SVS-Vistek has presented new industrial cameras of the EXO series with 12 megapixel resolution that work with the polarized sensor IMX253MZR from Sony. This enables applications that could otherwise only be solved with a great deal of effort using conventional technologies.
The polarized sensor IMX253MZR from Sony simplifies many tasks in image processing. The technical basis of this sensor is a matrix of polarizing filters with different orientations (0 °, 90 °, 45 ° and 135 °), which is applied directly to each 2x2 pixel array. This has the advantage that the degree of polarization of the light, its polarization direction and the intensity of the polarized light can be measured and evaluated at the same time with a single exposure without changing the illumination. This simultaneous detection of different directions and degrees of polarization enables reliable image evaluation on an optical basis without changing the mechanical or optical settings on the lens or the illumination.
SVS-Vistek uses this special sensor with a resolution of 12 megapixels in their new industrial camera exo253ZU3. This camera model is equipped with a USB3 interface and delivers a frame rate of 30 frames/second. With 75 frames/second, the sister model exo250ZU3 enables more than double the frame rate for applications where a 5 megapixel resolution is sufficient. Both cameras are available in series with a resolution of 12 or 5 megapixels, also with a Gigabit Ethernet interface, and are therefore suitable for camera applications with increased demands on cable lengths.
Cameras with polarized sensors offer interesting new possibilities compared to conventional industrial cameras. Typical applications can be found, for example, in surface inspection, in checking transparent or reflective materials such as water, plastic or glass or in demanding machine vision tasks such as reading black text on black tires. By using sensors with polarized technology, hidden material properties such as material tension in plastic or glass can be easily identified. Automated machine vision with the help of polarization measurement makes sense especially with non-metallic objects, since the effort in the subsequent image processing is considerably reduced in many applications with this technology. With the new members of the EXO series, SVS-Vistek provides its customers with state-of-the-art polarized cameras.
FXO camera series
With the new FXO camera series, SVS-Vistek enables high-end image processing based on the new CoaXPress-12 interface at surprisingly low cost.
With cable lengths of up to 40 meters as well as the stable data connection to the camera, the deterministic protocol with the highest transmission rates and the thin cables with the option of powering the camera via the data line, CoaXPress is one of the most powerful interfaces for machine vision. In the current expansion stage CoaXPress-12 (or CoaXPress 2.0), a transmission rate of 12.5 Gbit/s per line is possible, which allows the transmission of the entire bandwidth of the latest Pregius S sensors from Sony with just one line. In addition, the significantly improved upload speed of 41.6 Mbps allows extremely precise camera control via software trigger with a trigger frequency of almost 600 kHz in single trigger message mode, often making hardware triggering and the associated cables unnecessary.
A frequently underestimated advantage of CoaXPress-12 is the effect of the interface on the image quality: The protocol of this interface is implemented in an extremely efficient way and, for example, generates significantly less heat in the camera compared to 10GigE models. This has a direct impact on the noise behavior of the sensor and thus on the image quality. The CoaXPress-12 models of the FXO camera series from SVS-Vistek can perfectly deliver the extremely high quality of the Pregius S sensors from Sony in terms of noise and homogeneity of the image, right through to image acquisition.
Furthermore, SVS-Vistek´s FXO camera series perfectly combines the advantages of the Pregius S sensors and the CoaXPress-12 interface. Since the high bandwidth of CoaXPress-12 enables operation with an inexpensive single-lane frame grabber in almost all applications, a CoaXPress-12 bundle of camera and frame grabber is comparable in price to a 10GigE solution with a high-quality 10GigE card - CoaXPress-12 is therefore also very attractive economically.
Currently, SVS-Vistek's FXO camera series comprises five models with CoaXPress-12 interface with resolutions from 5 to 24.5 megapixels and frame rates of up to 123 frames/second. As standard, all cameras in this series have industrial features such as C-mount, multi-channel 24V I/Os with logic module, sequencer and an integrated multi-channel strobe controller up to 3 A. With a dynamic range of approximately 70 dB, outstanding sensitivity and homogeneity as well as its exceptionally good noise performance, the FXO series is currently the reference for best image quality from high-end industrial cameras on the market.
New company building
The positive business development of SVS-Vistek in the past years initiates the need to move. As an innovative manufacturer of industrial cameras, the company has been developing and manufacturing its own CCD and CMOS cameras since 1999 exclusively at its current headquarters in Seefeld near Munich. In order to adapt the production capacities to the forecasted customer requirements also in the future and to be able to offer a modern working environment to the growing number of employees, the company management has decided to move to the northern industrial area of Gilching in 2021, which is conveniently located close to Highway 96 between Munich and Lindau.
The groundbreaking for the two-story building with an area of approx. 5,200 m² has already taken place. An innovative temperature concept based on geothermal energy with concrete core activation and a solar system reflects the ecological orientation of the building. SVS-Vistek will use about 2600 m² in the first step and ensure best possible work processes with state-of-the-art equipment. Among other things, production areas with purified air and overpressure with airlock systems are planned, which guarantee dust-protected production of the cameras according to the highest quality requirements. The very modern floor plan design of the office space will allow effective organization and a high degree of flexibility in switching between concentrated individual and communicative group work. A work café, a bistro as well as public and private outdoor areas will create a pleasant, effective working environment for employees. A decision on the use of the second half of the building will be made in stages after the first occupancy in summer 2021.
