New Products

Click here to enlarge imageVision sensor offers dual camerasThe F150-3 vision sensor allows users to perform two camera inspections/measurements simultaneously using a controllable intelligent light source for adjustable light intensities and angles. Compatible Windows-based software, Vision Composer, provides a graphical user interface for creating a process flow chart by dragging and dropping as many as 64 items from a library list. The sensor can generate as many as 16 setup scenes and 16 inspection windows in each scene. It comes with 11 dc inputs and 21 NPN or PNP transistor outputs for integration with plant automation devices and can be connected to PCs or company PLCs via an RS-232 link. Omron Electronics Inc., Schaumburg, IL 60173; (800) 556-6766.

Click here to enlarge imageBoard camera shrinks size The ZE-55171 board camera measures approximately 1 in. square and delivers 480 horizontal-line resolution. It contains a 1/4-in. color CCD sensor with 768 horizontal pixels. Other features include 12-Vdc operation, E-Z mounting, a heat sink, and normal/mirror image selection. Panasonic Security & Digital Imaging Co., Secaucus, NJ 07094; (201) 392-6674.

Click here to enlarge imageFrame grabber adds controller The Image/VGA 410 single-slot frame grabber and VGA display controller is based on the S3 savage 4D PRO chip. It handles composite color (NTSC/PAL) or monochrome video images and displays them on a computer's VGA monitor. Display resolution ranges from 640 x 480 to 1280 x 1024 pixels with depths from 8 to 32 bits. Text and graphics can be written into VGA memory and then overlaid nondestructively on top of live video. The board comes with 8 or 16 Mbytes of memory. Software support includes DOS, Windows 95/98/00/NT, and a developer's kit. MuTech Corp., Billerica, MA 01862; (978) 663-2400.

Click here to enlarge imageCamera does real-time imagingThe MegaPlus ES:4.0 digital camera incorporates an interline-transfer CCD with a 2048 x 2048-pixel array and a progressive-scan readout. It can capture up to 15 full frames/s (30 frames/s with binning) with a spatial resolution of more than 4 million pixels. Other features include electronic shuttering for exposures as short as 98 µs, 8- and 12-bit versions, and RS-232 camera control. Roper Scientific MASD Inc., Tucson, AZ 85706; (520) 889-9933.

Click here to enlarge imageRemote cameras come with cables The CV-M535E remote-head camera measures 0.5 in. in diameter by 2 in. long and features a 5-m-long cable for connection to the 400 x 500 x 80-mm camera control unit. The CV-M532E version is fitted with a 2-m cable. Both cameras incorporate a 1/3-in. interlaced-scan, monochrome, CCD sensor that provides 768 x 494 pixels. Other features include an asynchronous random trigger, a Hirose 12-pin connector, and a video BNC connector. The control unit supplies a pixel clock. JAI America Inc., Laguna Hills, CA 92653; (949) 472-5900.Flagship software updated MatLAB version 6 technical computing software features a new desktop front end and a portfolio of integrated tools for enhancing its mathematical, analysis, and visualization capabilities. The tools simplify data importing, analysis speeds, and graphics creation. New desktop components include a searchable help reader, a command history window, and a workspace browser. A graphical user interface design environment aids users to organize data, programs, and graphics. The LAPACK library increases computational speeds by two to eight times. The MathWorks Inc., Natick, MA 01760; (508) 647-7000. Lenses handle large aperturesSpecial adapters and large-format sensor lenses accommodate the leading large-aperture linescan cameras. A Leica adapter is available with an M39 x 1/26-in. thread for the lens and a 3.9-in. x 24 thread for attaching the system to a camera. Other sizes include 3.9 in., 3.5 in., and 72 mm. An axial travel of approximately 32.7 mm is obtained by turning the focusing tube in the camera adapter. The focusing tube can be locked at any position with the counter ring. Three screws permit positioning of the lens diaphragm window for various f-stop readings. Flange focal distances range from 69.0 to 166.8 mm. Rodenstock Precision Optics, Rockford, IL 61109; (815) 874-8300. Camera occupies small space The TM-250 monochrome CCD camera measures 44 x 44 x 62.3 mm. It contains a 1/2-in. 768 x 494-pixel imager and delivers an analog RS-170 output. Shutter speed can be varied from 1/60 to 1/29,100 s. Adjustments include gain, AGC, gamma, and field/frame selection, which can be externally controlled via switch settings on the rear panel. The camera also provides external sync, asynchronous reset, reset-restart, and variable asynchronous shutter. Pulnix America Inc., Sunnyvale, CA; (408) 747-0300. Sensor captures short events The enhanced linear image sensor suits applications that require a strobe light or the capture of a short-duration event. It provides a 7.8 x 125-µm square pixels, a sample-and-hold circuit, and on-time timing controls. Binning resolutions of 128, 256, 512, and 1024 pixels allow selectable sensitivities and resolutions by combining two, four, or eight adjacent pixels. The dynamic range exceeds 80 dB. A single CMOS TTL clock handles all operations. Photon Vision Systems, Cortland, NY 13045; (607) 756-5200. Board camera interfaces to IEEE-1394 Providing 24-bit true-color images from its 1/3-in. progressive-scan CCD, the FireFly is a digital IEEE-1394 board-level bus that allows the camera to stream uncompressed VGA quality images at 30 frames/s without requiring a frame grabber. The camera is provided as a development kit that includes an IEEE-1394 interface card, cable, and image-acquisition software. Designed around Sony's 1/3-in. HAD 640 x 480 progressive-scan CCD, the FireFly measures 2 x 2 in. Point Grey Research, Vancouver, BC V6J 1Y6, Canada; (604) 730-9937.

Click here to enlarge imageProcessor board adds powerThe Genesis Plus vision processor board packs a Motorola G4 PowerPC with AltiVec technology running at 400 to 500 MHz with a 1-Gbyte/s memory bandwidth. It combines a 32-bit superscalar RISC core, a 128-bit vector execution unit, and a company NOA processor. This combination delivers 6.4 billion operations/s running at 50 Hz. The PCI-based board is software-supported by the Matrox Imaging Library/ActiveMIL, Genesis Native library, and Genesis Developer's Toolkit, as well as Windows NT/2000 and QNX 4. Matrox Imaging, Dorval, Quebec, Canada H9P 2T4; (514) 685-2630. CMOS image sensor offers 1.3 megapixels With a resolution of 1.3 Mpixels and imaging speeds greater than 500 frames/s, the PB-MV13 CMOS image sensor features a freeze-frame electronic shutter that enables simultaneous exposure of the entire pixel array. The device includes an output of 10-bit color or monochrome digital video in 1280 x 1024-pixel format at 500 frames/s. Power consumption is less than 150 mW at 60 frames/s and less than 500 mW at 500 frames/s. The chip contains 12-µm-square shuttered-node active pixel and has an optical format of 20-mm diagonal. Digital responsivity is 1000 bits per lux-second. Frame rate, integration time, the windowing function, and other parameters can be adjusted via a digital interface. Photobit, Pasadena, CA 91101; (626) 683-2200. Vision software gets upgraded With its point-and-click-programming environment, DT Vision Foundry 2.5 has seven new tools, additional frame-grabber support, and new measurement and analysis capabilities. DT Vision Foundry's architecture offers program, application, and custom tool development. New features include a picture tool based on DT-Active Open Layers that supports a range of the company's frame grabbers, including the DT3154 RGB color PCI frame grabber and the DT3130 series "multi" frame-grabber family. An image-classifier tool allows part identification where rapid execution speed is required. In addition, classifier tool allows objects within an image to be located and identified by their contours. The tool is scale invariant, rotation invariant (all planes), and position invariant, making it useful for identifying and sorting randomly placed parts. Data Translation, Marlboro, MA 01752-1192; (508) 481-3700. Computer board offers multiple interfaces With a dual SCSI interface that supports both Ultra 160 and legacy hard drives, the CBU single-board computer provides dual PCI EIDE Ultra DMA/33 interfaces that can support up to four IDE Type-4 disk drives and synchronous DMA mode transfers to 33 Mbytes/s. Two dual in-line memory-module sockets support autodetection of SDRAM memory up to 1 Gbyte. The dual SCSI interfaces support two concurrently operating channels and burst data to the host at speeds to 160 Mbytes/s. Other features include dual 10/100Base-T Ethernet interfaces; an AGP Super VGA video interface with 4 Mbytes of display memory for handling full-motion video; two programmable FIFO serial ports; a floppy interface; a parallel port; a PS/2 mouse port; a keyboard port; and two USB 1.0 ports. Trenton Technology, Gainesville, GA 30504; (770) 287-3100. Intelligent character recognition Designed for pharmaceutical, packaging, and automotive companies who are looking for OCR, 2-D data matrix, and OCR capabilities, the SmartReader has built-in Ethernet and Modbus support allowing it to gather data for date/lot code verification, documentation, and part tracking. Profibus and DeviceNet are also available using a SmartLink communications box. The SmartReader is able to monitor inspections without the use of a computer on the factory floor. The package includes a lens, illumination, and software; the software includes translational Softsensors that locate the exact vertical and horizontal position, while rotational Softsensors track position up to 360°. DVT, Norcross, GA 30093; (770) 449-4960. Cameras target industrial applications Both the DFW-SX900 and the DFW-X700 cameras are 1/2-in. progressive-scan CCD cameras that offer uncompressed, color (YUV 4:2:2) digital-output resolution of 1.45 Mpixels (1280 x 960) at 7.5 frames/s (DFW-SX900) and 0.8 Mpixels (1024 x 768) at 15 frames/s (DFW-X700). The DFW-SX900 video camera features a pixel size of 4.65 x 4.65, and the DFW-X700 video camera offers a pixel size of 6.25 x 6.25. Both cameras measure 55 x 50 x 110 mm and weigh 300 g. Both incorporate a C-mount to accommodate a wide range of lenses. The cameras also feature an asynchronous external trigger and electronic shutter with exposure ranges from 1/20,000 to 2 s. they both offer a one-cable IEEE 1394 digital link that allows multiple cameras to be connected to PCs, compatible devices, or each other. Sony Electronics, Park Ridge, NJ 07656-8002.