Patent ID: 8704903

Claim:
A method for synchronizing results of a plurality of vision system processors, that processes acquired images, to generate results therefrom, comprising the steps of: providing at least a first slave camera bank including at least one (a) master vision system processor and at least one (b) slave vision system processor interconnected thereto; providing a master camera bank including at least one (c) master vision system processor and at least one (d) slave vision system processor, the master vision system processor of the master bank being interconnected with the master vision system processor of the slave camera bank; in the master bank, receiving in each inspection cycle a trigger, and in response thereto, acquiring and processing an image with the (c) master vision system processor and issuing a trigger signal from a master synchronization process associated with the (c) master vision system processor over a communication link, the signal including a unique inspection cycle identifier to each of the (d) slave vision system processor, the (a) master vision system processor and the (b) slave vision system processor; after acquiring and processing images with each of the (d) slave vision system processor, the (a) master vision system processor and the (b) slave vision system processor, consolidating the results of the (c) master vision system processor and the (d) slave vision system processor, and in the first slave bank, consolidating the results of the (a) master vision system processor and the (b) slave vision system processor and transmitting the consolidated results with the unique inspection cycle identifier to the master synchronization process over the communication link; and with the master synchronization process, determining if the consolidated results from the master bank and the consolidated results of the first slave bank are complete based upon known time sequence between a timestamp on each result and that each of the inspection cycle identifiers is the same, and if the results are complete and the same, transmitting the complete results to a predetermined destination.