Basler Vision Technologies has launched its A406k camera, which a fast 4 Megapixel camera with a Camera Link interface.
The camera provides 209fps at the full resolution of 2,320 x 1,726 pixels. It is available in monochrome and colour and extends the portfolio of Basler A400k cameras. The camera series is used successfully in automated optical inspection systems to verify the position and soldering quality of devices on populated, soldered PCBs.
To achieve such high frame rates, the A400 family uses a CMOS sensor with a rolling shutter. With the help of a flash window that provides an output signal when all of the lines in the sensor are ready for exposure, a global shutter is simulated. The A400k is calibrated and corrected to achieve high image quality. One correction takes care of any deviations in the camera's 2352 ADCs (analogue-to-digital converters). The fixed pattern noise (FPN) that is typical for a CMOS sensor is also corrected, as is the photo response non-uniformity (PRNU). The combined result is an image very close to CCD quality, even in a 10-bit mode. The data reading out of the sensor result in up to a 2.4 Gigabyte per second data stream inside of the camera.
The A406k can provide 209fps at full resolution. This rate is only possible via a 10 tap, 85MHz Camera Link configuration, transferring approximately 800Mb of data per second. This bandwidth limits the A406k to a maximum data depth of 8-bits. PCI Express-based frame grabbers with eight lanes (PCIe x8) are able to handle this large data volume in the PC.
The fast 4 Megapixel Camera Link camera provides a significant advantage in throughput at the customer's site, and inspection of PCBs will be more precise with a higher throughput.
