A functional valve seal assembly quality visual inspection apparatus and method

Abstract

The application discloses a kind of equipment and method for functional valve seal assembly quality visual inspection.It includes monocular color industrial camera, plane diffuse light source, camera light source fixing plate, two kinds of workpiece positioning devices and other accessories.Monocular color industrial camera can provide good illumination environment for monocular color industrial camera image acquisition;In addition, by being designed with two kinds of workpiece positioning devices in the application, the same equipment can simultaneously meet the inspection needs of large quantities of functional valve seals and adapt to new models of functional valve seals, realize the automatic acquisition, analysis and determination of quality information of seal rubber ring and protective ring as detection feature points, solve the problem of misloading and missing loading, greatly reduce the limitation that traditional manual inspection can only check one sleeve shaft rubber ring at a time, shorten the inspection time and retain product quality certificate function, effectively improve the detection quality and efficiency of sleeve shaft rubber ring assembly.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of image recognition technology, specifically relating to a visual inspection device and method for the assembly quality of functional valve seals. Background Technology

[0002] Key components of aerospace products, such as actuators, primarily utilize hydraulic control, involving numerous functional valves. Valve sleeve seals are near-cylindrical parts with varying lengths and diameters. Sealing grooves are arranged axially along the part, and sealing is achieved using rubber rings or protective rings. The rubber rings or protective rings are assembled in different sequences to match the dimensions of the valve sleeve sealing grooves. Rubber rings are typically black, though a small number may be reddish-brown; protective rings are typically white, though a small number may be black or blue. Due to the sheer number and complexity of these functional valve seals in aerospace products, misassembly and omissions are inevitable during manual assembly, potentially affecting flight safety. Therefore, a visual inspection of the batch of functional valve seals is necessary after assembly to ensure no misassembly or omissions have occurred.

[0003] Currently, visual inspection of such functional valve seals in aerospace products is mainly carried out manually by technicians. Inspectors check each seal individually, including the rubber rings and protective rings, for specifications, color, and assembly sequence, according to the assembly process. Due to the large number of seals and the small size of the objects, confusion is easy, making this method relatively inefficient and unsuitable for mass production in aerospace. Human error can also significantly reduce reliability, and the lack of photographic or other records makes it impossible to trace quality issues once they occur. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This invention provides a visual inspection device and method for the assembly quality of functional valve seals, which solves the problems of low efficiency and reliability of existing inspection methods that rely on manual visual inspection.

[0005] The present invention provides a visual inspection device for the assembly quality of functional valve seals, comprising: a camera light source fixing plate 1, a monocular color industrial camera 3, a planar diffuse light source 4, a tray 7, a base 8, a vertical connecting cabinet 11, a positioning baffle 13, and a clamping assembly;

[0006] The camera light source mounting plate 1 is fixed above the base 8 via a vertical connecting cabinet 11;

[0007] The camera light source mounting plate 1 includes a vertical mounting plate and a horizontal mounting plate; the vertical mounting plate is vertically positioned above the horizontal mounting plate, the monocular color industrial camera 3 is fixed on the vertical mounting plate, and the planar diffuse light source 4 is fixed on the lower surface of the horizontal mounting plate;

[0008] The base 8 is provided with screw positioning and locking holes and positioning baffle 13;

[0009] The functional valve seal is fixed inside the tray 7, and the tray 7 is positioned to fit the positioning baffle 13 when placed on the base 8.

[0010] The clamping assembly includes: a first positioning block 15, a linear slide rail 16, and a second positioning block 18;

[0011] The linear guide rail 16 includes a fixed part and two sliding parts; the two sliding parts are slidably disposed on the fixed part; the first positioning block 15 and the second positioning block 18 are fixedly disposed on the two sliding parts;

[0012] The first positioning block 15 and the second positioning block 18 are used to clamp the two end faces of the functional valve seal;

[0013] The horizontal fixed plate and the central part of the planar diffuse light source 4 are hollowed out to facilitate the monocular color industrial camera 3 to photograph the functional valve seal located on the base 8.

[0014] Optionally, the planar diffuse light source has a through hole at its center, the diameter of which is larger than the maximum outer diameter of the monocular color industrial camera 3.

[0015] Optionally, the lens of the monocular color industrial camera 3 is located directly above the through hole of the planar diffuse light source 4, and the lower surface of the lens coincides with the upper surface of the planar diffuse light source 4.

[0016] The monocular color industrial camera 3 is located at the center directly above the base 8.

[0017] Optionally, it also includes: cooling fan 2 and light source controller 5;

[0018] The cooling fan 2 is fixed on the vertical connecting cabinet 11. The camera light source fixing plate 1 has a hollowed-out design at the cooling fan 2 to facilitate heat dissipation of the monocular color industrial camera 3 and the planar diffuse light source 4.

[0019] The light source controller 5 of the planar diffuse light source 4 is vertically installed inside the vertical connecting cabinet 11 and located directly below the cooling fan 2.

[0020] Optionally, the tray 7 is equipped with a QR code label 12 to facilitate digital management of the functional valve seals.

[0021] Optionally, both the first positioning block 15 and the second positioning block 18 adopt a double-sided design and can be freely disassembled and rotated 180° for installation. The clamping positioning surface of the second positioning block 18 adopts a stepped design, and the clamping positioning surface of the first positioning block 15 adopts a sloping positioning groove design.

[0022] Optionally, it also includes: housing 10;

[0023] The outer shell 10 is an open shell that is fitted from above onto the monocular color industrial camera 3, the planar diffuse light source 4, and the camera light source fixing plate 1. Several rectangular heat dissipation holes 9 are provided on the upper surface of the outer shell 10.

[0024] The base 8 is provided with several function buttons 14, including: a visual inspection device switch button, a planar diffuse light source switch button, a monocular color industrial camera shooting button, and an exposure intensity controller button.

[0025] Optionally, there are two positioning baffles 13, which are set perpendicular to each other.

[0026] Optionally, the tray 7 is provided with multiple sleeve grooves 6 of different sizes and shapes to fix the seal of the functional valve to be tested.

[0027] Another aspect of the present invention provides a method for using a visual inspection device for the assembly quality of functional valve seals as described in any of the preceding claims, comprising:

[0028] Step 1: Place the sealing component of the functional valve to be tested in the tray 7. The tray 7 is placed on the base 8 and is set to fit the positioning baffle 13.

[0029] Step 2: Turn on the planar diffuse light source 4;

[0030] Step 3: Use a monocular color industrial camera 3 to photograph the functional valve seal to be tested.

[0031] This invention utilizes a monocular color industrial camera vertically positioned directly above the central through-hole of a planar diffuse light source. The illumination angle of the light source aligns with the shooting angle of the monocular color industrial camera, providing a favorable lighting environment for image acquisition. Furthermore, the exposure intensity of the planar diffuse light source can be adjusted via a light source controller within the connecting cabinet, ensuring the monocular camera can acquire images of the sleeve rubber ring under various lighting conditions. Additionally, this invention incorporates two workpiece positioning devices within a visual inspection device for the assembly quality of functional valve seals. This design simultaneously meets the needs of inspecting large batches of functional valve seals on the same equipment and adapting to new models of functional valve seals. It enables automatic acquisition, analysis, and judgment of quality information using the seal rubber ring and protective ring as inspection feature points, resolving issues of incorrect or missing installations. This significantly reduces the limitations of traditional manual inspection, which can only inspect one type of sleeve rubber ring at a time, shortening inspection time while retaining product quality documentation, effectively improving the inspection quality and efficiency of sleeve rubber ring assembly. Attached Figure Description

[0032] Figure 1 This is an internal structural diagram of a visual inspection device for the assembly quality of functional valve seals according to the present invention.

[0033] Figure 2 This is an overall structural diagram of a visual inspection device for the assembly quality of functional valve seals according to the present invention.

[0034] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a fixture assembly for a visual inspection device for the assembly quality of functional valve seals according to the present invention.

[0035] in:

[0036] 1. Camera light source mounting plate; 2. Cooling fan; 3. Monocular color industrial camera; 4. Planar diffused light source; 5. Light source controller; 6. Functional valve seal; 7. Tray; 8. Base; 9. Heat dissipation holes; 10. Housing; 11. Vertical connection cabinet; 12. QR code label; 13. Positioning baffle; 14. Function button; 15. First positioning block; 16. Linear slide rail; 17. Pin; 18. Second positioning block. Detailed Implementation

[0037] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0038] The features and illustrative embodiments of various aspects of the present invention will now be described in detail. Numerous specific details are set forth in the following detailed description to provide a thorough understanding of the invention. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention may be practiced without requiring some of these specific details. The following description of embodiments is merely intended to provide a better understanding of the invention by illustrating examples of the invention. The invention is by no means limited to any specific setups and methods set forth below, but covers any improvements, substitutions, and modifications to structures, methods, and devices without departing from the spirit of the invention. Well-known structures and techniques are not shown in the drawings and the following description to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the invention.

[0039] It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments of the present invention and the features thereof can be combined with each other, and the various embodiments can be referenced and cited in each other. The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0040] The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0041] like Figure 1-3As shown, the present invention provides a visual inspection device for the assembly quality of functional valve seals, wherein the entire working environment of the visual inspection device for the assembly quality of functional valve seals shall include its host computer.

[0042] The host computer is connected to the monocular color industrial camera to receive and store the images captured by the monocular color industrial camera.

[0043] The host computer is also connected to function buttons to enable the host computer to control external actuators such as switch buttons, planar diffuse light source switch buttons, monocular color industrial camera shooting buttons, and exposure intensity controller buttons.

[0044] The present invention adopts the following technical solution: a visual inspection device for the assembly quality of functional valve seals, the visual inspection device includes a monocular color industrial camera, the monocular color industrial camera is arranged vertically and located at the center directly above the workpiece positioning plate (tray), and is used to acquire images of the rubber ring (functional valve seal) to be tested, the field of view of which exactly covers the entire surface of the workpiece positioning plate.

[0045] Furthermore, a planar diffuse light source is horizontally arranged below the monocular color industrial camera. The planar diffuse light source has a through-hole at its center, the diameter of which is slightly larger than the maximum outer diameter of the monocular color industrial camera. This allows the camera to be positioned above the planar diffuse light source and acquire images of the workpiece positioning plate below through the through-hole. The lens of the monocular color industrial camera is located directly above the through-hole of the planar diffuse light source, with the lower surface of the lens coinciding with the upper surface of the planar diffuse light source. The planar diffuse light source continuously emits diffuse light towards the workpiece positioning plate below, providing illumination for the camera to acquire images. The light intensity of the planar diffuse light source can be manually adjusted.

[0046] Furthermore, the visual inspection equipment includes a camera light source fixing plate, which is arranged at the top of the entire equipment. The monocular color industrial camera is fixed on the vertical fixing plate, and the planar diffuse light source is fixed on the horizontal fixing plate. The middle of the horizontal fixing plate is hollowed out to facilitate the monocular color industrial camera to take pictures. The camera light source fixing plate is hollowed out at the cooling fan to facilitate the heat dissipation of the monocular color industrial camera and the planar diffuse light source.

[0047] Furthermore, the visual inspection equipment includes two workpiece positioning devices to meet the different positioning requirements of functional valve seals.

[0048] Example 1

[0049] The first of the two workpiece positioning devices is a tray design, which can be embedded and clamped with various types of test parts in the same equipment. It is suitable for the inspection of large batches of functional valve seals. With the positioning baffle of the base, the workpiece can be positioned quickly. At the same time, a QR code is provided on the lower right of the tray to facilitate the digital management of functional valve seals.

[0050] Example 2

[0051] The second type of workpiece positioning device is a clamping assembly design. This clamping assembly uses a linear guide rail to control linear motion. The linear guide rail includes a fixed part and two sliding parts. The two sliding parts are slidably mounted on the fixed part. When the positions of the two sliding parts on the fixed part are determined and positioning is required, a quick-positioning clamping design is used. Specifically, it can be fixed with pins 17, facilitating quick assembly and locking of the clamp. It can clamp workpieces with lengths ranging from 3mm to 300mm. Positioning blocks can be connected to the two sliding parts. The positioning surfaces of the positioning blocks adopt a stepped design and inclined positioning grooves, allowing for clamping of workpieces with diameters ranging from 8mm to 50mm under camera-focused inspection conditions.

[0052] Furthermore, the fixture working surface can adopt a double-sided design, and can be freely disassembled and rotated 180° for installation. The combination of the two working surfaces can clamp square or cylindrical test pieces.

[0053] Furthermore, visual inspection equipment for the assembly quality of functional valve seals also includes:

[0054] An outer shell, which is an open shell, is fitted from above onto the monocular color industrial camera, the planar diffuse light source, and the two connecting plates. The open part is located below the monocular color industrial camera and the planar diffuse light source. The upper surface of the outer shell has a number of rectangular holes (heat dissipation holes) regularly punched for heat dissipation.

[0055] A base, which is a sealed housing, is located directly below the monocular color industrial camera and the planar diffuse light source. The surface of the base is designed with screw positioning and locking and boundary positioning methods, which can be compatible with various fixtures and are easy to replace. The base is equipped with several function buttons, including: the visual inspection device switch button, the planar diffuse light source switch button, the monocular color industrial camera shooting button, and the exposure intensity controller button.

[0056] A vertical connecting cabinet is used to connect the outer shell and the base;

[0057] Two cooling fans are located at the connection between the cuboid connecting cabinet and the outer shell, used to dissipate heat from the monocular color industrial camera and the planar diffuse light source;

[0058] A light source controller is vertically installed inside the cuboid connecting cabinet and directly below the two cooling fans to adjust the light intensity of the planar diffuse light source and provide good lighting conditions for the monocular color industrial camera.

[0059] Furthermore, a tray is horizontally arranged on the base, and the upper surface of the base has two mutually perpendicular positioning baffles to hold the tray in place. In this position, the field of view of the monocular color industrial camera covers the entire tray. In addition, there are grooves on both sides of the tray to facilitate the removal of the tray by the staff.

[0060] Furthermore, the tray is provided with a positioning groove on its side and a matching positioning protrusion on the positioning baffle for quick and accurate placement of the tray, so that the monocular color industrial camera can accurately locate the detection feature point of the sleeve shaft to be tested in one go, making it convenient for operators to complete the tray fixing efficiently and reducing the positioning problems of the monocular color industrial camera.

[0061] Furthermore, the tray contains numerous sleeve slots of varying sizes and shapes to secure the sleeves to be inspected, enabling the monocular color industrial camera to correctly capture images of different types of sleeve rubber rings in a single operation.

[0062] This invention utilizes a monocular color industrial camera vertically positioned directly above the central through-hole of a planar diffuse light source. The illumination angle of the light source aligns with the shooting angle of the monocular color industrial camera, providing a favorable lighting environment for image acquisition. Furthermore, the exposure intensity of the planar diffuse light source can be adjusted via a light source controller within the connecting cabinet, ensuring the monocular camera can acquire images of the sleeve rubber ring under various lighting conditions. Additionally, this invention incorporates two workpiece positioning devices within a visual inspection device for the assembly quality of functional valve seals. This design simultaneously meets the needs of inspecting large batches of functional valve seals on the same equipment and adapting to new models of functional valve seals. It enables automatic acquisition, analysis, and judgment of quality information using the seal rubber ring and protective ring as inspection feature points, resolving issues of incorrect or missing installations. This significantly reduces the limitations of traditional manual inspection, which can only inspect one type of sleeve rubber ring at a time, shortening inspection time while retaining product quality documentation, effectively improving the inspection quality and efficiency of sleeve rubber ring assembly.

[0063] This invention provides a visual inspection device for the assembly quality of functional valve seals, comprising a monocular color industrial camera 3 and a planar diffused light source 4. The planar diffused light source has a central hole, allowing the image of the sleeve rubber ring to enter the camera's field of view, while also ensuring that the illumination angle of the light source is consistent with the shooting angle of the monocular color industrial camera, thus providing a good lighting environment for the monocular color industrial camera to acquire images.

[0064] The relative spatial position of the monocular color industrial camera 3 and the planar diffuse light source 4 is determined by the camera light source fixing plate 1, which is located at the top of the entire device. The camera light source fixing plate 1 includes a vertical fixing plate and a horizontal fixing plate. The monocular color industrial camera 3 is fixed on the vertical fixing plate, and the planar diffuse light source 4 is fixed on the horizontal fixing plate. The middle of the horizontal fixing plate is hollowed out to facilitate the monocular color industrial camera 3 to take pictures. The camera light source fixing plate 1 is hollowed out at the cooling fan to facilitate the heat dissipation of the monocular color industrial camera 3 and the planar diffuse light source 4.

[0065] The lens of the monocular color industrial camera 3 is located directly above the through hole of the planar diffuse light source 4, and the lower surface of the lens coincides with the upper surface of the planar diffuse light source. The distance between the lower surface of the lens of the monocular color industrial camera 3 and the upper surface of the tray 7 should be determined according to the camera's depth of field and the size of the tray 7 to ensure that its field of view covers the entire tray 7.

[0066] The cooling fan 2 is located in the vertical connecting cabinet 11 directly behind the monocular color industrial camera 3, and is used to continuously provide heat dissipation for the monocular color industrial camera 3 and the planar diffuse light source 4 during the operation of the visual inspection equipment for the assembly quality of functional valve seals; the light source controller 5 is located in the vertical connecting cabinet 11, specifically below the cooling fan 2, and is used to adjust the light intensity of the planar diffuse light source to provide good lighting conditions for the monocular color industrial camera.

[0067] The functional valve seal 6 is embedded in the tray 7 according to its shape and size. The tray 7 is placed horizontally on the upper surface of the base 8. The tray 7 is positioned horizontally by the positioning baffle 13 on the upper surface of the base 8 to ensure that the functional valve seal 6 is in the same position in each batch of shooting.

[0068] The front surface of the base 8 is equipped with an external trigger mode function button 14, which includes a power switch button, a planar diffuse light source power switch button, a monocular color industrial camera shooting button, and an exposure intensity controller button. When needed, the shooting button can be pressed to capture an image, which greatly saves computer system resources and makes the entire visual inspection process more convenient and efficient.

[0069] The light exposure intensity controller button allows for convenient manual adjustment of the light intensity from the planar diffused light source.

[0070] The host computer is also connected to function buttons to enable the host computer to control external actuators such as switch buttons, planar diffuse light source switch buttons, monocular color industrial camera shooting buttons, and exposure intensity controller buttons.

[0071] The host computer includes self-developed vision inspection software for auxiliary inspection of assembly quality. The software also incorporates a delay protection device to effectively prevent operator errors in conjunction with audio-visual cues. Audio cues are emitted from the host computer, while visual cues are indicated by flashing planar diffused light sources.

[0072] In addition to the embedded groove for the functional valve seal 6, the tray 7 is also equipped with a QR code label 12, which allows the camera to directly capture the QR code to identify the workpiece batch number and facilitates the digital management of the functional valve seal 6.

[0073] The housing 10 is fixed to the outside of the planar diffuse light source 4 and the upper side of the camera light source mounting plate 1 by screws. It should be ensured that the edge of the housing does not interfere with the camera's field of view. In order to ensure the continuous use of the monocular color industrial camera 3 and the planar diffuse light source 4, the upper part of the housing 10 is provided with heat dissipation holes 9 to provide heat dissipation.

[0074] Fixture components such as Figure 3 As shown, the base 8 has holes on its upper surface for quick screw positioning and locking; the clamp uses a linear slide rail 16 to control linear movement and a pin 17 for easy and quick assembly and locking; both the first positioning block 15 and the second positioning block 18 are double-sided and can be freely disassembled and rotated 180° for installation. This design ensures that the combination of the two working surfaces can clamp square or cylindrical test pieces with a length range of 3mm-300mm. The positioning surface of the second positioning block 18 is stepped, which, together with the inclined positioning groove of the first positioning block 15, can clamp test pieces with a diameter range of 8mm-50mm under camera fixed-focus testing conditions.

[0075] The above-described embodiments are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention, and while the descriptions are specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention. It should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can easily conceive of various equivalent modifications or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in the present invention, and these modifications or substitutions should all be included within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A visual inspection device for the assembly quality of functional valve seals, characterized in that, include: Camera light source fixing plate (1), monocular color industrial camera (3), planar diffuse light source (4), tray (7), base (8), vertical connecting cabinet (11), positioning baffle (13) and clamping assembly; The camera light source mounting plate (1) is fixed above the base (8) by a vertical connecting cabinet (11); The camera light source fixing plate (1) includes a vertical fixing plate and a horizontal fixing plate; the vertical fixing plate is vertically set above the horizontal fixing plate, the monocular color industrial camera (3) is fixed on the vertical fixing plate, and the planar diffuse light source (4) is fixed on the lower surface of the horizontal fixing plate; The base (8) is provided with screw positioning and locking holes and positioning baffle (13); The functional valve seal is fixed inside the tray (7), and the tray (7) is set to fit the positioning baffle (13) when placed on the base (8); The clamping assembly includes: a first positioning block (15), a linear slide rail (16), and a second positioning block (18); The linear guide rail (16) includes a fixed part and two sliding parts; the two sliding parts are slidably disposed on the fixed part; the first positioning block (15) and the second positioning block (18) are fixedly disposed on the two sliding parts; The first positioning block (15) and the second positioning block (18) are used to clamp the two end faces of the functional valve seal; The horizontal fixed plate and the planar diffuse light source (4) are hollowed out in the middle to facilitate the monocular color industrial camera (3) to photograph the functional valve seal located on the base (8); The planar diffuse light source has a through hole at its center, and the diameter of the through hole is larger than the maximum outer diameter of the monocular color industrial camera (3); The lens of the monocular color industrial camera (3) is located directly above the through hole of the planar diffuse light source (4) and the lower surface of the lens coincides with the upper surface of the planar diffuse light source (4); The monocular color industrial camera (3) is located at the center directly above the base (8); The aforementioned visual inspection equipment for the assembly quality of functional valve seals further includes: a cooling fan (2) and a light source controller (5); The cooling fan (2) is fixed on the vertical connecting cabinet (11). The camera light source fixing plate (1) has a hollowed-out design at the cooling fan (2) to facilitate the heat dissipation of the monocular color industrial camera (3) and the planar diffuse light source (4). The light source controller (5) of the planar diffuse light source (4) is vertically installed inside the vertical connecting cabinet (11) and located directly below the cooling fan (2); The fixture positioning surface of the second positioning block (18) adopts a stepped design, while the fixture positioning surface of the first positioning block (15) adopts a sloping positioning groove design. The tray (7) is provided with multiple sleeve grooves (6) of different sizes and shapes to fix the sealing parts of the functional valves to be tested.

2. The visual inspection equipment for the assembly quality of functional valve seals according to claim 1, characterized in that, The tray (7) is equipped with a QR code label (12) to facilitate the digital management of the functional valve seals.

3. The visual inspection equipment for the assembly quality of functional valve seals according to claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: Outer shell (10); The outer shell (10) is an open shell that is fitted from above onto the monocular color industrial camera (3), the planar diffuse light source (4), and the camera light source fixing plate (1). Several rectangular heat dissipation holes (9) are provided on the upper surface of the outer shell (10). The base (8) is provided with several function buttons (14), including: a visual inspection device switch button, a planar diffuse light source switch button, a monocular color industrial camera shooting button, and an exposure intensity controller button.

4. The visual inspection equipment for the assembly quality of functional valve seals according to claim 1, characterized in that, There are two positioning baffles (13), and the two positioning baffles (13) are set perpendicular to each other.

5. A method for using a visual inspection device for the assembly quality of functional valve seals as described in any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, include: Step 1: Place the sealing element of the functional valve to be tested in the tray (7), place the tray (7) on the base (8), and set it to fit the positioning baffle (13); Step 2: Turn on the planar diffuse light source (4); Step 3: Operate a monocular color industrial camera (3) to photograph the functional valve seal to be tested.

Images