Wear inspection in electrical contact using instance segmentation

Abstract

In this paper, a computer vision inspection methodology is presented for the detection and segmentation of areas of wear by electric arc on the surface of electrical contacts using instance segmentation. Cadmium is a toxic metal frequently used in the manufacture of alloys for electrical contact, so efforts have been made to replace or eliminate this element from the industry. Our work proposes an approach oriented to the automation of the inspection process, reducing subjectivity and allowing comparison of different alloys, such as Cadmium (Cd) and Copper (Cu), subjected to the same conditions, determining which presents less wear by electric arc.