Smart Camera is 100 mm long and 30 mm in diameter.
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Press Release Summary:
Model VCM-50 consumes less than 1 W and is suitable for precise progressive scan applications. Sony CCD sensor with 640 x 480 pixel resolution ensures sharp images, even for inspection of fast-moving parts. Camera can be programmed by user in C or integrated into existing programs. Exposure times are as low as 20 microseconds, and full-frame rates of up to 50 frames/sec are available. Applications include Datamatrix code-reading, laser triangulation, metrology, and pattern recognition.
Original Press Release:
Small, But Fit for the Purpose
Size does not necessarily reflect capabilities. In the case of the new VCM-50 smart camera from Vision Components GmbH (Ettlingen, Germany), small is unquestionably more desirable. Only 100 mm in length and 30 mm in diameter, the VCM-50 is arguably the smallest off-the-shelf machine vision system in the World. And make no mistake, it is more than fit for the purpose of fulfilling today's demanding industrial application problems.
The compact unit weighs less than 100 grams and has a power consumption of less than one Watt. It may be limited regarding visualization of images - providing solely Jpeg image output - but then, the system does not really aim for the visualization market. It is more useful in precise progressive scan applications. A 640x480 pixel resolution Sony CCD sensor will ensure the sharpest of images even for inspection of very fast-moving parts. Speed in fact is nothing to avoid with this system. For example, it can read seven to ten ECC200 Datamatrix codes per second, from full-frame images. Not only can it read the perfectly printed code, but it will cope easily with laser-edged, pinned or up to 60% damaged codes with no difficulties.
Yet, this small system has so much more potential than being just a code-reader. The VCM-50 can be freely programmed by a user in C or integrated into existing programmes. The list of ready-to-go applications is staggering and can include Datamatrix code-reading, systems for laser triangulation, metrology, pattern recognition and more. Configurable VCM-50 systems are available from Vision Components GmbH, offering position and angular compensation, blob analyses, rotated ROIs, and more. When inspecting moving parts, the progressive scan sensor allows inspection to be undertaken during the moving process.
Exposure times are as low as 20 microseconds, and full-frame rates of up to fifty frames per second are available - better than many you may have encountered before today. Additionally, the unit is able to combine two or four scan lines together, invaluable when dealing with lengthy objects for example. The decreased resolution introduced in the vertical direction can turn quickly into an advantage as one will obtain, in return, two to four times' higher light sensitivity (or shorter exposure time for the same picture) and two to four times' faster image capture. This equals an incredible 200 (640x120) images per second. All this at a price under half the list price of a competitively priced rival - truly very fit for its purpose.
Finally, we would like to outline some examples of typical applications - potential and already in use - for the VCM-50 machine vision system. It can help in checking requirements in the following applications:-
o Has the correct label been applied to a product? Is it straight? - an easy task for the measurement software;
o Before filling a box, one must be sure it is empty - answerable with the VCM series;
o Does a cord profile fit the correct form? Are the plates to be welded close enough to each other? - a nice application for the VCM-50 product, in combination with a laser line generator.
o Does a test part match the correct drilling pattern? Are all desired pins present in the die? - this is easy to evaluate with the VCM-50 using blob analysis and add-on lighting.
o Does a test part exit at the correct angular position from the flywheel? - easy to assess with a back illumination.
o How far have fiducial marks shifted on the plates?
o Has a part been labeled? - again blob analysis or pattern matching can deliver the answer.
o A robot has to lift up objects onto a warehouse shelf. - a quadrant sensor will prevent collision between fork-lift and shelf.
o A certain area of the shop-floor is designated 'no entry' - the VCM-50 can react five to ten msec earlier than a standard CCD camera, where even image capture can take typically 30-40 msec.
o VCM-50 based motion detectors report movement only in relevant areas - other regions, where movement may be continuous, are disregarded by the system a potential benefit for Smart CCTV.
o Hallway vehicles can follow lines drawn on the floor, and can branch at forks based on obtained codes read and processed by the camera.
o Tools can be moved without contact, and without the need for slow motion, into desired positions.
o Presences of components are inspected, based on correlation pattern matching. Further more the actual and desired values are sent to the control point via serial cable.
o The VCM-50 can check the fill level of a small glass bottle. It will 'learn' the pattern of the meniscus and locate it on the picture again. The located y-position is then reported.
o The VCM-50 sends the rotational position of Integrated Circuits via four digital opto-coupled 24V outputs (0, 90, 180, 270 degrees)
o Special illumination can render surface scratches visible, and recognizable by the VCM-50. Similarly the system can check material granularity and will reject too fine or too coarse a surface.
o On a poster inkjet printer, the VCM-50 inspects the 5cm wide nozzles after each print. It then makes statistical statements on the evenness of the print. It reliably recognizes clogged nozzles through striped drop-outs.
o One OEM has mounted a battery-operated VCM-50 onto a plastic hard-hat. This sends a picture via Bluetooth to a lap-top, which is connected to the company's switchboard, and a picture is available there.
o The VCM-50 can check labels and marks - useful in implementing a container redemption system, for example in the soft drinks industry. There will also be many applications in the electronics industry with the new waste regulations where the reading of manufacturing lot and serial number codes will become a requirement.
So, in conclusion, the essence of this system is that despite its size, the applications for the VCM-50 smart camera are extremely manifold. Many were simply not feasible in this price bracket up until now. Performance and reliability are maintained at a high level, with integrated IP rigid housing, illumination and optics.
Additional advice and innovative solutions for your application problems can be obtained from the author of this article, Michael Schaefer, Master of Mathematics, Sales Manager, at Vision Components GmbH, Karlsruhe, Germany. You can also find further products and solutions at our web-site www.vision-components.de.
Michael Schaefer
Vision Components GmbH
November 2002.
