Focus Area with Step Check
Overview
Setting a focus area with Step Check allows you to streamline the setup process by reducing the number of training images required. Instead of capturing hundreds of examples for each state, you can select a single thumbnail image for the Pass or Fail state (or both) and define a focus area that highlights the critical region to inspect. This approach enables a faster, more efficient setup while maintaining accuracy, making it easier to apply Step Check to a wider range of use cases. A few example use cases include:
• Continuous error states—In situations where a component can be in many incorrect positions but only one correct one, capturing all possible failure variations is unrealistic. With a focus area, you only need a single Pass image. Step Check will then return either a Pass result or an unsure result, without requiring failure examples for every possible error state.
• Unknown error states—When the goal is to confirm that something appears normal (for example, a printer head with no visible abnormalities), it may be impossible to anticipate or collect examples of all potential failure conditions. In this case, a single Pass image with a defined focus area is sufficient. Step Check will return Pass or unsure, helping flag anything that deviates from the expected appearance.
• Scarce image availability—In some environments, especially during early deployment or with rare failure modes, only one image per state may be available. For example, verifying that a cord is properly connected. If you have one image for Pass and one for Fail, you can define focus areas for both. Step Check will then return Pass, Fail, or unsure based on the selected regions—without requiring a full training set.
The table below displays which results will be returned based on the Step Check configuration.
|
Configuration
|
Is Pass result returned?
 |
Is Fail result returned?
 |
Is Unsure result returned?
 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Standard Step Check
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Focus area set only for Pass state
|
Yes
|
No
|
Yes
|
|
Focus area set only for Fail state
|
No
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Focus area set for both Pass and Fail state
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
How a Focus Area Changes Standard Step Check Behavior
It is important to note that defining a focus area fundamentally changes how Step Check behaves. Once a focus area is set:
• You will no longer use the Start Training button; training is not required or available for steps with a focus area.
• Additional training images will not directly improve results. However, they may still be useful in the following cases:
◦ You can select a better thumbnail image from newly captured images and apply a new focus area.
◦ If a Fail image is eventually captured, you can apply a focus area to that image to enable Fail detection.
◦ Over time, if enough images are collected, you may choose to switch back to standard Step Check and initiate training for improved robustness.
Next Step
Now that you understand what Step Check with Focus Area is and how it changes Step Check behavior, you can Set the Focus Area.