Agreement of Use

COPYRIGHT RESTRICTIONS

This document is provided "as is" by the OPC Foundation and the VDMA

Right of use for this specification is restricted to this specification and does not grant rights of use for referred documents.

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PATENTS

The attention of adopters is directed to the possibility that compliance with or adoption of OPC or VDMA specifications may require use of an invention covered by patent rights. OPC Foundation or VDMA shall not be responsible for identifying patents for which a license may be required by any OPC or VDMA specification, or for conducting legal inquiries into the legal validity or scope of those patents that are brought to its attention. OPC or VDMA specifications are prospective and advisory only. Prospective users are responsible for protecting themselves against liability for infringement of patents.

WARRANTY AND LIABILITY DISCLAIMERS

WHILE THIS PUBLICATION IS BELIEVED TO BE ACCURATE, IT IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND MAY CONTAIN ERRORS OR MISPRINTS. THE OPC FOUDATION NOR VDMA MAKES NO WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, WITH REGARD TO THIS PUBLICATION, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY WARRANTY OF TITLE OR OWNERSHIP, IMPLIED WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY OR WARRANTY OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR USE. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE OPC FOUNDATION NOR VDMA BE LIABLE FOR ERRORS CONTAINED HEREIN OR FOR DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, RELIANCE OR COVER DAMAGES, INCLUDING LOSS OF PROFITS, REVENUE, DATA OR USE, INCURRED BY ANY USER OR ANY THIRD PARTY IN CONNECTION WITH THE FURNISHING, PERFORMANCE, OR USE OF THIS MATERIAL, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

The entire risk as to the quality and performance of software developed using this specification is borne by the user of this specification.

RESTRICTED RIGHTS LEGEND

This Specification is provided with Restricted Rights. Use, duplication or disclosure by the U.S. government is subject to restrictions as set forth in (a) this Agreement pursuant to DFARs 227.7202-3(a); (b) subparagraph (c)(1)(i) of the Rights in Technical Data and Computer Software clause at DFARs 252.227-7013; or (c) the Commercial Computer Software Restricted Rights clause at FAR 52.227-19 subdivision (c)(1) and (2), as applicable. Contractor / manufacturer are the OPC Foundation, 16101 N. 82nd Street, Suite 3B, Scottsdale, AZ, 85260-1830

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GENERAL PROVISIONS

Should any provision of this Agreement be held to be void, invalid, unenforceable or illegal by a court, the validity and enforceability of the other provisions shall not be affected thereby.

This Agreement shall be governed by and construed under the laws of Germany.

This Agreement embodies the entire understanding between the parties with respect to, and supersedes any prior understanding or agreement (oral or written) relating to, this specification.

The following document OPC UA Companion Specification for Machine Vision, part 1 (short: OPC Machine Vision, part 1) is a joined document from VDMA and OPC Foundation.

It summarizes the results of the VDMA OPC Machine Vision Initiative, containing contributions from all its members.

Under the oversight of the Steering Committee of

Technological outline

Today’s integration of machine vision systems into production control and IT systems is characterized by the development of proprietary (case by case / company by company) interfaces. In many cases, this means an interface development for every single machine vision project, which results in very time-consuming, costly and error-prone efforts.

Currently, no generic interface for machine vision systems on the application / solution level exists that might be used as basis for the companion specification. Therefore, an OPC UA Companion Specification for Machine Vision shall be developed as a standardization project with global reach under the G3 agreement.

OPC Unified Architecture is an industrial M2M communication technology for interoperability, providing secure, reliable and manufacturer-neutral transport of data and pre-processed information from the manufacturing level into IT, production planning or ERP systems. Domain groups are asked to develop companion specifications: i.e. to decide which domain specific services and information are offered, which information and data are to be transferred.

Benefits for the machine vision industry

Through the OPC UA interface, relevant data achieves a broader reach on all levels, e.g. Control Device, Station and Enterprise levels, as well as a managed data flow. In connection with the industry 4.0 movement the relevance of machine vision systems will increase in all their roles due to the rich data they can provide on products – for quality assurance, track and trace, etc. – as well as processes – for process guidance, optimization, digital twinning, data analytics and other applications which we may not even foresee yet. The OPC UA interface will also enable a plug and play integration of a machine vision system into its process environment. These benefits will significantly advance the growth and use of machine vision systems.

Benefits for machine vision users

Easy and widespread accessibility of relevant data and a managed data flow will benefit users of machine vision through new application abilities and business models. In addition, a commonly accepted interface with global reach will reduce implementation times and reduce development costs for system integrators and users of machine vision systems.

VDMA Machine Vision

The VDMA (Verband Deutscher Maschinen- und Anlagenbau, Mechanical Engineering Industry Association) represents over 3,200 mainly small and medium size member companies in the engineering industry, making it one of the largest and most important industrial associations in Europe. As part of the VDMA Robotics + Automation association, VDMA Machine Vision unites more than 115 members: companies offering machine vision systems and components (cameras, optics, illumination, software, etc.). The objective of this industry-driven platform is to support the machine vision industry through a wide spectrum of activities and services such as standardization, statistics, marketing, public relations, trade fair policy, networking events and representation of interests. As member of the G3 agreement, VDMA Machine Vision cooperates in the field of standardization with other international machine vision associations, such as AIA (USA), CMVU (China), EMVA (Europe), and JIIA (Japan).

OPC Foundation

Originally derived from the Windows technology OLE for Process Control, the acronym OPC today stands for Open Platform Communication.

The OPC Foundation was established in 1998 to manage a global organization in which users, vendors and consortia collaborate to create data transfer standards for interoperability in industrial automation.

To support this mission, the OPC Foundation:

Creates and maintains specifications

Ensures compliance with OPC specifications via certification testing

Collaborates with industry-leading standards organizations

The OPC Foundation has more than 450 OPC members, from small system integrators to the world’s largest automation and industrial suppliers.

See https://opcfoundation.org/ for more information on the OPC Foundation and OPC UA; last visited May 4th, 2018)