Knowledge base

Learn more about machine vision! In our knowledge base we are explaining key technical terms about image processing. We give you an overview to topics like 3D machine vision or the established standards like CameraLink, GigE Vision or GenICam.

Vision systems

A 'Vision System' is defined as a prebuilt solution that is ready to configure and deploy, containing the sensor, processor and software. While generally used to automate manufacturing and secure product quality, the use of vision systems in non-industrial applications such as medical, traffic, sports or entertainment is becoming common.

Illumination

Selecting and correctly configuring the optimal illumination setup is one of the key factors when designing a vision system. Missing image information caused by incorrect illumination makes subsequent analysis much more difficult or even impossible, as no analysis algorithm can recover information that has never been captured.

Optics

Virtually all cameras need a lens of some kind to collect the light that is scattered from the surface of an object. The lens reconstructs this scattered light as an image on a light sensitive area behind the lens, normally a CCD or CMOS sensor.

Cameras

When selecting a camera for an application three factors need to be considered: The performance of the sensor, the camera features, as well as the interface technology and image transfer.

Cabling

Every camera requires one or more cables to connect to a vision system or a PC.

Acquisition

Acquisition technology has seen major changes in the last few years, particularly with the adoption of new bus technologies. Traditional frame grabber technology has been joined by a range of generic interfaces such as FireWire and USB (2.0 and 3.0) along with Gigabit Ethernet.

Vision Software

The basis of all imaging software is the ability to acquire, transfer, manipulate and interpret the pixel data output by a camera. What happens to these images can vary from the relatively simple task of saving them to disk, through to using them in a complex pattern recognition application.

Computers

When selecting a PC for an imaging application there are many factors that need to be considered in order to ensure that the solution chosen delivers the performance needed, combined with both long-term reliability and stability of supply.

You remember it from school, how it reduced glare from certain angles of light, and you know your sunglasses are meant to do the same ... but do you really know how the light is controlled?

Acquisition: CameraLink

CameraLink is administered by the AIA (Automated Imaging Association) and is an official standard.

Acquisition: CameraLink HS

CameraLink HS has a long history even though the standard itself is young. With the ever increasing camera speeds "classic" CameraLink standard is not able to scale easily beyond 850 MB/s, so another new interface was needed to meet the needs of ever higher bandwidths at the same or even lower cost.

Acquisition: CoaXPress

CoaXPress (CXP) is the second beyond CameraLink standard that was established a few years ago. In the simplest version, power, control and data for the remote device are send via a single coaxial cable.