Cognex introduces video camera designed specifically for industrial machine vision applications

Citation

(1999), "Cognex introduces video camera designed specifically for industrial machine vision applications", Sensor Review, Vol. 19 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/sr.1999.08719caf.003

Cognex introduces video camera designed specifically for industrial machine vision applications

Cognex introduces video camera designed specifically for industrial machine vision applications

Keywords Cameras, Cognex, Machine vision

CVC-1000 is the world's first camera to offer high-speed image acquisition, enhanced image quality, compact size, flexible control and direct interface to Cognex's machine vision systems

Cognex has introduced the Cognex CVC-1 000, a progressive scan video camera developed specifically for industrial machine vision applications (see Plate 2). Sony Corporation, Tokyo, Japan, the leading manufacturer of industrial cameras, developed the camera to Cognex's machine vision requirements and will manufacture the CVC-1000 exclusively for Cognex.

Plate 2 Designed specifically for industrial machine vision applications, the Cognex CVC-1000 is the first camera to feature high speed acquisition, enhanced image quality, and flexible control options in a lightweight, compact design.

The Cognex CVC-1000 is the first camera for industrial machine vision applications that combines high-speed image acquisition, enhanced image quality, compact size, and flexible control options. Until now, these features have been available only in larger, more expensive cameras. In addition, the camera is designed specifically to interface to Cognex products.

"As machine vision processing power increases and vision algorithms continue to advance, image acquisition can become the weak link in the overall solution," said Colin Graves, Sales Manager of Cognex UK. "The CVC-1000 enables our customers to take full advantage of the increased performance of our latest vision systems while offering a more complete vision solution from a single source."

The CVC-1000 enhances machine vision applications in a variety of ways. For example, it is able to acquire full frame (640 x 480) images at a rate of 60 frames per second over a single channel, which is twice the speed of most cameras. This is a significant benefit in high-speed vision applications such as can and bottle cap inspection. Additionally, the CVC-1000 provides higher quality images to the vision system by digitising image data synchronously, without the filtering or sampling operations of most standard video cameras, which can cause images to become distorted. This means that the machine vision system has better image data for making decisions, such as where an object is located and whether it is defective, enabling users to maximise the performance of Cognex's vision software, including the new PatMax precision alignment tool.

The CVC-1000 also features a variety of flexible acquisition options. For multi-camera applications, images can be temporarily stored on the camera for up to 100 milliseconds and then sequentially transmitted to the vision system for analysis, eliminating the need for a frame store on the vision system. In addition, users can configure the camera to capture a small area of interest within a larger field of view, thereby reducing acquisition time and increasing throughput. This feature is useful, for example, in high-speed applications such a razor blade inspection in which the vision system only needs to inspect the long and narrow edge region of the razor.

The CVC-1000 was designed to integrate directly with the Cognex Checkpoint 900 and MVS-8000 Series of machine vision systems, and connects to an external image acquisition module mounted on the vision board for direct, on-board image digitisation. This helps preserve image quality since images no longer need to first travel to a separate camera control unit before being transferred to the vision system. And, because of this tight integration with the vision system, camera features such as image size and shutter speed can be controlled remotely through the machine vision system's software and changed from one acquire to another.

Additionally, the camera is built in a compact enclosure, which enables it to fit on most robotic arms and moving X-Y stages used in industrial machine vision applications.

Technical contact Colin Graves, Cognex UK, Chancery House, 199 Silbury Boulevard, Milton Keynes, MK9 1JL, UK. Tel: +44 (0)1908 206000; Fax: +44 (0)1908 392463; E-mail: salesuk@cognex.com