PCO – three decades as Pioneer in Camera and Optoelectronics
PCO is a Pioneer in Cameras and Optoelectronics with more than 30 years of expert knowledge and experience developing and manufacturing high-end camera systems. PCO has forged ahead to becoming a leading specialist and innovator in digital imaging used in scientific and industrial applications.
In-house competence of all significant technical disciplines and partnering with leading image sensor manufacturers ensures cutting edge sCMOS and high-speed imaging technology. The company’s customers’ input has a direct path back to its product development and support teams, enabling constant advancements of hardware and software.
PCO’s worldwide entities ensure that its cameras are developed and supported in a way that meets the user’s applications. From its inception in 1987 to present day, PCO has been growing continuously and striven to improve its position as a global supplier by being geographically closer to its customers. To that end, PCO operates subsidiaries in the USA, Canada, Singapore and China along with its headquarters in Germany.
PCO supports the constant advancement of science and industry by relentlessly pursuing technological perfection. The company’s cameras are used in scientific and industrial research, automotive testing, quality control, metrology and a large variety of other applications worldwide.
The new pco.panda is a state-of-the-art sCMOS sensor camera system designed to provide high quantum efficiency with the lowest dark noise for a number of applications, including live cell microscopy, single molecule detection, bio- and chemi-luminescence, GSDIM, PALM, STORM, SPIM, and more. It also is housed in a compact package – just 65 mm3.
PCO offers a family of scientific CMOS (sCMOS) cameras featuring high-resolution, high quantum efficiency, high frame rates, high dynamic range, and availability with various interface options. These cameras are designed to provide low latency, low jitter, real-time signals between a camera and frame grabber while carrying image data, control data, and trigger events. These cameras feature 2048 x 2048 pixel resolution (2560 x 2160 in the 5.5 model), and the option of Camera Link HS (CLHS).
The potential imaging applications involving car safety testing are numerous. With built-in image calibration, light and ruggedized packaging, a quick-change lens adapter, and secure synchronization capabilities in multi-camera environments, the pco.dimax cs high speed cameras are well-equipped to handle them all.
PCO’s high speed CMOS camera series delivers extremely fast frame rates, high resolution, and a variety of operational and trigger modes. They are well suited for applications involving airbag inflation, combustion research, ballistics testing, and other high speed camera applications. The pco.dimax HS is available in three different types: the S models, HD/HD+ models, and HS models.
The pco.flim camera system is the first luminescence lifetime imaging camera designed to use a two tap CMOS image sensor. It is purposed for a wide variety of life science applications including biomarkers, sensing, and fluorescence lifetime imaging.
The new pco.pixelfly usb is a high performance digital 14 bit CCD camera system specially designed for low light applications in the spectral range of visible light if a small form factor is required. This compact digital CCD camera system is perfectly suited for many scientific and industrial imaging applications including microscopy, spectroscopy, and quality control.
The pco.ultraviolet is a 14bit CCD camera ideal for UV detection, luminescence spectroscopy, hyperspectral imaging, material testing, wafer inspection, mask inspection, spectroscopy, machine vision, high resolution microscopy, scientific imaging, low light level imaging, combustion imaging, and industrial OEM applications.
This high dynamic 14bit cooled CCD camera system comprises advanced CCD and electronics technology. With the new approach to integrate the image memory (camRAM) into the camera itself, it enables unmatched fast image recording with 160MB/s. The system features thermo-electrical cooling (delta vs. ambient -50°C), a superior high resolution (1600 x 1200pixel) and low noise (down to 12e- rms)
This high resolution 14bit CCD cooled camera system comprises advanced CCD and electronics technology. With the new approach to integrate the image memory (camRAM) into the camera itself, it enables unmatched fast image recording with 160MB/s
This high resolution 14bit cooled CCD camera system comprises advanced CCD and electronics technology. With the new approach to integrate the image memory (camRAM) into the camera itself, it enables unmatched fast image recording with 128MB/s
PCO-TECH Inc.
6930 Metroplex Drive
Romulus, MI 48174
UNITED STATES
Phone: 248-276-8820
Fax: 248-276-8825
Contact: info@pco-tech.com
PCO AG
Donaupark 11
93309 Kelheim, Germany
fon +49 (0)9441 2005 50
fax +49 (0)9441 2005 20
info@pco.de
www.pco.de
PCO Imaging Asia Pte.
3 Temasek Ave
Centennial Tower, Level 34
Singapore, 039190
fon +65-6549-7054
fax +65-6549-7001
info@pco-imaging.com
www.pco-imaging.com
The “intra-scene dynamic” of a camera system is its ability to measure and distinguish different levels of light. Most camera manufacturers refer to the term as dynamic or dynamic range in their technical data sheets. In addition, the dynamic range in photography is equivalent to the contrast range. Since many camera manufacturers define dynamic range from a different point of view, a distinction should be made between the “dynamic range of an sCMOS, CMOS or CCD image sensor”, “dynamic range of an analog-to-digital-conversion”, “usable dynamic range,” and “maximum dynamic range or SNR”. This article defines the different points of view for the dynamic range of camera systems and discusses when each term should be used.
PCO-TECH looks to debunk the myth that “large pixel image sensors are always more sensitive than small pixel sensors.” This article describes, in detail, the relationship between an image sensor’s pixel size and its sensitivity, and how each defines the quality of an image.
PCO has launched a new high-speed series of pco.dimax cs cameras, adding three new models to its portfolio. These new models are compact, ruggedized, and targeted for on- and off-board crash test applications.
Photoluminescence is used for a variety of life science applications, including biomarkers, sensing, and fluorescent lifetime imaging. The pco.flim camera system is the first luminescence lifetime imaging camera designed to use a two tap CMOS image sensor. This white paper discusses the pco.flim camera, and how it simplifies the process of fluorescence lifetime imaging.
This application note discusses the features and issues of using the PCO USB 3.0 camera interface, as well as important considerations and configurations of its recommended hardware and software.
This video shows the principle of photoluminescence in the time domain (pulsed excitation) and in the frequency domain (continuous, modulated excitation) using the pco.flim – a specialized camera for luminescence lifetime measurements in the frequency domain. The corresponding waveforms of light, shaped and delayed by a reflective target and a photoluminescent sample, are visualized.
During electron beam welding, the high energy concentration causes the material to melt, which forms plasma. The escaping plasma creates a channel as it “drills” into the depth of the workpiece and forms the welded seam as it cools. The sequence shown in this video has been attained using 9,000 fps with the exposure matched to the actual welding process.
High-speed camera users demand cameras that work accurately under the harshest environmental conditions, making reliability and operational capability crucial considerations in scientific cameras. This video shows a combustion analysis application, using a pco.dimax high-speed camera, at the Robert Bosch GmbH in Stuttgart. PCO’s camera acquired exceptionally detailed images due to its sensor’s superior light sensitivity, despite poor lighting conditions.
The pco.dimax cs camera with its true 12-bit performance is ideal for providing crisp, brilliant color images for all car safety testing applications involving onboard, offboard, and sled testing. This high speed video presents car safety testing situations recorded with the pco.dimax cs camera.
This particular sequence was recorded with at pco.dimax HD CMOS camera at 3,000 frames-per-second and 1296 x 720 pixel resolution. Once the ladybug unfolds its wings, the display speed is reduced to 25 fps.
