Context
A data acquisition project for carbon fiber parts inspection
Our client needed a custom acquisition unit to collect visual data identifying surface defects on carbon fiber components used in aerospace. The device had to integrate a monochrome polarized camera, a lighting system and a touchscreen interface that would allow inspectors to annotate detected defects directly on the captured images.
The camera, compliant with the GenICam standard (widely used in the industry), transmitted the images, which were then annotated and saved onto removable storage. A key constraint: the embedded touchscreen tablet inside the unit had to run Windows 10.
The development timeline was tight—just two months—and the prototype had to be fully usable without requiring any further software modifications.
Our approach
A technical approach for fast and effective delivery
We developed the application in C++ to allow reuse of existing software components from the client’s ecosystem. For the graphical interface, we selected Qt—a development framework that allowed us to build a robust and user-friendly interface, fully compatible with Windows 10. Qt also provided an integrated virtual keyboard, enabling inspectors to add notes directly to the captured images.
Camera management was implemented using the CommonVisionBlox SDK, a GenICam-compatible solution. Annotations were exported in JSON format, ensuring smooth integration with the client’s internal data systems.
A continuous integration pipeline was set up to guarantee compatibility with the Windows 10 target even though the main development was carried out under Linux.
Results
A fully functional prototype, delivered on time
The prototype was delivered on schedule and handed over to the end users. Thanks to the use of Qt and C++, the solution is stable, field-ready and user-friendly, with an intuitive interface and straightforward annotation system. The project met all requirements within the deadline, with no need for additional modifications.
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