Vision + Automation Products
CCD camera delivers details; Frame grabbers support Camera Link; Video endoscope gives true color; Camera integrates easily and MORE…
CCD camera delivers details
The 1.4-Mpixel camera delivers detailed images at up to 51 frames/s and incorporates an external trigger. It is equipped with a 2/3-in. Sony ICX285AQ (color) or ICX285AL (mono) CCD and has a dynamic range of more than 66 dB; exposure time is selectable between 0 and 600 s. The 1394a FireWire camera is equipped with a Peltier cooling element and ventilator; a noncooled 12-bit version is also available. A software package is included. Applications include fluorescence, phase contrast, transmitted and reflected light, as well as brightfield and darkfield imaging.
Jenoptik
Jena, Germany
www.jenoptik.com
Frame grabbers support Camera Link
PicPort-Express-CL series FPGA-based frame grabbers offer image-acquisition flexibility, high performance, field upgradeability, and customization. They feature standard support for high-performance cameras, with the highest-speed Camera Link receivers (85 MHz), and the boards simplify connectivity with Power-over-Camera Link. There is a variety of configurations, from PCIe x1 or x4 form factors, single or dual Camera Link connectors (mono/stereo), and optional preprocessing capabilities.
Leutron Vision
Glattbrugg, Switzerland
www.leutron.com
Video endoscope gives true color
Video Lightscope uses a high-resolution CCD sensor coupled with high-quality optics to ensure distortion-free high-resolution viewing with true color reproduction. In combination with other video devices, endoscopic images can be easily stored, processed, and displayed. Offering a focus range from 40 mm to infinity and flexible probe, the compact and portable Video Lightscope can be used to image even small points of interest inside engines, air conditioners, pipes, exhaust openings, storage tanks, and under floorboards. Designed to work from -10˚C to +60˚C, the endoscope is covered with a protective metal sleeve and inert industrial-grade polymer inner sleeve to provide durability and waterproofing.
Moritex USA
San Jose, CA, USA
www.moritex.com
Camera integrates easily
Ultralight, compact IK-TF2 3-CCD color industrial video camera is 44 × 44 × 78 mm and 5.47 oz. It can be easily integrated into a high-speed machine-vision system where high definition and color resolution are critical. The three-chip camera features a 1/3-in. IT-CCD sensor (410,000 pixels), 570 TV resolution, and an RGB microprism system. With RS-232 serial interface, a 2:1 interlaced scanning system, on-screen menu, and C-mount lens flange, the 3-CCD camera can be integrated into an existing system.
Toshiba America Imaging Systems
Irvine, CA, USA
www.cameras.toshiba.com
Gimbal mounts maximize performance
AMG gimbal design incorporates direct-drive brushless torque motors, with rare-earth magnets and high-accuracy angular transducers coupled directly to precision shafts for accurate and smooth 360° continuous motion. The absence of gear trains and other drive mechanisms eliminates position error due to mechanical hysteresis and backlash. Typical line gimbal resolution ranges from 1.0 to 0.13 µrad. The built-in azimuth slip ring provides continuous rotation with no cable wrapup. A variety of mirror-cell diameters is available for standard optic applications. Each gimbal mirror cell can be modified or replaced with different shaped cells to accommodate sensors or other odd shaped payloads.
Aerotech
Pittsburgh, PA, USA
www.aerotech.com
Vision sensor has remote head
In-Sight 5400R is a remote-head camera version of the industrial-grade In-Sight 5400 vision sensor. It is about the size of a C-cell battery and can fit into small spaces. The camera weighs less than 2.5 oz, so it can be mounted on the end of a robot arm, on a gantry, or on a positioning stage. The camera meets IEC specifications for shock and vibration and has an IP67 (NEMA 6) rating to withstand dust and washdown. It includes a library of vision software for automatic identification, gauging, inspection, and alignment, as well as built-in Ethernet communications and In-Sight Explorer software.
Cognex
Natick, MA, USA
www.cognex.com
Cameras are programmable
VC44xx smart-camera series incorporates a Texas Instruments digital-signal processor (1 GHz, 8000 MIPS). The series offers a maximum resolution of 2 Mpixels and maximum frame rate of 250 frames/s (500 frames/s in binning mode). The smart cameras feature an RS-232 and Ethernet interface, as well as an external trigger input that also serves as an incremental encoder input. The basic versions come equipped with 64 Mbytes of internal RAM, which can be extended to 128 Mbytes. The cameras are freely programmable stand-alone image-processing systems that can be integrated into almost any industrial facility, rendering auxiliary PC stations unnecessary.
Vision Components
Ettlingen, Germany
www.vision-components.com
Data code reader is robust
ActivVisionTools features a fast and robust data code reader-ActivDataCode-that reads reliably even if codes are partly occluded. In addition, the data code reader automatically adapts to dimension, printing technology, illumination, and contrast variances of the data codes. ActivVisionTools is based on the operators of HALCON. The open software architecture is extensible and scalable.
MVTec Software
Munich, Germany
www.mvtec.com
Frame grabbers support Camera Link
PIXCI E1 frame grabber for the PCI Express bus can sustain data-transfer rates up to 204 Mbytes/s, supporting almost all Full-, Medium-, or Base-configuration Camera Link cameras from 12 camera manufacturers. The PIXCI E1 board is priced at $995 with the XCAP-Lite imaging program. XCAP-Ltd and XCAP-Std, optionally available, provide advanced capabilities. EPIX software is compatible with DOS, Windows, and Linux.
EPIX
Buffalo Grove, IL, USA
www.epixinc.com
Software designs illumination
Illumination design software, TracePro 3.3.6, is the first TracePro version compatible with TracePro Bridge for SolidWorks, the add-in to SolidWorks 2006. TracePro’s 3.3.6 3-D kernel has been updated to ACIS R14 service pack 9 to ensure compatibility between SolidWorks 2006, TracePro Bridge for SolidWorks, and TracePro 3.3.6. Additionally, improvements in TracePro 3.3.6 include updated documentation for macro commands and added macro commands, including DXF exporting and RGB color analysis.
Lambda Research Corporation
Littleton, MA, USA
www.lambdares.com
Software expands modeling capabilities
ProSource 7.0 extends the utility of the company’s Radiant Source Models, which model the near-field output of real light sources for use with optical and illumination design software. ProSource 7.0 enables precise determination of light source-color characteristics in the calibrated CIE color space by incorporating tristimulus value information into Radiant Source Models. ProSource 7.0 also features expanded compatibility with other illumination and optical-design software packages with support for Type-C IES files.
Radiant Imaging
Duvall, WA, USA
www.radiantimaging.com
I/O module eliminates motion controller
New module provides stepper-motor and servo-drive control in a compact 12-mm-wide package. Designated the 750-670, it supports two pulse-output patterns, step/direction, or incremental encoder, which are configured via a function block in the company’s IEC 61131-3 programming tool. Communication with the stepper or servo drive is established via an RS-422 interface and controlled by a variable output frequency (0 to 500 kHz). The 750-670 is also 100% compatible with all other 750 Series modules, allowing the combination of digital, analog, and special function signals in the same fieldbus node.
WAGO
Germantown, WI, USA
www.wago.us
Software organizes particle images
VisualSpreadsheet is a particle-image-analysis program that organizes images and other data acquired through the company’s FlowCAM particle-analysis instrumentation for analysis in a visual environment based on an Excel spreadsheet. The interactive software enables users to view high-resolution digital images of individual particles sampled and access the corresponding data set, including size, length, width, shape, fluorescence, and other parameters with a single click. Once accessed, the particle image and data can be e-mailed to colleagues for review, saved in a library of particles of interest, dragged and dropped into multiple bins for generating additional data sets, or archived for legal documentation.
Fluid Imaging Technologies
Edgecomb, ME, USA
www.fluidimaging.com
CCD camera series is extended
eXcite intelligent camera series now includes four megapixel CCD models. The new cameras are equipped with 1.45- and 2.0-Mpixel CCD sensors and are available in monochrome and color versions. At full resolution, they can capture images at 17.8 and 14.0 frames/s, respectively. A 1.0-GHz processor running a Linux operating system is the heart of the eXcite cameras. Image processing can be done directly on the device, allowing complex, high-speed applications.
Basler
Ahrensburg, Germany
www.basler-vc.com
Vision appliance can be integrated
The VA20, housed in a compact, DIN mountable enclosure, provides quick user setup, factory-friendly wiring, and support for one or two cameras with choice of sensor resolution. It comes with easy-to-use iNspect software. The VA20 incorporates the intelligence inside the camera controller, as opposed to the camera head, which allows users to position it alongside other automation controllers for easy interfacing and have the benefit of small camera heads for easy mounting. The VA20 supports sensor resolutions of 640 x 480 and 1024 x 768; higher resolutions to 1600 x 1200 are possible.
ipd
Billerica, MA, USA
www.goipd.com
Monitors are compact
Rugged, industrial CyRAQ LCD monitors come in compact 12- and 15-in. screens, with brightnesses of 1250 and 1600 nits, respectively. Both sizes feature ultrathin stainless-steel flush-mount bezels; 15-in. models are available in both panel-mount and rack-mount versions. NEMA 4X rating applies to monitors that are properly mounted in appropriate enclosures. The monitors are available with optional touch screens and optional AR-bonding glass treatment.
CyberResearch
Branford, CT, USA
www.cyberresearch.com
Lens adapters reduce distortion
High-performance lens adapters complement the lenses they are used to produce high-resolution images with minimal distortion.Wide-angle zoom-lens adapter provides a true 0.5X field of view while maintaining minimal distortion and high resolution throughout a camera’s zoom range. The model 225-000 anamorphic lens adapter is designed specifically for miniature 4:3 aspect broadcast quality CCD cameras. It converts the image ratio so that when recorded by a 4:3 aspect camera the image is captured as 16:9.
Resolve Optics
Chesham, UK
www.resolveoptics.com
Controller integrates networked LCDs
ArtistaNET LAN controller board with Ethernet interface makes it possible to integrate a wide range of TFT LCDs over a LAN or WLAN network without the use of a client PC. It reduces overall system costs, provides Ethernet speeds of 10/100 Mbits/s, supports LCD resolutions from QVGA (320 x 240) to WXGA (1366 x 768), and supports wireless LANs up to 802.11 b/g. It supports TFT LCDs from 5- to 46-in. diagonal, comes with an integrated four-wire resistive touch-screen controller, and supports a range of graphics formats, including BMP, JPEG, GIF, and PNG.
Apollo Display Technologies
Ronkonkoma, NY, USA
www.apollodisplays.com
Board is rugged
The GT-3U-cPCI (GT3U) is a rugged, hybrid signal-processing board based on the Altera Stratix II GX, featuring a processing cluster consisting of four ADSP-TS201S which provides 14.4 GFLOPS of floating-point and 57.5 BOPS of 16-bit fixed-point processing power per board. It has up to 1 Gbyte of DDR2 SDRAM memory. The GT3U uses the company’s ATLANTiS architecture to interface between the FPGA and DSPs. Implemented in the FPGA, ATLANTiS provides a single solution for the three dilemmas facing multiprocessor designs: how to allocate the I/O bandwidth among the processors, how to easily connect the various I/Os to any and all processing resources, and how to integrate FPGA and DSP processing.
BittWare
Concord, NH, USA
www.bittware.com
Dichroic filters are for LED applications
LED ColorDichroic filters efficiently reflect and transmit random polarized light from individual high-brightness LED sources. Applications range from projection-display illumination optics to use in solid-state lighting and instrumentation. The spectral separation between highly transmissive and highly reflective wavelength ranges is reduced compared to typical spectral characteristics of standard dichroic filters/mirrors for random polarized light.They are coated on flat borosilicate substrates with a standard thickness of 0.7 and 1.1 mm. Other glass types as well as other thickness values are available upon request.
Unaxis Balzers
Balzers, Liechtenstein
www.optics.unaxis.com
Stepper driver gives dual-axis control
Measuring 1.6 × 1.6 in. (40 × 40 mm), dual-axis-capable EZHR17EN high-resolution intelligent stepper-motor controller/driver with encoder feedback provides up to 2-amps drive current for one axis and up to 1 amp for the second, with optional second stepper or bidirectional dc driver daughtercard. The EZHR17EN and daughtercard can microstep up to 1/256 and 1/16 steps, respectively. The EZHR17EN gives precise positioning, acceleration, and velocity capability to any stepper motor that is 3 in. or smaller (NEMA size 23 or smaller). The EZHR17EN is capable of stand-alone operation with no connection to a PC
AllMotion
San Jose, CA, USA
www.allmotion.com
Camera performs thermographic analysis
SILVER 480M is an IR cooled camera designed for researchers looking to perform ultrafast thermographic analysis. The SILVER 480M uses its analog inputs for synchronous acquisition of external sensor signals that, after processing by a ‘lock-in’ technique, enable sensitive and accurate nondestructive evaluation, fatigue testing, and stress analysis. The SILVER 480M 320 × 240-pixel-format InSb detector (3-5 µm) delivers 400-Hz full frame rate while maintaining linearity and high sensitivity of typically 20 mK. Comprehensive image-analysis software dedicated to thermal measurement comes standard.
Cedip Infrared System
Croissy-Beaubourg, France
www.cedip-infrared.com
Sensors combine analysis tools
PresencePLUS P4 OMNI and P4 OMNI 1.3 vision sensors combine all P4 vision inspection and analysis tools into one self-contained housing. The complete range of tools-including GEO, gray-scale, blob, edge, object, and optional barcode reader-makes it possible to inspect for multiple features. The P4 OMNI offers 640 × 480-pixel resolution, and the P4 OMNI 1.3 features 1280 × 1024 resolution for extra detail or extended sensing field of view. The P4 OMNI family interfaces to machinery or factory networks through a built-in 10/100 Ethernet connection or RS-232 serial input/outputs.
Banner Engineering
Minneapolis, MN, USA
www.bannerengineering.com
Tool guides robots
AdeptSight Guidance, an open, PC-based product for robot vision guidance on all of the company’s robot systems and networks, integrates the high-performance Hexsight geometric-object-location tool for parts recognition with a set of vision inspection and recognition tools. AdeptSight Guidance runs on commercial PCs with Microsoft Windows and comes with the necessary hardware including camera, lens, and accessories. AdeptSight is an easy-to-use, stand-alone vision guidance package. Incorporated into the Adept DeskTop development environment, it integrates vision guidance with the company’s Cobra SCARA, Viper six-axis, and Python linear robots.
Adept Technology
Livermore, CA, USA
www.adept.com