A visual inspection simulator for hybrid environments

Recently, 100% inspection using automated systems has seen more frequent application than traditional sampling inspection using human inspectors. Nevertheless, humans still outperform machines in some tasks. Thus, designers of inspection systems need guidelines on human/machine function allocation to ensure inspection is performed effectively. In response to this need, this paper describes a system that addresses this issue. The system can support controlled studies on a printed circuit board inspection task in either human, automated, or hybrid mode and is described in terms of its specifications, architecture, and operation. The system specifications include the hardware and software requirements, the development software, the board image design software, and the image library development. The system architecture introduces the structure of the database, supporting modules and their relationship. Finally, the system operation describes how the system works in detail.