IDS lighthouse

Image processing without prior knowledge

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AI-based image processing in the cloud

With the AI Vision Studio IDS lighthouse, image processing arises in the cloud. Easy-to-use tools cover the entire development workflow from first image to the final application - without the need for special prior knowledge in deep learning, image processing or application programming.

Simple Workflow

IDS lighthouse is intuitive to use and makes it possible to create an artificial neural network within a few minutes. This requires three essential steps: The user uploads training images, labels these images and then trains the desired net.

Immediately ready for use

Call up the web application, log in - and you can start training a neural network right away. Instead of first having to set up an individual development environment, users of IDS lighthouse have immediate access to all functions as well as the required infrastructure.

Particularly secure

Customer and application data is stored in strictly secured data centers in compliance with the European Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

A perfect match

Users decide for themselves how fast or exactly the inference should be on their IDS NXT camera. IDS lighthouse then optimizes the training settings, taking into account the AI core performance of the camera. This is only possible thanks to the optimal coordination between software and hardware, which IDS customers get as perfect bundle.

Complete workflow

IDS lighthouse is a cloud-based AI vision studio for managing and annotating image datasets, training neural networks and creating the image processing applications based on them. AI vision tasks can thus be fully developed and solved with just one cloud service.

Fast training

IDS lighthouse allows you to train your own artificial neural network within a few minutes. This requires three main steps: Upload training images, label training images and then train the desired network.

Easy app development

With the block-based editor and the use case assistant, individual image processing sequences with machine learning methods, such as detection or classification of objects, can be created even without programming knowledge. As Vision Apps, these processes are then directly executable as on IDS NXT devices.

Sufficient performance

As a cloud service, IDS lighthouse uses the data centre and network architecture of Microsoft Azure. IDS customers therefore benefit from sufficient performance and server space to store all customer data and training projects and execute neural network training processes efficiently and quickly.

Always up-to-date

As Software as a Service (SaaS), IDS lighthouse always stays up to date. We continuously care for maintenance, servicing and further development of the AI training platform. Users can concentrate on their core business and also benefit immediately from each free function update.

Features

Cloud-based development environment

  • No installation or setup required, always up to date
  • No more outdated or slow development systems
  • Training performance and storage can be adjusted on-the-fly based on the project
  • Maintenance-free! We take care of the platform, so you can fully concentrate on your applications
  • An IDS customer account is all you need to sign up
  • New customers use IDS lighthouse for one month free of charge

Manage image data

  • Import any number of images and organize them into data sets
  • An import wizard assists with categorization and organization
  • Easy-to-use ROI tools for marking and labelling important image content
  • Digitize your application knowledge in images and use it to organize training and test scenarios for your image processing.

Augment image data

  • Automated modification and augmentation of image data prior to the training process
  • For maximum expression of image features and variant training
  • Recommended modifications are suggested by the system
  • Ensures stable and reproducible analysis results

Train AI

  • Transfer your application knowledge to a neural network at the push of a button
  • Parallel training with different configurations and image data possible
  • Email notifications about fully automated training process
  • You determine the maximum inference times of the finished neural network

Analyse AI

  • Each training history informs about the achieved accuracy and the parameters used for it.
  • Check, compare and manage training results

Validate & understand AI

  • Automatic tests run with your test images provide up-to-date validation data
  • A confusion matrix helps to evaluate the performance of a trained classification network
  • Attention maps visualize decision-relevant pixel areas
  • IDS NXT brings light into the AI black box

Use Case Assistant

  • Simplifies the realization of individual AI vision apps
  • Various pre-built task templates available
  • Complete vision workflow self-configurable in a few minutes
  • Generated vision app directly executable on IDS NXT cameras on-the-edge

Block-based Vision App Editor

  • Create and modify individual image evaluations using the block-based editor
  • No prior knowledge of text-based programming languages required
  • "No code" application development for anyone using easy-to-understand functional blocks
  • Develop and test in the cloud, run on embedded vision device on-the-edge

FAQ

Do you have a question? You may find the answer you need here:

With which login data can I use IDS lighthouse?

Use the access data of your IDS customer account for the login. For the use of IDS lighthouse an activation via license key is required. This will be supplied with the IDS NXT Experience Kit design-in kit. Buyers of an IDS NXT industrial camera must purchase a license to access IDS lighthouse.

  • A six-month licence is included in the IDS NXT Experience Kit.
  • In the IDS webstore, licence extensions with different runtimes can be purchased.
  • In addition, you can try out IDS lighthouse with unlimited functionality free of charge for one month.

With which internet browser can I use IDS lighthouse?

Please use IDS lighthouse on the following browsers:

  • Google Chrome: Version 102.0 or higher
  • Mozilla Firefox: Version 91.0 or higher
  • Microsoft Edge: Version 90.0.818.49 or higher

The IDS lighthouse access was activated by my colleague. How do I get access?

IDS lighthouse accounts are always linked to an individual – this means that the activation should be done by the actual user. A transfer is possible on request. Please contact the IDS sales department.

For collaborative work, image data sets and training projects can also be "shared" between several IDS lighthouse accounts. To do this, use the "collaboration" function in the basic settings of a data set or training project.

Can IDS lighthouse projects be managed by several people at the same time?

Image datasets and training projects for neural networks can be "shared" between different IDS lighthouse accounts. This enables collaborative work across multiple personal accounts. To do this, use the " collaboration" function in the basic settings of a dataset or training project.

How long will my IDS lighthouse account be valid?

You will find the information about the duration in your IDS lighthouse account. To check the validity of your account, please visit www.ids-lighthouse.ai/profile. You will be notified by email two weeks before your license expires. If your account has already expired, you will be asked to enter a new license key when you log in.

What can I do if I have forgotten my password for IDS lighthouse?

Your login details IDS lighthouse are identical to those of your IDS customer account. To reset the password, use the link "Forgot password?" on the login page. With the new password you can then login to IDS lighthouse again.

Do I have to cancel my IDS lighthouse license?

No. If you have purchased the IDS NXT Experience Kit design-in kit, you can access IDS lighthouse free of charge for six months. There is no automatic renewal of the runtime. However, you can then purchase a license extension. Also after a license extension or reactivation your access expires automatically. For further information please read the document "General Terms of Use for IDS lighthouse".

What is an ANN?

An ANN ("artificial neural network") refers to networks that are trained to solve certain tasks autonomously. In comparison to conventional, rule-based image processing, ANNs are suitable when objects vary greatly, are partly hidden, or are difficult to define using mathematical algorithms. With IDS lighthouse, ANNs can also be trained by non-specialists.

What is inference or an inference camera?

Inference means "to conclude". In the context of artificial intelligence, inference refers to the ability to apply "knowledge" acquired through deep learning to new data. An inference camera is thus able to evaluate or categorize newly acquired image content through a pre-trained neural network independently of a PC.

Which file formats must the images have?

Currently, users can use images in GIF, JPG, PNG, BMP und TIFF formats to train an artificial neural network in IDS lighthouse. Further information on uploading image data can be found in the IDS lighthouse documentation (Chapter: Managing Data Records - Uploading Images)

Are my images saved with original resolution in IDS lighthouse?

The uploaded image data is reduced to the maximum required image size before being saved. Your image data in IDS lighthouse may therefore no longer be available in the original resolution.

Can I already label my image data before uploading?

If you already have pre-sorted images or if you want to label several images with a certain label "at the push of a button", simply save them together in one folder. All images in this folder can be uploaded to IDS lighthouse with the desired label.

Which system requirements are necessary for IDS lighthouse?

The system requirements for IDS lighthouse, such as supported web browsers or if JavaScript must be active, can be found in the documentation (chapter: Requirements)

Can I test IDS lighthouse free of charge?

All IDS customers can try IDS lighthouse with unlimited functionality for one month. No sales contact is required to activate the free period.

All you have to do is log in to IDS lighthouse with your IDS user account and accept the free period. No sales contact is required for this. The licence will be activated automatically.

Customers with an already running licence can also activate the free period once and thus extend the runtime by one month free of charge. (User menu ? My account ? "Licence" ? Extend term). The free period ends automatically after one month.

If you want to continue using IDS lighthouse afterwards, you can purchase licence extensions with different durations in the IDS webstore.

What happens to my data if I stop using IDS lighthouse?

According to the terms of use ( Section 4) and in compliance with the current "European Data Protection Regulation", all personal data (e.g. projects, images or trained networks) are automatically deleted completely and irreversibly four weeks after the end of the user contract or the expiry of a valid licence.

However, you can manually create backups using the export function, which you can then use/import again later.

Why can I see records in my IDS lighthouse account that do not belong to me?

These data sets are provided as examples to make it easier to get started and to gain initial experience. They can also simply be deleted and are no longer available afterwards.

How should I label my data to achieve the desired result for my use case?

Simply drag ROIs (boxes) around the desired inspection areas. These should be as precise as possible, without borders, and should not be less than 1/10 of the size of the overall image. If your desired object is smaller, larger images of the area to be inspected/found should be taken. Then select in the training project whether you want to inspect/classify the areas or find/detect them in the image.

You can get more information on the procedure for CNN training or labelling image data in the following videos:

 

 

Do the ANNs of IDS lighthouse run on any camera?

The ANNs cannot be used with random cameras. IDS lighthouse was specially developed to train neural networks for image processing tasks that can be used with IDS cameras and software. IDS NXT cameras of the rio/rome series are equipped with an AI core developed by IDS, which performs the inference in a hardware-accelerated manner. IDS malibu models work with a special AI accelerator from Ambarella. IDS lighthouse provides the networks for the respective platform in the appropriate format.

Can I use my own neural networks on my IDS NXT camera?

Yes, this is possible for IDS NXT cameras of the rio/rome series, but they have to be converted into a suitable format. Neural networks on an IDS NXT camera are hardware accelerated by the AI-Core - thus they must be available in a special format. Neural networks trained with IDS lighthouse are already available in the correct format and can be loaded directly onto the camera. If you already train with Keras (with TensorFlow Backend), the conversion of network architectures such as MobileNet is possible with little effort. IDS provides special tools on request. If you need more detailed information or assistance with the conversion, please contact IDS Sales.

Can I use IDS lighthouse without an IDS camera?

For the training of neural networks (CNN) with IDS lighthouse only image material is required, no special camera. The resulting CNNs are optimised for IDS NXT industrial cameras and their platform-specific AI accelerator. Therefore, they can only be used in conjunction with the respective camera models.

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