1stVision Inc. - Machine Vision Articles - Page 9 of 51

October 11, 2023October 11, 2023

High-Resolution 360° optics by Opto Engineering

Who needs 360° optics? Granted, it’s specialized stuff. Innovative lenses in Opto Engineering’s series enable single-camera inspection of objects many users might not have thought possible! For example, a Bi-Telecentric system uses mirrors to image all 4 sides of an object at once, without moving the camera or the object. Or a boroscope gets the optics and a light inside a tight space, creating a panoramic view of the interior.

Even experienced machine vision professionals may never have seen or heard of some of these specialized optics. Unless one knows of such lens systems, one might try to design a multi-camera system for an application, when in fact a single camera could have been used!

In the segments below, we highlight categories for which there are lens series available, together with representative images, diagrams, and texts. The goal here is not a master class in optics – just an overview to raise awareness.

Pericentric lenses

Opto Engineering provides pericentric lenses, allowing 360° by 180° FOV from a position above an object. That provides 360° top and lateral views with a single camera. The PC Series, with five choices, are designed to perform complete inspection of objects up to 60 mm in diameter. Typical applications include bottleneck thread inspection and data matrix reading – the code will always be properly imaged regardless of its position.

Suppose you produce and pack a product in a plastic container such as the one shown here. Quality control inspections may require verifying each container is labeled with print, graphical, and/or coded information. Image courtesy Opto Engineering.

Below we see the top and sides imaged in a single exposure, using a PC lens:

Image generated with a pericentric lens from the PC Series – Courtesy Opto Engineering.

The PCCD Series, with four members, enables the 360° side view of small objects (sample diameter 7 – 35 mm). Perfect for bottle cap and can inspection.

Above, the top image is generated from a lens that uses both reflection and refraction to image the vial’s interior as well as the exterior “shoulder”. The interior check is for any impurities before filling, and the exterior aspect is to obtain OCR characters or bar codes for tracking.

Hole inspection lenses

The PCHI Series includes 10 members, covering a range of sensor sizes, and includes a liquid lens option for adjustable focus control. Unlike a common lens with a flat field of view (FOV), these lenses provide a focused view of both the cavity bottom as well as the interior sidewalls! Perfect for thread inspection or cavity checks for contamination from above the cavity entrance.

Bi-Telecentric lens systems

Many are familiar with telecentric lenses, which hold magnification constant, regardless of an object’s distance or position in the field of view. Consider Opto Engineering’s Bi-Telecentric Series, TCCAGE. Using multiple mirrors, parts can be measured and inspected horizontally from each 90, with no rotation required. Two different illumination devices are built into the system to provide either backlight or direct part illumination. In the example to the right, syringes are inspected for length and angle from all 4 directions.

Boroscopic probes

A boroscope gets the optics into tight spaces, for panoramic cavity imaging from the inside. The PCBP series includes built-in compact illumination. It’s ideal for 360 degree inspection of interiors with static parts.

Focus controls

In addition to fixed focus and manual focus (with lockring) options, some lenses in the PCHI and PCBP Series include Adjustable Focus (AF) features. With liquid lens technology, using AF these lenses with varying product sizes and dimensions just got easier. With millisecond repositioning, it allows extremely fast changes to focus to allow you to dial in the exact position on multiple size products or sizes for inspection of an even wider range of SKU with a single system.

If your imaging application can be solved with more conventional lenses, lucky you. But if your requirements might otherwise be impossible to address, or seemingly need two or more separate cameras, or complex rotation controls and multiple exposures, call us at 978-474-0044. You might not have realized there are specialized optics designed precisely for your type of application!

1st Vision’s sales engineers have over 100 years of combined experience to assist in your camera and components selection. With a large portfolio of lenses, cables, NIC card and industrial computers, we can provide a full vision solution!

October 10, 2023October 10, 2023

Optimize wavelength to maximize contrast

Seasoned machine vision practitioners know that while the sensor and the optics are important, so too is lighting design. Unless an application is so “easy” that ambient light is enough, many or most value-added applications require supplemental light. “White” light is what comes to mind first, since it’s what we humans experience most. But narrow-band light – whether colored light within the visible spectrum, or non-visible light with a sensor attuned to those frequencies – is sometimes the key to maximizing contrast.

Gold contrasts better with red light than either white or blue – Image courtesy of CCS America

In the illustrations above, suppose we have an application to do feature identification for gold contacts. The ideal contrast to create is where gold features “pop” and everything that’s not gold fails to appear at all, or at most very faintly. If the targets that will come into the field of view have known properties, one can often do lighting design to achieve precisely such optimal outcomes

In this example, consider the white light image in the top left, and then the over-under images created with red and blue light respectively. The white light image shows “everything” but doesn’t really isolate the gold components. The red light does a great job showing just the gold (Au). The blue light emphasizes silver (Ag). The graph to the right shows four common metals relative to how they respond under which (visible) wavelengths. Good to know!

For an illustrated nine-page treatment of how various wavelengths improve contrast for specific materials or applications, download this Wavelength Guide from our Knowledge Base. You may be able to self-diagnose the wavelength ideal for your application. Or you may prefer to just call us at 978-474-0044, and we can guide you to a solution.

To the left we see 5 plastic contact lens packages, in white light. Presence/absence detection is inconclusive. Image courtesy of CCS America.

With UV light, a presence/absence quality control check can be programmed based on a rule that presence = 30% or more of the area in each round renders as black. Image courtesy of CCS America.

It all comes down to the reflection or absorption characteristics of specific properties with respect to certain wavelengths. Below we see a chart showing the peaks of some of the more commonly used wavelengths in machine vision.

Commonly used wavelengths – Image courtesy CCS America

For more details on enhancing contrast via lighting at specific wavelengths, download this Wavelength Guide from our Knowledge Base. Or click on Contact Us so we can discuss your application and guide you. 1stVision has several partners with different lighting geometries and wavelengths to create contrast. All three partners are in the same business group. CCS America and Effilux offer a variety of wavelengths (UV through NIR) and light formats (ring light, back light, bar light, dome). Gardasoft has full offerings for lighting controls. Tell us about your application and we’ll help you design an optimal solution.

September 24, 2023September 25, 2023

Ensenso – 1stVision expands 3D portfolio with stereo vision

Most industries go through waves of technology and product innovation as they mature. In powered flight we had propellers long before jets, though each still has its place. In machine vision, 1D and 2D imaging took several decades to mature before 3D moved from experimentation and early innovation to mature products affordable to many. Download our Tech Brief “Which 3D imaging technique is best for my application?“, if you haven’t yet committed to a particular approach.

Stereo vision is one of the fastest growing approaches to 3D imaging, thanks to Moore’s Law and ever more powerful and compact cameras, processing power, together with modularized and turnkey products. 1st Vision is pleased to represent IDS Imaging’s Ensenso series of 3D cameras. In addition to the downloadable Tech Brief linked above, we encourage you to read on for an overview of all four Ensenso 3D camera families, the S, N, C, and X Series, respectively. If you prefer we guide you directly to a best-fit for your application, just give us a call at 978-474-0044.

Before we get to several different stereo vision series, and their respective capabilities, we note that IDS’ Ensenso S Series in fact utilizes the structured light approach rather than stereo vision. Per the Tech Brief linked above, there are several ways to do 3D.

S Series

Ensenso S Series are compact 3D industrial cameras combining AI software with 3D infrared laser point triangulation, generating point clouds to Z dimension accuracy of 2.4 mm at 1 meter distance. They are a cost-effective solution for many budget-conscious and high volume 3D applications. Each is in a zinc housing with IP65/67 protection.

3D imaging via structured light – Courtesy of IDS

Back to stereo vision, IDS Ensenso N, C, X and XR 3D Series are based on the stereo vision principle.

The Stereo Vision principle – Courtesy of IDS

N Series

Ensenso N Series 3D cameras are designed for harsh industrial environments and pre-calibrated for easy setup. N Series 3D cameras are “TM Plug & Play” certified by Techman Robot, and suitable for many 3D applications such as robotics and factory automation.

The Ensenso N Series 3D camera works for either static or moving objects even in changing or low light conditions. With IP65/67 protection, and a compact design, the Ensenso N Series 3D cameras fit into tight spaces or in moving components such as robotic arms. There are two variants:

N3X: aluminum housing for optimal heat dissipation in extreme environments
N4X: cost-effective plastic composite housing

C Series

The Ensenso C Series 3D camera, also uses stereo vision, but additionally embeds a color CMOS RGB sensor, pre-calibrated and aligned with the stereo vision system. This allows a “colorized” effect as shown in the video clip below, where one sees 3 adjacent image pairs. Each “right image” is the colorized augmentation on top of the initial stereo point cloud view to its left. Most would agree it lends a more realistic look.

Color sensor lends more realistic look to point cloud – Courtesy IDS

The C Series delivers Z accuracy 0.1 mm at 1 meter distance, with the C-57S, or 0.2mm at 2 meters, with C-57M.

Ensenso C Series – small or medium option – Courtesy of IDS

X Series

Ensenso X Series 3D camera is an ultra-flexible, modular, 3D GigE industrial camera system. The X Series 3D camera systems are available with a choice of two variants: X30 and X36.

The Ensenso X30 3D camera system is designed to capture moving objects making it suitable for many industrial applications such as factory automation production lines, and bin picking.

For static objects, use the Ensenso X36 3D camera system. FlexView2 greatly increases the resolution producing 3D images with precise detail and definition of the objects being captured even with low light or reflective surfaces.

The Ensenso X 3D camera system includes a 100 watt LED projector with an integrated GigE power switch. The 3D camera system can be configured with many GigE uEye cameras and a 1.6 or 5 megapixel CMOS monochrome sensor to create your customized 3D imaging system.

Working distances may be up to 5m, and point cloud models may be developed for objects up to 8 cubic meters in volume!

All of the above cameras include the Ensenso SDK software that accelerates the application set up, configuration and development time. Ensenso 3D cameras are ideal for numerous industrial 3D applications including robotics, logistics, factory automation, sorting, and quality assurance.

September 21, 2023

37M and 67M 10GigE cameras | Higher resolution and speed!

In this focused blog we call out 4 specific camera models with 10GigE interfaces, ideal for life sciences and security applications, though of course not limited to those. In particular, there are two 1:1 square format sensors, with 37 and 67M pixels, respectively, that each come in monochrome and color offerings.

Context if you want it: Teledyne DALSA recently augmented its Genie Nano series, to include the 10GigE interface, beyond the previous 1, 2, and 5GigE offerings, per our overview blog released in June 2023. Of particular interest there is a graphic showing throughput by interface across the whole range of Teledyne area scan cameras. It’s a convenient way of understanding how the different levels of GigE interface compare to USB, CameraLink, and CXP interfaces.

Back to the 37 and 67M cameras in particular… What makes these cameras distinctive in the current market?

Non-stitched sensors:

These sensors are non-stitched. While some competitors use dual or quad sensor readout zones to drive framerates, they have to work hard to achieve tap balance outcomes satisfactory to the user – not easy under certain conditions. But with the 10GigE interface, when image quality is paramount for your application, these cameras deliver impressive framerates and images free from any tap balance artefacts. At full resolution, the 67M camera delivers 15fps, and the 37M provides 20fps.

If you love these two sensors, and want even faster framerates than what 10GigE can support, note that the same sensors appear in the Falcon4 with the CameraLink High Speed (CLHS) interface. With CLHS these sensors deliver 90 and 120fps, respectively!

Other features of note:

67M model is the most compact on the market at 41 mm x 59 mm x 59 mm
Multi-ROI up to 16 regions – further boost framerates by moving only essential image data
Robust and performant Teledyne Sapera driver or 3rd party GenICam compliant SDKs
10 – 36V or PoE (single cable for power, data, and control signals)
M42 lens mount

Precision Time Protocol (PTP) synchronization of two or more cameras over GigE network, avoiding the need for hardware triggers and controllers, for many applications.

Uniquely from Teledyne DALSA is their proprietary Trigger to Image Reliability (T2IR):

Manage exceptions in a controlled manner
Verify critical imaging events such as lost frames, lines, or triggers
Tag images for traceability

Trigger to Image Reliability (T2IR) – courtesy Teledyne DALSA

The Teledyne e2V sensors used in these cameras are designed and produced here in North America. Not to play politics when we all participate in global supply chains in our personal and professional lives, but for certain contract approvals or risk assessments it can be beneficial when the country of origin question is any easy one to answer.

Sometimes new camera families or models are just “me too” market followers – often worthy but not innovative as such. But the Genie Nano 10G-M/C-6200 and 10G-M/C–8200 cameras are game changers. Call us for a quote! 978-474-0044.

Even if you don’t need the resolution or performance of the 37 or 67M Genie Nano 10GigE right now, the Teledyne DALSA Genie Nano families include products using 1, 2, and 5GigE, 10GigE, CXP, and CLHS interfaces. That ranges from “fast enough” (and modestly priced) through fast and on to very fast. If you have diverse imaging projects, there are economies of scale, and efficiencies in deployment, by using drivers, SDKs, and features shared by multiple cameras – and mastered by your team.

1stVision Inc. – Machine Vision Articles

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