Industrial Imaging Cameras
Top 5 machine vision camera interfaces
There are many machine vision camera, also known as industrial imaging camera, interfaces available. The following table shows a summary of the most common interfaces, except Camera Link all interfaces are supported by VA Imaging.
| USB2 | USB3 | GigE | Camera Link | Coaxpress | 5GigE | 10GigE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Supported by VA Imaging | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Bandwidth | 40 | 400 | 100 | Base=250 Medium=500 Full=750 | 1lane=750 2lane=1500 4lane=3000 | 500 | 1000 |
| Cable length (maximum) | 5m | 4.6m; 100m with fiber | 100m | 100m | 7m | 50m | 50m |
| Power + data on one cable | Yes | Yes | Only if PoE | PoCL | Yes | Only if PoE | Only if PoE |
| Frame-grabber mandatory | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Cable costs | Low | Low | Low | High | Low | Low | Low |
| Camera costs | Very low | Low | Low | High | High | Medium | Medium |
| CPU usage | Medium | Low | Meduim | Low | Low | Low (special framegrabber) | Low (special framegrabber) |
| Multiple cameras | Fair | Excellent | Good | Fair | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent |
| Customer acceptance | Fair | Good | Good | Declining | Fair | Growing | Growing |
What is the bandwidth of a machine vision camera interface?
The first topic we will discuss is the bandwidth of a machine vision camera interface. Simply said is bandwidth a way to measure the amount of data that can be sent between computers during a specific period. In terms of machine vision, this concerns the amount of image data that can be sent from the machine vision camera to a host controller. Bandwidth is measured in megabytes per second, which means that an USB2.0 machine vision camera can send image data equivalent to 40 megabyte each second.
This also means that an USB 3.0 machine vision camera interface(if used at full capacity) can send image data equivalent to 400 megabyte per second, which is around 10 times more than USB 2.0 machine vision camera interface. When sending large amount of data (large bandwidth usage), it also takes the computer more time to process this data. As a result it takes longer for the computer to reconstruct an image. However, a large bandwidth makes the data transfer faster, allowing the host controller to start calculating and reconstructing images earlier and faster. This is often required in machine vision applications.
Industrial camera interfaces
The USB2.0 camera interface is the cheapest and easiest to use of all 3 options. Nevertheless, bandwidth and cable length are limited. USB2.0 Industrial imaging cameras are ideal for applications which require a maximum of 1.3MP at 30fps or 5MP at 7fps, with a cable length that does not exceed 5 meters.
The USB3.0 Vision industrial camera interface supports a bandwidth of 400 megabyte per second, and it uses the least amount of computer processor power. Therefore, it is ideal for high resolution and high-speed imaging. The cable length, on the other hand, is limited to 4.6 meters, but we offer high-quality active cables which go up to 50 meter.
The GigE Vision industrial camera interface is often used in machine vision applications, which require longer cable lengths (>5m). The bandwidth of 100 megabyte per second is average (between USB2.0 and USB3.0). This makes it ideal for most machine vision applications. VA Imaging offers a wide portfolio of GigE Vision industrial cameras, with low to high resolutions.
The 5GigE Vision industrial Camera interface requires a 5GigE or 10GigE network card to operate at full speed. It is using the same cable infrastructure as GigE. This interface is very interesting for industrial camera applications where long cable lengths and high frame rates with high resolutions are required as it offers a bandwidth 5 times higher than 1GigE industrial cameras.
10GigE Vision Industrial cameras require a 10GigE infrastructure. It has the highest GigE bandwidth VA Imaging offers currently. However, the interface is also relative expensive. For most of the industrial camera applications, GigE, 5GigE and USB3 will deliver a sufficient bandwidth.
CoaXPress industrial cameras require a CoaXPress frame grabber. It has one of the highest bandwidth. However, the interface is also relative expensive. In most industrial camera applications, 5GigE, 10GigE and USB3 will be sufficient. Feel free to contact us for any advice.
Industrial Imaging Camera Technology
Industrial cameras, as explained also known as industrial imaging cameras or machine vision cameras are designed for industrial and medical applications. The main differences between an industrial imaging camera and a security or consumer camera are:
An industrial imaging camera gives out the RAW information, without image compression.
Very low latency between image capture and image received by the PC
Option to exactly trigger the moment that the image should be captured with industrial imaging cameras
Longevity, industrial imaging cameras have a minimum life time cycle of 5-7 years (as most of the time even longer), while security and consumer cameras have a life time cycle of 1-2 years
Image-sensor-sensitivity, industrial imaging cameras have larger and therefore more light sensitive sensors. As a result the images are better during low light conditions or short exposure times
With a industrial industrial imaging camera you have access to more features, for example LUT tables, region-of-interest, triggering, pixel-binning etc.
Machine vision applications
In almost every market, machine vision cameras are used. Some examples are:
Inspecting products with a machine vision camera, including capsules, injections, bubble caps, labels of the package and more.
Barcode reading, DMC reading, check size of package with a machine vision camera
Tracking movement of sportsmen, animals (horses), objects (golf simulator) and more by using industrial imaging cameras
Industrial cameras for inspection of railways, Automatic Number Plate Reading (ANPR), Speed control, inspection of roads, 360 degree imaging (street view)
Robots, palletizers, optical guidance systems, quality inspections, position recognition etc.
Industrial cameras are integrated inside to generate a 3D point cloud. It is used to determine the height of an object, distance of an object or checking for defects (missing parts) on a product. It can also be used for making 3D models or even scanning complete persons to integrate them digitally into movies and games
Industrial imaging cameras on existing microscopes, digital microscopes etc.
Devices that include industrial imaging camera technology like Endoscopes, Ophthalmology, overview camera during MRI scans, robot surgery, digital microscopes etc.
