Modular machine vision integrates easily

A modular vision sensor platform of hardware and software components allows fast and easy integration of components into a scalable machine vision system.

LMI Technologies has developed its FireSync modular vision sensor platform of hardware and software components.

FireSync allows fast and easy integration of components into a scalable machine vision system along with microsecond synchronisation, said LMI.

The FireSync produces a single unified design for building vision applications ranging from smart sensors to complex web scanning systems anywhere from specification to final assembly.

LMI Technologies told manufacturingtalk that its FireSync solves the classic problem of synchronisation between lighting, camera and processing components and allows the development of a fully scalable design.

Chief technology officer at LMI Technologies, Terry Arden, said: "FireSync gives system integrators and OEMs the capability to quickly design and build simple to complete systems at a low cost of ownership.

It develops image processing modules across a network of processing modules and results in rapid time development of the product to market".

* Integrated OEM hardware and software components - the FireSync platform consists of a number of tightly integrated OEM hardware and software components.

Components include the following.

* Sensor controllers.

* Camera and embedded sensors.

* Machine vision software.

* Industrial computers.

* Lighting and others.

Components can be configured in a number of different ways, depending on the need and application.

With high performance image streaming, these components are combined with proportional/functional control of sub-components, the synchronisation of image collection to within microsecond accuracy, simple cabling and impressive stitching.

The FireSync platform includes a number of machine vision firsts.

For example, use of high speed SERDES chipsets gives the sensor controller the capability to offer images of up to four CMOS-camera channels to stream data to the FireSync M200 sensor controller at speeds up to 320Mbytes/s.

As well as the four different independent camera channels, the FireSync system includes support for pre-processing, DSP algorithms and Gigabit networking.

The sensor controller precisely controls the camera light and DSP functions.

Once de-serialised, image data is transferred directly to host memory, compressed through processing by the DSP and transferred to PC systems over Gigabit Ethernet for further distribution and reduction.

High speed CMOS cameras have from VGA to Mexapixel resolution, the pulsed laser and LED sources provide for maximum lumen output at low duty cycles for long life and the Network routing control allows for flexible control of large scale and distributed topography.

LMI Technologies provides synchronisation support between use of multiple cameras, one or more sensor controllers including a master synchronisation controller, time and encoder stamps, trigger logic, stroke outputs, I/O control, laser safety and power distribution across multiple sensors.

Arden said: "Working with Microsoft Visual Studio and TI computer tools has also provided an environment for timing configuration, network routing, data visualisation and verification of machine vision systems".

Arden added that LMI Technologies is in the process of developing several functions to offer with the standard library.

Included in the development is a stitching algorithm programmed into the DSP of the M200 sensor controller that captures both halves of the captured image sequence.

* About LMI Technologies - LMI Technologies designs and manufactures scalable vision sensor technology for OEMs and system integrators.

Since 1976, LMI has applied its expertise in optical inspection to simplify automated vision, measurement and control metrology around the world.

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