Watch Movement Anomaly Opto solino® RTI sensor
Detecting micro defects using BRDF computational imaging
Customer Task:
Precision watch movements contain dozens of miniature components made from highly polished or decorated metal surfaces. They must meet extremely high-quality standards because even the smallest surface defect can affect functionality, reliability, and the perceived value of the final watch.
- gears and wheels
- bridges and plates
- screws and pins
- jewel bearings
- decorative finishes
The goal is to detect surface defects early in the production process and ensure consistent quality across all assembled movements.
Inspection Challenges:
Inspecting inner watch mechanics is particularly challenging for traditional machine vision systems.
Typical challenges include:
- Highly reflective metal surfaces
- Complex geometries and small components
- Decorative finishes that change appearance with lighting
- Micron-scale scratches or dents
- Particles or contamination inside the movement
Standard camera systems rely on fixed lighting conditions and often fail to reveal subtle surface irregularities. Small defects may only become visible when the surface is tilted under specific lighting angles.
As a result, many inspections still rely on manual visual inspection performed by skilled operators.
Technology Principle
The solino® RTI sensor uses BRDF-based computational imaging to reveal surface structures. Within milliseconds the system captures a series of images under different illumination angles and reconstructs the surface reflectance information computationally.
Key elements include:
- 64 multi-directional LED illumination
- photometric stereo image capture
- reflectance-based surface reconstruction
- computational defect enhancement
This approach creates a stable and repeatable inspection environment independent of external lighting conditions.
Application
solino® 10x10 is used to inspect assembled watch movements.
Typical inspection targets include:
- gear wheels, pinions or bridge surfaces
- screws and screw heads
- decorative surface finishes
- contact surfaces between moving parts
The system captures the surface under 64 illumination directions, small defects become visible with high contrast.
Original RGB image vs. solino® Contrast Enhancement CPI Image
Original RGB image vs. solino® Surface Anomaly CPI Image
Technology Benefits
Using controlled multi-directional illumination, solino® enhances the visibility of surface anomalies on reflective materials such as:
- Scratches, Dents and Burrs
- Roughness changes
- Texture deviations and Waviness
- Coating defects and Contamination
The technology works particularly well on polished or decorated metal surfaces where traditional imaging often fails.
Original RGB image vs. solino® reflectance CPI Image
Solution Architecture: Software & Hardware together in one solution
Item nummer: 100-SO-10-MAN-001 solino® 10x10 - Viewer + Stand
The inspection system consists of:
- solino® RTI sensor
- integrated dome illumination with 64 LEDs
- high-resolution 20MP industrial camera
- solinoStudio inspection software and batch acquisition and processing
- The compact sensor design allows easy integration into production machines.
Inspection workflow:
- Component is positioned under the solino® sensor
- The system captures a series of images
- Computational algorithms reconstruct the surface reflectance information
- solinoStudio allows image capturing and processing
Conclusion
The solino® RTI sensor combines controlled illumination and computational imaging to reveal surface structures that are difficult to detect using traditional camera systems.
This enables reliable automated inspection of precision watch components and supports manufacturers in maintaining the highest quality standards in watch production.
Additional Image processing and AI available on request
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