Machine Vision Software - Dalsa
Sapera
July 2007
In
the previous issue, a brief introduction summarized Dalsa's intelligent
machine vision software as a board level acquisition and control with
image processing tools. Sapera is used for the design, development and
deployment of high performance machine vision applications.
In this month's issue, some of the machine vision software's important
tools and functions will be discussed as this relates to most industrial
machine vision applications.
Sapera is available in 3 different packages: Sapera LT, Sapera Processing
and Sapera Essential. All of which include Dalsa's Trigger-to-image reliability
for securing image acquisition and error recovery.
Sapera LT - machine vision software
Sapera LT is a suite of hardware-independent C and C++ machine vision
software libraries and drivers for image acquisition, display and control
that supports all Coreco imaging hardware devices. It includes acquisition
control, display, graphics, buffer control, diagnostic and monitoring.
The key to Sapera's strength and reliability is defined in its Trigger-to-image
reliability features which ensure reliable and traceable image acquisition
and recovery if errors do occur. Errors can include such events as early
triggers, bus overflow and others and features such as image tagging,
event triggers are some of the tools offered by Sapera.
Sapera LT also buffers image activity by necessary synchronization. In
the case of image queue overflow, its buffer control helps track and record
images that are discarded or overwritten. Target validation also enables
incoming images to be validated uniquely in real-time machine vision inspections.
Sapera
Processing - machine vision software
Sapera Processing features a full list image processing tools including,
advanced Search, OCR, barcode decoding, Blob analysis and others.
Its image processing libraries include tools for filtering, geometry,
measurement, morphology, point-to-point, segmentation, transform operations,
and subpixel edge detection.
Search-pattern matching helps determine location and alignment quickly
and accurately under poor and uneven lighting conditions. This includes
the correlation-based and geometric-based algorithms achieving accuracies
of up to 1/50th of a pixel. This function makes Sapera suited for most
demanding alignment applications.
Optical character recognition (OCR) enables Sapera Processing to support
various degraded and poorly illuminated images. These include solid and
dot matrix fonts, standard and user trainable fonts and scale/aspect ratio
invariants.
Sapera Processing also locates and decodes both "UNI" and 2D
barcodes. The barcode tool includes rapid, robust algorithms and functions,
and is fully rotational/scale invariant.
Lastly Sapera Processing does blob analysis by separating the foreground
objects from the background. The blob analysis can be used to calculate
more than 50 spatial and grayscale blob features. These include area,
location, perimeter, elongation, roundness, convexity, bounding box and
orientation.
Sapera
Essential - machine vision software
Sapera Essential includes many of the common tools used for vision which
are a subset of Sapera processing.
Sapera Essential comes bundled with CamExpert - a camera configuration
utility. The Windows based utility provides an interactive environment
used to create new or modify existing configuration files from area and
line-scan applications.
CamExpert features:
- Enhanced graphical user interface with camera-centric parameters
- Live grab and display window for online parameter tweaking
- Sophisticated waveform view improves understanding of signal inter-relationships
- Interactive waveform tools allows precise timing parameter setup
Sapera Essential also features a geometric search tool for quick and
accurate target pattern recognition. The search tool recognizes up to
5 instances regardless of orientation and lighting conditions. Sapera
Essential also comes with ActiveX controls for rapid application development.
Sapera and all Dalsa Coreco products are represented and fully supported
throughout Australia and New Zealand by a team of imaging software engineers
from Adept. Phone, fax and email support are supplied to help our customers
come up-to-speed quickly and efficiently with Sapera.
For more information or to purchase please contact Adept Electronic Solutions
at www.adept.net.au Tel Sydney (02) 99792599 Perth (08) 92425411
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Machine
Vision timing controller - Gardasoft CC320
July 2007
Now there is an easy and complete working solution for accurate timing
of part-in-place sensing, camera triggering and rejection of faulty products.
The new Gardasoft CC320 lighting controller will save days of engineers'
effort solving time consuming problems often faced with machine vision
systems. Timing can be based on precise delays or on exact conveyor belt
travel using an encoder.
Gardasoft's new Machine Vision trigger timing controller the CC320 is
an easy-to-use yet complete standalone working solution for machine vision
applications requiring accurate timing of asynchronous events that are
typically encountered with production lines. Its GigE (Ethernet) interface
allows the CC320 machine vision controller to be integrated and configured
easily from a web browser. The CC320 machine vision controller also retains
its accessible front panel display and buttons for ease-of-use during
most machine vision applications.
The problems overcome with the CC320 have traditionally been overcome
with a PLC which requires programming and considerable setup and proving
time. The CC320 does the same thing but is quick, easy and cost effective.
Some of the problems the CC320 controller will solve with a minimal
amount of setup time include:
- Delay from product sensor to camera trigger
- Delay from pass/fail result to reject gates
- Synchronizing multiple cameras to trigger at different times
- Re-synchronize the product result to the original trigger time
- Tracking product position on a belt that stops, reverses or has varying
speed
- Handle multiple products with overlapping results
- Handling fast encoder pulses
- Producing timing with microsecond accuracy
Features include:
- microsecond-accurate event timings
- 8 opto-isolated inputs 5V to 24V
- 8 open collector outputs 24V
- Status leds son all lines
- TCP/IP and UDP
- Flexible configuration
- Single DC supply 12V to 24V
- DIN Rail mounting
- Support for 3 encoder types: distance, distance and direction or pulse
direction and index
- web server for network and internet access and control
- user-configuration settings storage with non-volatile memory
Gardasoft Vision is a high quality manufacturer of machine vision accessories
with a full range of lighting controllers and now this unique standalone
timing controller that can be applied to virtually any make or model of
machine vision system. They allow our customers to manage their LED lighting
and timing requirements easily and quickly.
Adept Electronic Solutions distributes Gardasoft's products in Australia
and New Zealand.
For more information or to purchase please contact Adept Electronic
Solutions at www.adept.net.au Tel Sydney (02) 99792599 Perth (08) 92425411
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New
2 Mega pixel HDTV Wide GigE camera - JAI TM-2030GE
July 2007
JAI's new TM-2030GE boasts 2 Megapixels resolution at up
to 32fps. This camera uses the high performance TM-2030CL cameralink design
and adds popular GigE Vision (Gigabit Ethernet) interface. It features
a wide-screen field of view HDTV format at 1920x1080 pixel resolution
and an aspect ratio of 16:9.
The TM-2030GE is available in monochrome or colour models. The colour
version TMC-2030GE produces raw Bayer CFA output for host-based interpolation.
The high performing TM-2030GE has a software-selectable option that enables
users to choose between a dual-tap mode at 32fps (with automatic channel
balancing) or a single tap mode operating at 16fps. Its multiple selectable
modes of operation include continuous, synchronous and asynchronous trigger
modes that can be operated with pre-selected or no-delay pulse width controlled
electronic shuttering. The camera's user friendly GUI enables shutter
speeds to be set easily by the user to any speed from 1/32 to 1/16,000
second in increments of 27.5 microseconds. Other high performance features
include a PIV mode (particle imaging velocimetry) able to capture pairs
of images a few microseconds apart for advanced studies of movement in
fluids or gases. And a defective pixel compensation feature that uses
neighboring pixels help adjust for bad ones.
JAI's TM-2030GE has a 1" progressive scan IT CCD sensor (Kodak KAI-2093)
built to produce low noise images with a typical signal-to-noise ratio
of greater than 57dB. The camera outputs 12-bit linear images or 10-bit/8-bit
images that are modifiable by a user-defined look-up table (LUT) enabling
users to optimize the camera's dynamic range for particular applications.
Camera parameters can also be uploaded from the PC to the camera. Once
these parameters are stored in EEPROMs, an instantaneous change from one
setting to another can be done with a delay of a few frames in between.
The TM-2030GE naturally offers all the standard benefits of the GigE
vision serial interface; including up to 100m cable lengths, data rates
to 100 MBps, and cost savings/flexibility arising from the use of standard
Cat 5E or Cat 6 cabling and standard networking hardware Network Interface
Cards and hubs.
With its wide field-of-view, the TM-2030 series is targeted at applications
where a wide format is advantageous. Examples include military surveillance
applications (aerial or ground), traffic or cargo inspection applications
(multiple lanes covered by a single camera) and machine vision inspection
of objects that are long and narrow in shape.
The high performing GigE version of the JAI 2030 series takes centre
focus as a compact yet high resolution 2 mega pixel HDTV camera with a
wide-eye for machine vision applications.
For more information or to purchase please contact Adept Electronic Solutions
at www.adept.net.au Tel Sydney (02) 99792599 Perth (08) 92425411
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High-speed
compact Gige cameras - Dalsa Genie Series
July 2007
Dalsa's new Genie HM series GigE cameras offer high-speed, flexibility
and affordability in a ruggedised compact body for all industrial applications.
Dalsa's Genie series boasts 15 different camera GigE models and the most
comprehensive range of GigE cameras on the market. You can choose a Genie
GigE camera for almost any application.
Dalsa's high speed Genie HM GigE cameras use Dalsa exclusive sensor technology
to provide unprecedented image acquisition quality. Dalsa manufactures
its own sensors for the Genie GigE cameras and so offer unique quality
and capabilities. Building its own sensors enables Dalsa to manufacture
these leading edge cameras at a very aggressive price for its customers.
Genie GigE Vision cameras with Dalsa's advanced design are packed with
functionality in a package that is no bigger than 45mm x 29mm x 67mm.
This allows the camera to be used in tight spaces and in situations where
weight is of concern and so makes them very flexible.
Genie GigE cameras are easy to use because they are supported by Dalsa's
Sapera software. Sapera is a fully comprehensive machine vision software
development package with hardware drivers for cameras and grabbers. It
has become an industry standard with many years of development. It offers
fast, simple setup with unique data reliability features and is available
as a driver package with Genie GigE cameras.
The Genie HM series offers monochrome camera models with resolutions
from VGA to 1600x1200. The HM640 runs at a maximum frame rate of 295fps
at full 640x480 pixel resolution while the HM1600 boasts 12.5fps at full
1600x1200 pixel resolution. The Genie HM cameras also offer high dynamic
range, opto-isolated I/O for triggers and strobes, a C-mount and are available
as ROHS and CE compliant products.
Genie high speed cameras transmit digital images over a Gigabit-Ethernet
interface with the use of standard CAT-5e and CAT-6 cables for up to 100m
distance. This new GigE interface benefits the machine vision user with
faster data transfer rates, cost reductions and interchangeability. The
Genie cameras comply with the international GigE interface standard called
GigE Vision released by the AIA (Automated Imaging Association) and therefore
are plug and play replaceable with other GigE Vision cameras.
Dalsa has provided the Machine vision user with a complete range of high
speed GigE digital cameras with winning flexibility and affordability
for today's industrial applications.
Adept Electronic Solution (AES) is a specialist Australian/New Zealand
distributor of machine vision systems and image analysis software. To
find out more about the Genie high-speed GigE cameras feel free to contact
one of our expert vision engineers.
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- July 2007
Imaging power and functionality
caters for most machine vision applications - Sapera LT, Sapera Processing
and Sapera Essential
Machine Vision timing controller
- Gardasoft CC320
New 2 Mega pixel HDTV Wide GigE
camera - JAI TM2030GE
High-speed compact GigE cameras
from Dalsa- Genie Series
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