Teledyne DALSA has released the AxCIS 800mm mono/HDR, and the AxCIS 400mm mono, the first two members of a new flexible and scalable product family of Contact Image Sensors (CIS). As other members are released, users can choose fields of view (FoV) in 100mm increments, e.g. 400mm, 500mm, 600mm, 700mm, and 800mm.
– Courtesy Teledyne DALSA
Contact Image Sensor vs. Linescan
Actually that’s a trick heading! A contact image sensor (CIS) is a type of linescan camera. Conventionally, the industry calls it a linescan camera if the sensor uses CMOS or CCD. while it’s called a CIS if it bundles a linear array of detectors, lenses, and lights.
But CIS is very much a linescan type of camera, With a 2D area scan camera, a comprehensive pixel array captures hundreds or thousands of (X,Y) values in a single exposure. But a Contact Image Sensor requires either the target or the imaging unit to move, as a single exposure is a slice of Y values at a given coordinate X. Motion is required to step across the set of X values.
Two more notes:
- The set of X values may be effectively infinite, as with “web inspection” applications
- The term “contact” in CIS is a bit of a misnomer. The sensor array is in fact “very close” to the surface, which must thereby be essentially flat in order to sustain collision-free motion. But it doesn’t actually touch.
AxCIS key attributes include:
- 28um pixel size (900dpi)
- high speed 120KHz using Camera Link HS
- HDR imaging with dual exposure mode
- optional LED lighting
- fiberoptic cables immune to EMI radiation
Application areas share the characteristics of flat surfaces and motion of either the target or the sensor, since contact image sensing (CIS) is a form of linescan imaging.
HDR imaging
Some targets are inherently challenging to obtain sufficient saturation for the darker regions while avoiding over-saturation for the lighter areas. The multiline sensors used in AxCIS utilize a sensor array with:
- One row of the sensor array that can have a longer exposure for dark scenes
- Another row using a shorter exposure for light scenes
The camera then combines the images, as shown below. The technique is referred to as High Dynamic Range imaging – HDR.
Want to know more about area scan vs line scan? And multifield line scan? And other Teledyne DALSA linescan products, in which they have years of expertise? See our blog “What can multifield linescan imaging do for me?“.
For details on the AxCIS CIS family, please see the product page with detailed specs.
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