Point Grey Research has introduced its Grasshopper line of IEEE-1394b (FireWire) cameras. The Grasshopper digital camera offers high Megapixel resolution and an ultra fast IEEE-1394b 800Mb/s digital interface. Attractive pricing makes these powerful cameras ideal for OEMs and system integrators who need compact systems that deliver images at high frame rates.
The Grasshopper cameras are particularly effective in demanding imaging applications such as those used in electronics manufacturing, life sciences and microscopy, surveillance and security, and ITS.
Monochrome and colour CCD sensor options for the Grasshopper include the 1.4-Megapixel 2/3” ICX285 (at 17fps) and 2.0-Megapixel 1/1.8” ICX274 (at 30fps). A 5.0MP 2/3” ICX625 (2448x2048 at 15 FPS) model will be released mid-2007. Each model is available in a compact 44x29x58mm form factor with dual IEEE-1394b ports, general purpose I/O connector, and industry standard C-mount lens holder.
Key features of the Grasshopper camera include a frame buffer for image storage and retransmission, high-speed 14-bit analogue-to-digital converter for data precision, memory channels for defining custom power-up settings, gamma and programmable LUT, and a data flash for non-volatile memory storage. Other standard features include multiple trigger and strobe modes, regions of interest and pixel binning, and in-field-updatable FPGA that controls all camera functions.
Also included with every camera is the FlyCapture SDK - a full software package for image acquisition and advanced camera control - and the PGRPROT driver, which enables users to grab images at full 800Mb/s transfer rates.
