Now that the dust has cleared-and the cicadas have gone-now is a good time to look back on the International Robots & Vision show held this summer just outside of Chicago, in Rosemont, IL.
The TechSpec family of light pipe homogenizing rods is for OEM illumination needs. The rods use total internal reflection to turn a non- uniform light source into uniform illumination and deliver it to the target site. These rods are for applications where point sources such as LEDs must be combined and made to deliver even lighting. Unlike traditional square integrating rods, these rods have a hexagonal cross section. The hexagonal shape provides a better match to spherical point source wave fronts, resulting in a 35% increase in coupling efficiency, allowing these light pipes to deliver brighter illumination for a given light source.
Edmund Optics Inc.
(800) 363-1992
www.edmundoptics.com
The Lynx family of Gigabit Ethernet cameras is now fully compliant with the GeniCam and GigE Vision interface standards. The GigE Vision compatibility allows the cameras to connect with a variety of image processing hardware and software over the network while the GeniCam compatibility ensures that those systems can fully access the features of the Lynx camera family. The cameras are available in either monochrome or color configurations, offering 8-, 10- or 12-bit pixel data under software configuration control. Electronic shutter control offers pre-exposure and double exposure and speeds as fast as 1/12,000 of a second to as long as 10 seconds. The shutters can be triggered under software control or use external trigger signals, in addition to providing programmed exposure times. Automatic iris control also is available. Operators also can control the image output, resolution, frame rate, analog or digital sensor gain and offset, and image area-of-interest using an intuitive graphical interface or simple ASCII commands. In addition, the cameras provide defective-pixel mapping and built-in gamma correction, also allowing operators to define their own look-up tables (LUT).
LED Spot Projectors are high-intensity LED spotlights designed to replace conventional halogen point-sources as well as fiber optic illumination solutions. Compact and lightweight in design, these illuminators offer long lifetimes and low power consumption when compared to traditional light sources. Available in a range of wavelengths, including red, blue, green, amber and broadband white, the projectors provide light at divergence angles of 10 or 25 degrees. The optional fiber-coupled configurations enable operators to bring light to their desired target using industry standard fiber components. These products offer the high-intensity illumination required in many machine vision, microscopy and biomedical applications.
StockerYale Inc.
(603) 893-8778
www.stockeryale.htm
The TM-2040GE is a Gigabit Ethernet camera that has two-megapixel UXGA resolution (1600 by 1200 pixels) and software-selectable operation, allowing operators to choose between dual tap mode at 34 frames per second (with automatic channel balancing), and single tap mode operating at 17 frames per second. Using a 1-inch Kodak progressive scan IT CCD sensor (KAI-2020), the camera produces 12-bit linear images, or 10- or 8-bit images that are modifiable by an operator-defined look-up table (LUT) for use in difficult lighting situations. The camera has JAI’s high-fidelity front-end circuitry and low noise power supply design to produce high sensitivity and a typical signal-to-noise ratio of greater than 58 decibels. Monochrome and Bayer CFA color models are equipped with standard GigE Vision Gigabit Ethernet digital interfaces.
Like a network of arteries, pipes and tubes-such as those used for fuel or brake fluid-ensure power and safety in cars. When installing up to 12 different lines in a vehicle, every millimeter counts, because space underneath the vehicle is tight, and mistakes in installation-such as of a brake fluid line-can be detrimental to driving safety.
Many inspection applications require very precise measurements. While software algorithms, via sub pixel interpolation, can provide very fine measurements, they cannot provide accurate or repeatable results if there is any variation in the image created. The choice of optics for a given application can mean the difference between the success and failure of a measurement system.
Too often in the process of selecting machine vision components, decisions on how all the vision components are to be synchronized are left until the end. Many times this can lead to long and costly system integration time, so it is important to look at the synchronization issues before selecting the system components.
The task of illuminating parts for a successful machine vision application has been called by some a science and by others an art. But nearly everyone agrees that correct lighting has a huge impact on the success of any machine vision project.
“At first people refuse to believe that a strange new thing can be done, then they hope it can be done, then they see it can be done-then it is done and the whole world wonders why it was not done centuries ago.”
- frances hodgson burnett, the secret garden.
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