Industrial USB 3.0 Vision camera

The Mercury2 USB3.0 camera is an industrial vision camera, with an USB 3.0 interface. USB 3.0 is an appropriate interface for high resolution and high-speed cameras. This interface is very suitable for embedded platforms such as the Raspberry Pi (model 4 or higher) or the NVIDIA Jetson family and for standard computers.
This industrial vision camera model is interesting for you when your application complies with the following conditions:
-    An industrial camera
-    Maximum cable length of 4.5 meters (or 10 meter using optical USB3 cable)
-    Only one cable is required to connect the device
-    Compact dimensions (29x29x29mm)
-    Suitable for computers (x86) and embedded platforms: ARM V7 & ARM V8
-    Hardware triggering (I/O cable is required)

We recommend the standard version the MER2-041-528U3C for its superior image quality. However, this version offers higher FPS and is advised only for applications where the default camera's FPS performance is insufficient.

For more details about our industrial USB 3.0 vision cameras check our manual.

MTBF, warranty & product life cycle

Each year, Daheng Imaging produces more than 100.000 industrial cameras according to the highest quality standards. The mean time between failure (MTBF) is more than 400.000 hours (45 years, 24/7). The industrial cameras are certified by TÜV Rheinland and have a 3 year warranty. After market introduction, every camera model is available for at least 7 years. Most cameras have a much longer product life cycle. For more information about our product life cycle management, check this article.

Industrial Color Camera

A color camera makes use of a Bayer pattern to produce a colored image. The RGB value of every pixel is being calculated by taking the value of a pixel, in combination with all the values of neighboring pixels. This results into less sharp images than those of a monochrome camera. Due to the RGB filter on the pixels, every single pixel, considering white light, captures up to 66% less photons than a monochrome camera. Which makes a color camera less light sensitive than a monochrome one. To compensate this, the following options are available:
-    Increase the amount of light
-    Increase the gain
-    Increase shutter speed / exposure time
-    Select a more light sensitive sensor
-    Select a more light sensitive lens
Compared to security cameras and webcams, an industrial color camera has larger and more light sensitive pixels. Providing you an excellent image quality.

I/O port for hardware trigger, strobe control or PLC communication

The I/O connector from a USB camera is an 8 pin HR25 Hirose connector, which is a standard in the industrial machine vision market. This camera has an input that can be used as a hardware trigger for the device. The output of the camera can be used to trigger a light source, for example an industrial machine vision light. Furthermore, the camera has two GPIO’s (General Purpose Input/ Output) which can be programmed by using our SDK. The electrical diagrams to use the I/O connector are provided in the manual. You can also check our article: hardware triggering multiple industrial cameras.

If you don’t use the I/O port, it is possible to order the camera without I/O. For high volumes, this will reduce the cost price of the camera with € 10. The minimum order quantity for an industrial USB3 camera without I/O is 10 pieces. If you want to order the industrial USB3 camera without I/O, please contact us.