Point Grey, a global leader in the design and manufacturing of innovative, high-performance digital cameras,has announced the addition of a new 6 megapixel global shutter CCD model to its Grasshopper3 family of USB3 Vision cameras.
The new Grasshopper3 GS3-U3-60QS6 camera models are based on color and monochrome versions of the Sony ICX694, a 1" EXview HAD CCD II sensor capable of streaming 2736 x 2192 resolution images at 25 FPS. This sensor uses Sony’s proprietary microlens design, which improves quantum efficiency and increases IR sensitivity. The ICX694’s quad-tap architecture divides the sensor into four quadrants and enables each quadrant to be read out simultaneously, increasing the output frame rate. The new quad-tap GS3-U3-60QS6 model offers nearly double the frame rate compared tothe existing GS3-U3-60S6 dual-tap model. The increased frame rate opens up applications in biometrics, such as eye tracking and iris recognition; factory automation, such as flat panel display inspection; 2D and 3D metrology; and life sciences.
Like all Point Grey USB 3.0 cameras, the Grasshopper3 uses a proprietary USB 3.0 link layer and frame buffer-based architecture for optimal performance and reliability. The Grasshopper3 uses an advanced image processing pipeline to enable color interpolation, look up table, gamma correction, pixel binning and USB3 Vision support.
"This latest 6.0 MP Grasshopper3 model demonstrates the full capability of USB 3.0 and the incredible imaging of Sony multi-tap CCDs,” says Michael Gibbons, Director of Sales and Marketing at Point Grey. “This powerful combination of technologies enables users to significantly reduce costs and host system hardware requirements without sacrificing performance, particularly when compared to existing dual-GigE or Base Camera Link solutions. The bandwidth capability of USB 3.0 is perfectly suited for this camera, enabling full resolution, full RGB color output at high frame rates.”
