Some applications require line scan cameras, where the continuously moving “product” is passed below a sensor that is wide in one dimension and narrow in the other, and fast enough to keep up with the pace of motion. See our piece on area scan vs. line scan cameras for an overview.
Linea HS 9k BSI (NUV) / visible camera – Courtesy Teledyne DALSA
Visible spectrum as well as Near Ultraviolet (NUV)
The camera uses Teledyne DALSA’s own charge-domain CMOS TDI sensor with a 5×5 μm pixel size. In addition to the visible spectrum 400 nm – 700 nm, the sensor delivers good quantum efficiency to 300 nm, qualifying Near Ultraviolet (NUV) applications in the blue range as well.
Backside illumination enhances performance
Backside illumination (BSI) improves quantum efficiency (QE) in both the UV and visible wavelengths, boosting the signal-to-noise ratio.
Interface
The Linea HS 9k BSI camera uses the CLHS (Camera Link High Speed) data interface to provide a single-cable solution for data, power, and strobe. And Active optical cable (AOC) connectors support distances up to 100m. That avoids the need for a repeater while achieving data reliability and cost control. See an overview of the Camera Link standards. Or see all of 1stVision’s Camera Link HS cameras.
Applications
Delivering high speed high sensitivity images in low light conditions, the Linea 9k HS is used in applications such as:
PCB inspection
Wafer inspection
Digital pathology
Gene sequencing
FPD inspection
Linea 9k HS suitable for diverse applications – Courtesy Teledyne DALSA
Request a quote
The part number for the Linea HS 9k BSI camera is DALSA HL-HM-09K40H.
Teledyne DALSA’s Linea families have a variety of interfaces, resolutions, frame rates, pixel sizes, and options. So if the new model isn’t the right one for your needs, browse the link at the start of this sentence, or ask us to guide you among the many choices.
About you: We want to hear from you! We’ve built our brand on our know-how and like to educate the marketplace on imaging technology topics… What would you like to hear about?… Drop a line to info@1stvision.com with what topics you’d like to know more about
As anticipated when Teledyne DALDA’s AxCIS Line Scan Series was introduced a few months ago, color models have now been released. The “CIS” in the product name stands for Contact Image Sensor. In fact a CIS doesn’t actually contact the object being imaged – but it’s so close to touching that the term has become vision industry jargon to help us orient to the category.
Courtesy Teledyne DALSA
What can CIS do for me?
Think “specialized line scan”. Line scan in that it’s a linear array of sensors (vs. and area scan camera), requiring motion to create each successive next slice. And “specialized” in that CIS is positioned very close to the target, Plus low power requirements. And excellent price-performance characteristics.
Why is the new color offering interesting?
Just as with area scan imaging, if the application can be solved with monochrome sensors, that’s often preferred – since monochrome sensors, lensing, and lighting are simpler. If one just needs edge detection and contrast achievable with monochrome – stay monochrome! BUT sometimes color is the sole differentiator for an application, so the addition of color members to the AxCIS family can be a game changer.
Why Teledyne DALSA AxCIS in particular?
A longtime leader in line scan imaging, Teledyne DALSA introduces the AxCIS series in 2023 and continues to release new models and features. Vision Systems Design named the AxCIS family of high-speed high-resolution integrated imaging modules with their 2024 Gold Honoree Award.
Compact modules integrating sensors, lenses and lights
Option to customize the integrated lighting for specific CRI to aid in color measurement.
Current width choices 400mm (16 inches) or 800mm (32 inches)
Customizable lengths coming, in addition to the 400mm and 800mm models
CIS covers entire FOV – without missing any pixels and without using interpolation, allowing for accurate measurements. The competition has gaps between sensors causing areas which are not imaged and inability to measure properly
Selectable pixel sizes up to 900dpi
Gradient index lenses are used so there is no parallax and essentially telecentric. (Great for gauging applications)
Binning support, summed to provide brighter images
HDR Imaging – High Dynamic Range – Courtesy Teledyne DALSA
By using two adjacent rows of sensors, one row may be used for a short exposure to capture the rapidly saturated portions of an image. A second row of sensors can take a longer exposure, creating nuanced pixel values of areas that would otherwise have been undersaturated. Then the values are combined to a composite image with a wider dynamic range with more useful information to be interpreted by the processing algorithms.
Applications
While not limited to the following, popular applications include:
Popular AxCIS applications – Courtesy Teledyne DALSA
Want to see other Teledyne DALSA imaging products?
Teledyne DALSA is long-recognized as a leader and innovator across the diverse range of imaging products – click here to see all Teledyne DALSA products.
About you: We want to hear from you! We’ve built our brand on our know-how and like to educate the marketplace on imaging technology topics… What would you like to hear about?… Drop a line to info@1stvision.com with what topics you’d like to know more about.
Ideal for industrial applications requiring precision, reliability, high speed, and high resolution, AT – Automation Technology’s XCS 3D sensor laser profiler 3070 WARP achieves speeds up to 200 kHZ with the dual head model. Even the single head can achieve 140 kHz. The key innovations in the XCS series are in the laser-line projection technology.
XCS 3D sensor laser profiler – Courtesy AT – Automation Technology
Aren’t all 3D sensor laser profilers similar?
Many indeed share underlying similarities. Often they use triangulation to make their measurement. And the output is a 3D profile (or point cloud) of a target, built up by rapid laser pulsed stepwise “slices” of the X dimension as the target (or sensor) moves in the Y dimension. Triangulation determines variances in the Z dimension based on how the laser angle reflects from the target surface coordinate onto the sensor. For a brief refresher on the concepts, see our overview article and illustrations.
What’s special about AT – Automation Technology’s XCS Series?
Key attributes are shown in the video and called out in the following text.
30 second overview of XCS series
Homogeneous thickness laser line
Using special optics, the XCS series projects a laser line of homogeneous thickness across the target surface. AT – Automation Technology uses Field Curvature Correction (FCC) to create the uniform projection, overcoming the so-called line “bow” effect. This enables precise scanning of even small structures – regardless of whether such features are in the middle or edge of the laser line. What’s the benefit for the customer? It enables applications with high repeatability and accuracy – such as for ball grid arrays (BGAs), pin grid arrays (PGAs), and surface mount devices (SMDs).
Clean Beam Technology
The XCS Series utilizes AT – Automation Technology’s own Clean Beam function to insure a precisely focused laser beam, effectively suppressing side lobe noise interference.. Clean Beam also assures a uniform intensity distribution, which also contributes to the reliably consistent results.
Scanning a pin-grid array (PGA) – Courtesy AT – Automation Technology
Optional Dual Head to avoid occlusion
X FOV 53mm +/-
X Resolution 13mm +/-
Z Range to 20mm
Z Resolution to 0.4 µm
GigE Vision interface, GenICam compliant
For plug and play configuration with networking cables and adapter cards familiar to many, the GigE Vision interface is one of the most popular machine vision standards. And GenICam compliance means you can use AT – Automation Technology’s software or diverse 3rd party SDKs.
Is the XCS 3D sensor laser profiler best for your application?
AT – Automation Technology is confident there are demanding users for whom the XCS 3D laser profiler delivers just the right value proposition. Is that what your application requires? But AT also provides 3 other product families of laser profilers, including the CS Series, the MCS Series, and the ECS Series. It all comes down to speed and resolution requirements, field of view (FOV), and cost.
About you: We want to hear from you! We’ve built our brand on our know-how and like to educate the marketplace on imaging technology topics… What would you like to hear about?… Drop a line to info@1stvision.com with what topics you’d like to know more about.
LWIR is the acronym, is it reminds us where on the electromagnetic spectrum we’re focused – wavelengths around 8 – 14 micrometers (8,000 – 14,000 nm). More descriptive is the term “thermal imaging”, which tells us we’re sensing temperatures not with a contact thermometer – but using non-contact sensors detecting emitted or radiated heat.
Remember COVID? Pre-screening for fever. Courtesy Teledyne DALSA.
Security, medical, fire detection, and environmental monitoring are common applications. More on applications further below. But first…
How does an LWIR camera work?
Most readers probably come to thermal imaging with some prior knowledge or experience in visible imaging. Forget all that! Well not all of it.
For visible imaging using CMOS sensors, photons enter pixel wells and generate a voltage. The array of adjacent pixels are read out as a digital representation of the scene passed through the lens and onto the sensor, according to the optics of the lens and the resolution of the sensor. Thermal camera sensors work differently!
Thermal cameras use a sensor that’s a microbolometer. The helpful part of the analogy to a CMOS sensor is there we still have an array of pixels, which determines the resolution of the camera, as a 2D digital representation of the scene’s thermal characteristics.
But unlike a CMOS sensor whose pixels react to photons, a microbolometers upper pixel surface, the detector, is comprised of IR absorbing material, such as Vanadium oxide. The detector is heated by the IR exposure, and the intensity of exposure in turn changes the electrical resistance. The change in electrical resistance is measured and passed by an electrode to a silicon substrate and readout integrated circuit.
Just as with visible imaging, for machine vision it’s the digital representation of the scene that matters, as it’s algorithms “consuming” the image in order to take some action: danger vs. safe; good part vs. bad part; steer left, straight, or right – or brake; etc. Whether one generates a pseudo-image for human consumption may well be unnecessary – or at least secondary.
Applications in LWIR
Applications include but are not limited to:
Security e.g. intrusion detection
Health screening e.g. sensing who has a fever
Fire detection – detect heat from early combustion before smoke is detectable
Building heat loss – for energy management and insulation planning
Equipment monitoring e.g. heat signature may reveal worn bearings or need for lubrication
You get the idea – if the thing you care about generates a heat signature distinct from the other things around it, thermal imaging may be just the thing.
What if I wanted to buy an LWIR camera?
We could help you with that. Does your application’s thermal range lie between -25C and +125C? Would a frame rate of 30fps do the job? Does a GigEVision interface appeal?
Calibir GX front and rear views – Courtesy Teledyne DALSA
Precision of Teledyne DALSA Calibir GX cameras
Per factory calibration, one already gets precision to +/- 3 degrees Celsius. For more precision, use a black body radiator and manage your own calibration to +/- 0.5 degrees Celsius!
Thresholding with LUT
Sometimes one wants to emphasize only regions meeting certain criteria – in this case heat-based criteria. Consider the following image:
Everything between 38 and 41°C shown as red – Courtesy Teledyne DALSA
Teledyne DALSA Calibir GX control software let’s users define their own lookup tables (LUTs). One may optionally show regions meeting certain temperatures in color, leaving the rest of the image in monochrome.
Dynamic range
The “expressive power” of a camera is characterized by dynamic range. Just as the singers Enrico Caruso (opera) and Freddie Mercury (rock) were lauded for their range as well as their precision, in imaging we value dynamic range. Consider the image below of an electric heater element:
“Them” (left) vs. us (right) – Courtesy Teledyne DALSA
The left side of the image if from a 3rd party thermal imager – it’s pretty crude essentially showing just hot vs. not-hot, with no continuum. The right side was obtained with a Teledyne DALSA Calibir GX – there we see very hot, hot, warm, slightly warm, and cool – a helpfully nuanced range. Enabled by a 21 bit ADC, the Teledyne DALSA Calibir GX is capable of a dynamic range across 1500°C.
In this short blog we’ve called out just a few of the available features – call us at 978-474-0044 to tell us more about your application goals, and we can guide you to whichever hardware and software capabilities may be most helpful for you.
About you: We want to hear from you! We’ve built our brand on our know-how and like to educate the marketplace on imaging technology topics… What would you like to hear about?… Drop a line to info@1stvision.com with what topics you’d like to know more about.
