Board is for CCTV DVRs
New 16-input, 480 ips MPEG-4 DVR board with hardware compression is a complete security system on a board, incorporating on-board hardware compression and decompression. A software developer’s kit enables implementation into existing DVR, NVR, and video analytic applications. The eDVR also provides real-time video acquisition into host RAM with callback notification, designed specifically for intelligent motion and behavior-tracking applications. The board runs cool, and the host system needs only a low-power Celeron CPU for operation.
Exacq Technologies
Indianapolis, IN, USA
www.exacq.com
High-resolution cameras are small
High-resolution, progressive-scan “ice-cube-size” CCD cameras, the IK-52V (1/2 in.) and IK-53V (1/3 in.) are 29 mm³ and weigh 45 grams each and feature VGA resolution. They offer a selection of shutter speeds (from 1/60 to 1/100,000 s), noninterlaced shuttering, and 60-dB signal-to-noise ratio. Other features include an internal/external (HD/VD) synchronizing system with an HD/VD input/output that can be selected via the rear panel switch. Standard C-mount for lens is included.
Toshiba America Imaging Systems Division
Irvine, CA, USA
www.cameras.toshiba.com
Lens cleaning made easy
CK100 lens-cleaning kit contains all of the essentials necessary for cleaning all lenses and filters used in industrial machine-vision applications. This special-purpose kit contains a can of residue-free dusting gas; spray bottle with advanced lens cleaner for all lenses, filters, and coatings; soft lint-free cloth; lens tissue; and 6-in. cotton-tip swabs for hard-to-reach lens and filter surfaces. Contents are held in a clear, water-resistant, cylindrical screw-top plastic container.
Midwest Optical Systems
Palatine, IL, USA
www.machinevisionfilters.com
Miniature camera runs fast
Ultracompact EC1600 CCD, 2-Mpixel, FireWire machine-vision camera provides high-resolution (1620 × 1220 pixels) images and runs at 15 frames/s (faster with region-of-interest readout). It is available in monochrome or color versions. The camera can be used for applications such as LCD panel inspection, PCB inspection, semiconductor imaging, bank ATMs, and traffic imaging. It is DCAM-compliant (IIDC1.31) and works with a wide range of third-party software, as well as the company’s SDK and software.
Prosilica
Burnaby, BC, Canada
www.prosilica.com
Camera system works in low light
VIGISCAN 11 infrared vision system incorporates a sensor head rotating continuously at 1 round/s for 360° azimuth coverage. The ultrawide panoramic field of view (360° × 20°) and continuous monitoring ensure that no event is missed in total darkness, fog, or smoke. Operating in the Windows environment, button and icon tool selection with point-and-click operation gives clear display of the panoramic image as well as zoom on area of interest. The system can be used for perimeter security, airport traffic monitoring, search and rescue, intrusion detection, and day and night panoramic scrutiny
Systèmes Infrarouges
Igny, France
www.hgh.fr
IP engines simplify systems
iPORT FB1000-CL and iPORT FB1000-ST IP engines cut the cost, simplify the deployment, and improve the reliability of optical GigE vision applications by streaming image data directly onto fiber cable, eliminating the need for copper-to-fiber converters. The engines are equipped with standard small-form-factor pluggable fiber transceivers, which support most fiber types and distance requirements. The FB1000-CL interfaces directly to Base-configuration Camera Link cameras, and the FB1000-ST interfaces to raw digital data. Both engines grab image data, convert it to IP, and send it to host computers over optical GigE links or LANs. Applications include systems for medical imaging, industrial inspection, high-end security/surveillance, and traffic imaging.
Pleora Technologies
Ottawa, ON, Canada
www.pleora.com
Frame grabber has on-board preprocessing
X64-CL Express is a Camera Link frame grabber compatible with a PCI Express x1 interface. It supports up to two independent Base or one Medium Camera Link color and/or monochrome cameras. It can reconfigure input taps from a multiple-tap area and linescan cameras simultaneously. Features include Windows 64-bit ready, acquisition pixel clock rates up to 85 MHz, and FPGA-based on-board processing engine including Bayer decoding and shading correction. The X64-CL Express is supported by Coreco Sapera LT software for acquisition and control and Sapera processing software for image processing and analysis, enabling applications to be developed for Windows 2000 and Windows XP.
Dalsa Coreco
St.-Laurent, QC, Canada
www.dalsa-coreco.com
Camera has 4.2-Mpixel resolution
TM-4100GE, with resolution of 4.2 million pixels, has dual-tap architecture allowing it to fully exploit its Kodak KAI-4021 imager capabilities, producing a full-resolution 2048 × 2048 image at 15 frames/s. The imager has a high charge conversion of 32 μV/photon, yielding good light sensitivity. Partial scanning gives frame rates up to 80 frames/s at reduced vertical resolution. Video can be transmitted up to 100 m using standard Cat5E cables. The TM-4100GE features full asynchronous reset with electronic shutter up to 1/16,000 s or pulsewidth exposure control. Device measures 50.8 × 50.8 × 81.5 mm.
JAI Camera Solutions
Glostrup, Denmark
www.jai.com
Vision system calculates depth
nDepth PCI vision system handles all aspects of depth calculation, including real-time lens undistortion, camera rectification, correspondence searching, and advanced postfiltering for error removal at 30 frames/s for 752 × 480-pixel images. The system includes a 6-cm stereo vision camera with >60-dB dynamic range, progressive scan, global shutter, and near-IR enhanced performance for use with nonvisible near-IR illumination. The system also supports M12 × 5 uVideo lenses in a variety of focal lengths. The camera connects to the PCI card using one standard CAT5e cable up to 15 ft long.
Focus Robotics
Hudson, NH, USA
www.focusrobotics.com
Modules ease communication
PKM process coupling modules extend the communication possibilities between machine-vision systems and the process. Results from a system can be sent to all industrial bus systems with the module, allowing use of standard components that are independent of the particular bus system used. Interconnection of different modules in one device is possible. Control of the modules is via an Ethernet or RS-232 interface using the vicorem open-source remote-control protocol. Further hardware or software adjustment is unnecessary. The robust housing, DIN-rail mounting, and wide range of input voltages (9-36 Vdc) guarantee reliable installation in industrial surroundings.
Vision & Control
Suhl, Germany
www.vision-control.com
Common Vision Blox is extended
New version of Common Vision Blox, CVB 9.0, has been supplemented by optimized algorithms for edge detection, detection of blobs, static evaluation of image data, image filtering, and arithmetic operations on images. In addition, the package includes a new algorithm for 2-D calibration of image data that offers use of a dynamic threshold in the event of fluctuating gray-scale distribution, as well as routines for converting image formats. The new software has the graphical user interface iTuition, which gives less experienced users a way of creating their own executable application by dragging and dropping.
Stemmer Imaging
Puchheim, Germany
www.stemmer-imaging.de
Decoding software is economical
PIATI_PGP offers an automatic identification component for Data Matrix decoding software applications. While designed to decipher ECC200 Data Matrix codes under good imaging conditions, PIATI_PGP also delivers results under less than ideal circumstances. Currently available as a Microsoft Windows DLL and a Linux library, PIATI_PGP software can be made compatible with other operating systems and implementation platforms.
The Value Engineering Alliance
Cambridge, MA, USA
www.the-v-e-a.com
Color cameras give high resolution
Intelligent color cameras, the IMPACT T28 and IMPACT T24, are the latest additions to the IMPACT T-series. The IMPACT T28 has 1600 × 1200-pixel resolution, useful for high-accuracy color verification, label inspection, and real-time part sorting. The IMPACT T24 is an economical color camera designed for high-speed applications requiring lower-resolution imaging (1024 × 768 pixels). Both models contain an on-board image processor plus real-time I/O and Ethernet communications. A free tutorial on the use and benefits of smart cameras and on-line virtual demonstrations of IMPACT Inspection Builder software are available on the company’s Web site.
PPT Vision
Minneapolis, MA, USA
www.pptvision.com
mvBlueFOX camera is updated
Matrix Vision mvBlueFOX-M 38.8 × 34-mm module contains four digital I/Os that can be used for trigger and flash. The hardware real-time controller, implemented in the FPGA, can poll the inputs and control the outputs and image capture in real time. The mvBlueFOX-M module is available with a range of sensors in both monochrome and color versions. Lens adapters from C-, CS-, S-mount, as well as customer-specific adapters, are possible.
Digital Network Vision
Waltham, MA, USA
www.digitalnetworkvision.com
Lenses are for alignment
Micro Machine Lenses (MMLs) are ultracompact, low-mass lenses based on a telecentric optical design that are for applications including machine-vision alignment, image gauging, and surface inspection. Three different fixed-magnification MML lenses for IR applications are available. They offer 4X, 6X, and 8X magnification, respectively, and all have a working distance of 80 mm.
Moritex
Cambridge, UK
www.moritex.com
Light engines increase brightness
Modular light engines use LED technology to spread light from a single light source over a wide, flat area. The LED light engines combine one or more high-power LEDs with a Lumitex woven or UniGlo fiberoptic panel. A special collimating lens captures, then focuses, the light from the LEDs to the fiberoptic panel. Encased in an aluminum housing that acts as a heat sink, the assembly provides increased panel brightness-as much as 20X to 50X brighter-by driving these high-power LEDs at a higher current through more efficient heat management. Typical brightnesses that can be achieved are 100 Ft-L or more for a 3 × 5-in. fiberoptic panel illuminated by a single high-brightness LED. The light engines control the color the light source produces, eliminating the color shift. They require no warmup and are not sensitive to shock and vibration.
Lumitex
Strongsville, OH, USA
www.lumitex.com
New functionality for Mathematica
Digital Image Processing 2 introduces more than 60 new functions, options, and major modules to Mathematica for fast and powerful image processing on the desktop. Digital Image Processing features more than 200 built-in functions for processing color and gray-scale images or other 2-D signals. These new functions provide major improvements to many image-processing capabilities, including color space transformations, connected component analysis, the watershed transform, and smoothing, noise reduction, and image morphology operations. Digital Image Processing requires Mathematica 5.0 or higher and works on all Mathematica platforms.
Wolfram Research
Champaign, IL, USA
www.wolfram.com