reliably count trays on the production line, despite significant challenges including motion blur from high-speed movement, inconsistent tray contents, and visual obstructions caused by employee interaction or machinery.

The solution involved developing a custom object detection pipeline tailored specifically to the plant’s unique environment. Off-the-shelf object detection methods were insufficient due to the variability of the trays and their contents.

With this custom version built into intuVision VA's comprehensive framework, the customer was able to leverage the full range of reporting and data management functionality. Tray count data is accessed through intuVision VA reporting, exported in CSV format and even accessed through intuVision Data API for ingestion into other data management applications. Counts are saved within intuVision VA for two years by default, with the option to extend that duration. Comparison reports showing counts over different time periods such as week-to-week, month-to-month are available.

You can contact us at info@intuvisiontech.com or call to learn more about how intuVision VA and find out how it could fit into your work flow needs.