Six New Frame Grabbers Announced for Embedded Machine Vision Systems
Editorial Contact:
Marion Margiotta
Young & Roehr, Inc.
(503) 222-0626
mmargiot@young-roehr.com
Six New Frame Grabbers Announced for Embedded Machine Vision Systems
Leading products now available in PC/104-Plus and CompactPCI versions
Beaverton, Ore., Sept. 15, 1997—<%=company%> Corporation has significantly extended its family of precision gray-scale and color frame grabbers, adding a total of six new products aimed specifically at embedded machine vision (EMV) applications. The six new frame grabbers are PC/104-Plus and CompactPCI versions of <%=company%>'s PXC200 Color Frame Grabber and next-generation PX610 and PX510 Precision Frame Grabbers. A standard version of each product using the Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) interface was released earlier this year and continues to be available.
Like their standard PCI versions, the new frame grabbers offer features typically found only in much more expensive products, now in either a PC/104 core module or CompactPCI 3U size card answering the size constraints of compact but powerful EMV systems. The PXC200 is the first high quality color frame grabber with a PCI bus interface for under $400—over 33 percent less than the most nearly competitive product—while the PX610 and PX510 offer real-time video capture performance with high gray-scale accuracy for the most demanding industrial and scientific applications. In addition, the PX610 is the only frame grabber designed specifically to support high resolution, non-interlaced video from progressive scan CCD cameras.
"These six new frame grabbers demonstrate <%=company%>'s commitment to machine vision systems in which a PC is embedded and tightly integrated with a frame grabber and camera, with special requirements for size, robustness and long-term support," said George Fabel, <%=company%>'s president. "Our products are fully compatible, making it easy and cost-effective to migrate from a desktop computer to an embedded machine vision system for high volume applications. We have seen a growing need for embedded frame grabbers in traffic control, security, medical and manufacturing applications."
<%=company%>'s frame grabbers are compatible with standard PC components and support the latest machine vision application software packages. Demo programs for Windows and DOS allow the user to get the products up and running quickly, right out of the box. Comprehensive support is included for standard languages including C/C++ and Visual Basic. DOS, Windows 3.1, Windows 95 and Windows NT are supported, with technical assistance, current software and examples available at <%=company%>'s website.
<%=company%>'s products are targeted at applications involving medical/ophthalmological instrumentation, traffic control devices, manufacturing automation equipment, and security and surveillance systems. Because of its compatibility with progressive scan cameras and asynchronous operation, the PX610 is particularly well suited to applications where the image of a moving object needs to be captured with high precision and in synchronization with an external event. Examples include gauging of parts moving down an assembly line, capturing the license plate number of moving automobiles, and using optical character recognition (OCR) to read the date code on pharmaceutical containers.
"Some of the most exciting opportunities for new embedded machine vision systems fall outside these well defined areas," Fabel added. "They include ‘people counting' devices for shopping malls and retail stores, vision-based key cutting machines and automated scoring machines for bowling alleys, to name just a few."
PXC200 Key Specifications
Maximum pixel jitter: +/-4 ns
Maximum resolution: 640 x 480 (NTSC) and 768 x 576 (PAL/SECAM)
Color output formats: YCrCb 4:2:2, RGB 32, 24, 16, 15 and 8-bit dithered
Video noise: < 1 LSB (least significant bit)
Camera power: +12 VDC output
Form factor: PCI short card, PC/104-Plus core module, or CompactPCI 3U size card
PX610/510 Key Specifications
Maximum pixel jitter: +/-3 ns
Maximum resolution: 640 x 480 pixels (RS-170/NTSC); 768 x 576 pixels (CCIR/PAL)
Real time video capture: 1/30 second per frame (RS-170/NTSC); 1/25 per frame (CCIR/PAL)
Video noise: < 0.8 LSB (least significant bit)
Camera power: +12 VDC output
Form factor: PCI short card, PC/104-Plus module, or CompactPCI 3U size card
Price and Availability
PXC200, PX510 and PX610 are $395, $795 and $995, respectively, and available now. Prices for PC/104-Plus and CompactPCI versions are slightly higher depending on quantity.
Contact Information
<%=company%> Corporation provides machine vision components and subsystems for OEMs, VARs, system integrators and end-users. Its product line includes frame grabbers for the ISA, STD, PCI, PCI/104-Plus and CompactPCI bus architectures. <%=company%> also supplies video multiplexers, and works with strategic partners to offer fully integrated machine vision cells and machine vision software that simplifies vision system development. For more information, call 1-800-366-9131 toll free or (503) 641-7408, e-mail info@imagenation.com, visit the company's website at www.imagenation.com or send a fax to (503) 643-2458.