Evolving PCB visual inspection programs using genetic programming

Automated optical inspection (AOI) is desirable in printed circuit board (PCB) manufacturing as inspecting manually is time-consuming and error-prone. This paper presents a study on evolving an AOI program with Genenetic-Programming (GP), an evolution-inspired technique. Using a GP-based approach, domain knowledge such as board design and lighting conditions are not required. Conventional feature extraction processes can also be avoided. The result demonstrates the evolved program capability to detect flaws under varied scenarios. Furthermore, it can be readily applied on different types of images without calibration or re-training.