Imager uses digital auto-focus to read 1D and 2D codes.
Press Release Summary:
Miniature mega pixel imager, Quadrus MINI reads both linear bar codes and 2D codes, such as Data Matrix, directly marked on boards and components. For operation, user plugs in unit, points at object of interest, and pushes EZ button. Imager focuses and sets exposure time, gain, and illumination intensity. MINI can be embedded inside pick-and-place robotic equipment or mounted at entrance and exit points of work cells for process verification.
Original Press Release:
New MINI Mega Pixel Imager Uses Digital Auto-Focus to Read 1D, 2D Codes
September, 2005 - Renton, Wash.: Microscan's miniature mega pixel imager Quadrus MINI is the world's smallest high resolution imager and the first to offer true auto-focus for industrial product identification. The MINI will be publicly introduced at the ASSEMBLY Technology Expo, September 27 - 29, in Microscan's Booth No. 5729.
In the past, to achieve adjustable focus in changing dynamic applications, the imager's hardware had to be physically calibrated for each new symbol distance. When using the MINI, all the operator needs to do is plug it in. "Microscan's MINI imager performs much like an off the shelf digital camera," commented Microscan president Dennis Kaill. "You point it at the object of interest, in this case the symbol, and push the EZ button. The MINI automatically focuses on the symbol and sets the exposure time, gain, and illumination intensity."
Designed for demanding, high performance applications in electronics manufacturing, Quadrus MINI reads both linear bar codes and 2D codes such as Data Matrix directly marked on boards and components. The MINI's ultra compact size (1.8"w x 2.10"d x 1"h, weight less than 2 ounces) combined with high resolution optics provide the widest scan window available for reading any code at close range or in tight spaces.
"The electronics manufacturing industry is becoming a higher mix - lower volume environment," commented Andy Zosel, embedded product manager for Microscan. "As product runs change throughout the day, often times so does the barcode being used to track the product. That is why we designed the MINI with auto focus and a large depth of field to read multiple code types in varying densities without requiring adjustments in between product runs." These advanced features enable manufacturers to standardize on one type of imager for several different applications on the manufacturing floor. The MINI can be easily embedded inside pick-and-place robotic equipment or mounted at the entrance and exit points of work cells for process verification.
Featuring a mega pixel sensor with an extra wide field of view and proprietary algorithms, the MINI reads long bar codes omni-directionally and high density 2D symbols. Auto-focus, EZ button setup, and green flash good read indicator provide ease of use. Customizable data output and Windows' based interface allows the bar code reader to be easily integrated into existing operating platforms with minimal programming.
