Tablet counting system with evidence
Count tablets, capsules and other small units in trays and containers with up to six cameras at once. Steadeye compares every count with the expected quantity, flags shortfalls and overcounts, and documents each result in a signed, tamper-evident batch record.
Four verdicts. No silent errors.
Counting tablets and capsules by hand is slow, tiring and hard to document. Scales infer the quantity from weight and struggle when unit weights vary. A camera-based tablet counter sees every unit, and Steadeye turns what it sees into one of four clear verdicts per camera.
- OK
- The detected count matches the expected count. The frame passes and the batch total advances.
- SHORT
- Units are missing. The shortfall is flagged per camera, recorded in the batch record and reported to the PLC.
- OVER
- Too many units, often a double fill. Overcounts are a verdict of their own and never silently accepted.
- NO_TRAY
- Nothing under the camera. The frame is documented but kept out of the totals.
Six trays. One click.
Up to six USB or IP cameras (RTSP or MJPEG over HTTP) run side by side, each with its own label and expected count. CAPTURE ALL grabs time-aligned frames from every camera and evaluates them together, typically in under a second on a GPU.
A capture can be started by the operator, by a trigger bit from the PLC, or by another system over the REST API. Every capture is recorded the same way, under the account that triggered it.
Trained on your tablets.
Round, oval, coated, scored, colored, transparent capsules: every product looks different under a camera. Instead of forcing one generic algorithm onto all of them, you label images of your own product in the built-in annotation tool and train a detection model directly on the station (Train edition).
Add a damaged class and the same station also inspects: chipped, broken or deformed units are counted as damaged and reported alongside the count.
A count is done when it is signed.
The result of a tablet count is only as useful as the record behind it. Steadeye writes that record while it counts.
- Batch record
- Detected, expected and missing units per camera for every capture, with the annotated evidence image.
- PDF batch report
- One export with every frame, all deviations, the parameter snapshot including the model's SHA-256, operator identities and signatures.
- Electronic signature
- Closing a batch requires username, password and the meaning of the signature. Closed batches cannot be changed.
Questions quality teams ask.
How accurate is camera-based tablet counting?
Accuracy depends mainly on the model, the lighting and how units are presented: they should lie in a single layer, visible from above. Because the detection model is trained on your own product and every result is stored with its evidence image, you measure accuracy on your own trays during performance qualification instead of relying on a datasheet figure.
Can it count overlapping or piled tablets?
Reliable counting needs visible units, for example spread in a tray, a fixture or cavities. Heavily stacked or piled units hide each other from any camera; for those, a different presentation or a weighing method is the better fit.
Can it count capsules, vials and other units too?
Yes. The station counts whatever the active model detects. Different products can use different models, and the model in use is recorded with every batch.
What hardware does a counting station need?
A Windows 10 or 11 x64 PC, up to six USB or IP cameras and suitable lighting. A DirectX 12-capable GPU speeds up detection; without one, the station runs on the CPU.
Can the PLC start the count?
Yes. A rising trigger bit starts the capture, and the result code and counts are written back to the PLC with a Ready/Busy/Done handshake.
Keep reading.
Pharmaceutical vision system
Counting and damage inspection with GxP-grade evidence, from trigger to signed batch record.
Read more →GxP & 21 CFR Part 11
Audit trail, e-signatures and a GAMP 5 validation kit: what QA needs to qualify a vision system.
Read more →The complete station
Check logic, batch record, audit trail, training, PLC integration and installation on one page.
Read more →See it count your product.
Book a live demo and walk through the complete workflow, from capture to signed batch record, on the running station.