Allied Vision - Mako

The Mako series offers resolutions from VGA to 12 megapixels and is available as CMOS sensors with global shutter, including CMOS variants with increased infrared sensitivity and a polarised monochrome sensor.

Depending on the model, the Mako offers impressive frame rates and delivers up to 280 images per second.

This makes this camera ideal for cost-sensitive demanding machine vision applications such as surface inspection, for detailed image evaluation in medical technology or for use in the traffic sector.

The polarisation Mako camera features a Polarsens 5.0 MP IMX250MZR monochrome CMOS sensor that incorporates the latest four-directional polarisation filter technology from Sony. The sensor’s on-chip nanowire polarising layer supports four orientations (0°, 45°, 90°, and 135°). Each pixel of the sensor captures polarised light in relation to its specific wire-grid axis, enabling multiple polarisation imaging data to be collected in a single exposure.

Polarisation imaging allows a reduction in the reflections that hinder a surface inspection and contrast enhancement in low light conditions to detect shapes.

Various material properties can be detected that cannot be seen using conventional imaging. These include stress, composition, or surface structure. Applications include:

• Surface inspection (for damage, flatness, scratches)
• Low-contrast imaging (e.g carbon fibre, tires, welding spots)
• Material stress detection
• Reduced reflection imaging

1 or 2 (model dependent) opto-isolated GPIO lines provide the ability to be configured as either input or output, providing high flexibility. The remaining two non-isolated GPIO lines are TTL-based and also programmable as input or output. By offering functionality that would otherwise be provided by external components, implementation time and cost can be reduced, while making maintenance easier by having less components in the system.

The Mako also uses PTP (also known as IEEE 1588), which is a standard network protocol that synchronises the clocks of several devices in a network with one master device. With PTP, Mako cameras can be synchronised to microsecond precision with each other and any other camera or device supporting this standard. This allows accurate inspection with multi-camera imaging systems. PTP provides better accuracy than NTP without increasing component cost and at a lower cost than GPS.

The extremely small and light-weight housing allows the design of very compact OEM and multi-camera solutions. The integration into existing systems with restricted space availability for machine vision components is simplified.

Mako GigE Vision models can be powered directly from the interface cable, or can be supplied using a Hirose connector with up to 24 volts.