MVPRO News

JAI LAUNCHES 4-CMOS PRISM BASED RGB + NIR LINE SCAN CAMERA WITH 10 GIGE INTERFACE

JAI has added a second 10 GigE prism line scan camera to its Sweep+ Series.

The Sweep+ SW-4000Q-10GE is equipped with four prismmounted CMOS sensors and a 10 GigE interface that also supports backwards compatibility to 5 Gbps, 2.5 Gbps, and 1 Gbps Ethernet standards.

The 4-CMOS prism design simultaneously captures red, green, blue, and near infrared spectral wavebands for both high colour accuracy and multi-spectral analysis via the NIR channel.

The SW-4000Q-10GE camera offers a maximum resolution of 4096 pixels (4K) per channel/line, and in combination with the 10GBASE-T interface, the camera provides RGB + NIR output at up to 72 kHz (72,000 lines per second) over dual 10 GigE streams. The dual stream configuration supports 8-bit or 10-bit output per channel.

The camera also offers a single-stream option using the RGBa8 format where the NIR data is provided via the alpha channel. In this configuration, the camera can operate at up to 73 kHz with 8-bit-per-channel output. A third output option, capable of up to 74 kHz at full 4K resolution, includes 8-bit YUV colour data on one stream combined with 8-bit or 10-bit NIR data on a second stream.

SMART CAMERAS TO PLAY KEY ROLE IN MONITORING PILOT DROWSINESS

Smart cameras are to have a key role in a new system which uses artificial intelligence to monitor pilot drowsiness

The aim of the European Clean Sky project HIPNOSIS is to provide tools to evaluate pilots’ fatigue state.

Coordinated by CSEM and under the guidance of Honeywell, the project will combine artificial intelligence (AI) with aeronautics expertise, contributing to the advent of next generation cockpits.

Consisting of smart cameras and wearable electronics, a safety kit will enable the real-time detection of signs of drowsiness. The aim is to improve fatiguerisk management.

The team behind the project cite an incident last November when an Australian pilot fell asleep while operating a passenger flight, overshooting its destination by 50 kilometers. A few months earlier, in the US, investigators found that an air disaster had been narrowly avoided in San Francisco the previous year.

The danger had been brought about by a pilot’s lack of sleep.

Human fatigue is a serious issue affecting the safety of the traveling public in all modes of transportation said the team. Nearly 20% of the major US Transportation Safety Board investigations completed between 2001 and 2012 identified fatigue as a probable cause, contributing factor, or a finding.

The HIPNOSIS consortium, led by CSEM, aims to improve the evaluation of pilot fatigue by providing innovative monitoring tools—namely, a specific vision-based system combined with a bio-physiological signal sensor.

Machine learning at the service of onboard safety HIPNOSIS won the tender launched by the Clean Sky 2 Joint Undertaking, a European research program dedicated to aeronautics.

Andrea Dunbar, head of Embedded Vision Systems at CSEM, said: “We will implement computer vision and machine learning algorithms in order to detect signs of drowsiness in pilots in real time.”

SONY SEMICONDUCTOR ANNOUNCES FOURTH GENERATION “PREGIUS S” SENSORS

The newly developed Pregius S line is the fourth generation of Sony CMOS image sensors incorporating Pregius technology.

The Pregius S reaches higher performance in a smaller package with stacked image sensor technology that is based on Sony’s proprietary Global Shutter function, and a back-illuminated pixel structure.

This technology allows smart embedded applications in industrial vision to benefit from imaging performance that is improved by 1.7X, while the form factor of sensor design is reduced by 40 percent.

The first samples of Sony’s new Pregius S line are now available from global vision partner FRAMOS.

Sibel Yorulmaz-Cokugur, the Sensor Expert at FRAMOS, said: “The technical development and global competition always require higher performance in a smaller package; that’s the driver for future applications and innovation. Sony’s Semiconductor Solutions R&D department has achieved a perfect result with the 4th generation of CMOS Global Shutter sensors, based on their excellent technical expertise. The new Pregius S line combines improved performance together with miniaturization, and enables customers to leverage increased productivity and smart applications in Embedded Vision and Automation.”

The new Pregius S line will be available in the Fall of 2019.

ACTIVE SILICON’S UK EXPANSION

Active Silicon has opened its new production and operations facility in Langley, UK, following weeks of fit-out and preparation.

Staff have been moving into the state-of-the-art facility as the company has re-located its assembly, testing, inspection and supply chain functions to the new site. All R&D, design, support and Head Office responsibilities will remain at the flagship office in Iver, just a couple of miles up the road.

Active Silicon told MVPro Magazine that the move gives more space to increase product throughput and recruit more staff at both company locations. The company is actively recruiting new staff.

Colin Pearce, CEO, said: “…the additional capacity at this new facility will allow us to meet increasing demand for our products. We’ve seen double digit growth in sales during the last 12 months and expect that to continue throughout 2019. The opening of Waterside Court allows us grow our workforce and increase our product supply capacity.”

EDMUND OPTICS INTRODUCES THE NEW MULTI-ELEMENT TUBE SYSTEM

Edmund Optics, a provider of optical components, has introduced a new Multi- Element Tube System. The TECHSPEC Multi-Element Tube System creates highly versatile optical systems, using mix-and match components allowing, said the company, unprecedented adjustability. It added that this makes the system ideal for prototyping and creating uncommon optical designs.

Multi-Element Tube System works by combining Multi- Element Outer Tubes with class Multi-Element Inner and Pair Optic Mounts to create a complete system. The Outer Tubes have M29 threads running down their entire length; Inner Single, and Pair Optic Mounts have M29 threads along their outer diameters, allowing them to be placed anywhere within an Outer Tube.

The design allows optical spacing to be infinitely adjustable along the optical axis. To ease adjustment, Edmund Optics also introduced a custom-designed Multi-Element Tube Spanner Wrench, which has a hollow bore to allow a beam to pass through during adjustment.

The Multi-Element Tube System can be further customised by using Multi-Element Spacer Rings and Spacer Tube to securely define optical spacing, Multi-Element Inner Apertures to control internal beam diameter and additional Multi-Element Tube System Accessories to connect systems together, or expand systems’ capabilities.

The Multi-Element Tube System accommodates circular optics with diameters from 5 mm to 25,4 mm and edge thicknesses up to 17 mm. System lengths can range from 15 mm to 100 mm and can be combined to expand capabilities. Multi-Element Tube System components are in stock and available for immediate delivery.

IDS CELEBRATES INDUSTRIAL CAMERA/USB MILESTONE

It was 15 years ago that IDS introduced the first industrial camera with USB interface to the market.

It was back in April 2004 when the first industrial camera with a USB interface from IDS Imaging Development Systems came onto the market.

The interface, which was already widely used in the consumer sector, was not considered suitable for industrial use at the time. However today, after 15 years, USB is firmly established in the industrial environment.

“Our decision to use USB was initially smirked at,” recalls company founder Jürgen Hartmann. “But we made the interface suitable for industrial use. USB is very strongly driven by the consumer market and therefore the ideal solution to develop cost effective yet powerful camera applications.”

Within one year, IDS had completed the transition from the development of analogue frame grabbers to digital industrial cameras. In the meantime, the interface, already in its third generation, has become an integral part of the market.

The product portfolio has expanded significantly compared to 2004. The product range now includes over 600 models with USB 2.0, 3.0 and 3.1 Gen1 interfaces. Currently, the vision app-based industrial cameras IDS NXT with artificial intelligence provide developments and additional benefits for their users.

EUROPEAN MACHINE VISION FORUM 2019 ANNOUNCES KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

The European Machine Vision Forum has revealed three key note speakers.

The annual event which takes place on 05 – 06 September 2019 in Lyon, France.

The first key note is entitled ‘The Future of Image Sensing – More Intelligence or More Sensing?’ and will be given by Professor Peter Seitz, Senior Technologist Europe at Hamamatsu Photonics.

In the afternoon session of the first conference day, Professor Dr Christian Wolf, Associate Professor at INSA, Université de Lyon and LIRIS, CNRS, highlights reasoning as a key component of human intelligence in his speech ‘Learning High-Level Reasoning in and from Images.’

Right after the lunch break on the second conference day, Dr François Simoens, Strategic Program Manager, CTO office at CEA-Leti in Grenoble gives his key note entitles ‘The Convergence of Photonics and Electronics: An Opportunity for Machine Vision.’

The focal topic of the European Machine Vision Forum 2019 is ‘Photonics and Machine Vision: Going Deep into Integration.’

It explained that over millions of years, biological vision systems evolved very differently in resolution, wavelength sensitivity, colour sensing, motion sensing, and reaction time, depending on the specific needs of the corresponding creature. This implies that machine learning is not the only solution. A better machine vision system is obviously one that deeply integrates modern algorithmic approaches including machine learning and modern photonics components adapted to the use cases of the systems. The 4th European Machine Vision Forum explores current progress and shows where we are heading.

HALCON 19.05 IS OUT

MVTec Software, the leading provider of modern machine vision software, has released the new version of its standard software, HALCON 19.05.

The company told MVPro Magazine that this release will further improve machine vision processes with a number of new and revised features.

In particular, the expert team at MVTec said that it has enhanced the deep learning technologies available in HALCON. In version 19.05, the deep learning inference can also be executed on CPUs with the established Arm processor architecture. This allows customers to use the latest deep learning technologies on standard embedded devices. Deep-learning-based object detection has also been improved: The method, which locates and identifies objects by their surrounding rectangles (so-called bounding boxes) now precisely detects the orientation of the objects.

“With version 19.05, we are raising our proven HALCON standard machine vision software to a new level. Developers and users alike benefit from numerous new features. These not only include additional, well-thoughtout deep learning functions, but also noticeably improved usability in embedded environments,” explained Johannes Hiltner, HALCON Product Manager at MVTec.

EYEVISION SOFTWARE NOW SUPPORTS THE FOCALSPEC 3D LINE CONFOCAL SCANNER UULA

EVT’s EyeVision software now supports the FocalSpec 3D Line Confocal Scanner UULA.

This is an automated, stand-alone optical 3D imaging and metrology system for submicron level accurate measurements on any material.

Line Confocal Imaging (LCI) technology used in UULA enables customers to model the most demanding surfaces and shapes, even mirror-like, curved and transparent objects. UULA’s LCI sensor detects millions of 3D points per second, and it can distinguish irregularities of less than one micron. The UULA consists of a light source and a CMOS array which are arranged in an angle to each other.

The EyeVision software can carry out different measurements on the captured point cloud and profile. The Metrology command set as well as the 3D Profile commands can be applied to the scans. The Profile Match command for example can compare previously configured profiles with the scanned profile and therefore can detect defect profiles.

The UULA is the solution for a number of challenges, including for devices that are becoming smaller and thinner and the materials and shapes designed more complex. In addition, it has been difficult carrying out sufficiently accurate measuring during actual production, resulting in costly halts.

GENICAM CHAIR AND VICE-CHAIRS RE-ELECTED

At the recent meeting of the GenICam Standard Group in Suzhou, China, the Chair and Vice-Chairs were elected for another regular three year period. The previous incumbents were unanimously re-elected.

Dr Fritz Dierks (Basler) remains Chairman of the GenICam Standard Group and is assisted by the three Vice-Chairmen Rupert Stelz (STEMMER IMAGING), Stéphane Maurice (Matrox Imaging) and Christoph Zierl (MVTec Software).

The GenICam standard is hosted by the European Machine Vision Association (EMVA).

photo shows: re-elected Chair and Vice-Chairs of the GenICam Standard Group, from left to right: Vice-Chair Rupert Stelz (STEMMER IMAGING), Chair Dr Fritz Dierks (Basler), Vice-Chair Stéphane Maurice (Matrox Imaging) and Vice-Chair Christoph Zierl (MVTec Software)

DALE LEHMANN JOINS BOARD OF DIRECTORS FOR ADIMEC’S AMERICAS BUSINESS OFFICE

Adimec, a world leader in application-specific, leading edge camera solutions, has appointed Dale Lehmann to the Board of Directors of Adimec Electronic Imaging, the company’s North and South America sales and support business office.

Lehmann has served in executive management positions in major corporations supporting the defense and aerospace global security markets for over 30 years.

“We are delighted to welcome Dale to our board and look forward to his contributions,” said Gretchen Alper, Adimec’s Director of Business Development, Americas. “Dale is a proven leader in the global security industry and he will be a great asset in our further expansion into more long-range observation systems with our rugged color day cameras.”

“I am honored to be appointed to the Board of Directors of Adimec USA and I look forward to supporting their continued growth in the Americas,” Dale Lehmann stated. “Their advanced products and progressive management will insure excellence in imaging throughout their key market segments which includes global security, machine vision, and healthcare. Adimec’s capability to customize to application specific requirements has been instrumental in their rapid expansion in the Americas and around the world.”

Prior to joining Adimec’s Board, Lehmann held executive management positions with Cincinnati Electronics Corp, L-3 Technologies and most recently General Dynamics. He is a graduate of the University of Dayton Engineering Program and holds an MBA from Xavier University.

BOLT HB-30000-S CAMERA WINS 2019 NAB SHOW PRODUCT OF THE YEAR AWARD

The BOLT HB-30000-S from Emergent Vision Technologies (Maple Ridge, BC) is a Best New “Cameras, Camera Support and Accessories” Technology winner in the 2019 NAB Show Product of the Year Awards.

The awards recognise the most significant and promising new products and technologies showcased by exhibitors at the 2019 NAB Show in Las Vegas.

The BOLT HB-30000-S is a new 30 Megapixel high-speed camera featuring the Sony IMX342 CMOS sensor. It offers high resolution and fast frame rates, and is ideal for sports broadcasting.

NAB Show Product of the Year Award Winners were selected by a panel of industry experts in 16 categories and announced at an awards ceremony and cocktail reception at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort. To be eligible for an award, nominated products and technologies needed to be on display at the 2019 NAB Show for the first time and available for delivery in calendar year 2019.

“Nominees like Emergent Vision Technologies are revolutionizing the way people experience media and entertainment,” said NAB Executive Vice President of Conventions and Business Operations Chris Brown. “The 2019 NAB Show Product of the Year Awards highlight the best of what’s new at the premier launchpad for breakthroughs at the intersection of media, entertainment and technology.”

“We’re delighted to have won this award,” said Emergent Vision Technologies CEO John Ilett. “Our HB-30000-S as well as all our 10GigE and 25GigE cameras will all soon be SMPTE 2110 compliant. This will allow broadcast and entertainment customers to use our robust industrial cameras in their applications at a fraction of the cost of typical studio and professional cameras that are SMPTE 2110 compliant on the market today.”

These are the first official awards that recognise innovative new products at NAB Show. The program will recognise the most significant and promising new products and technologies being showcased by exhibitors at the 2019 NAB Show, April 6 – 11 in Las Vegas, NV.

The BOLT HB-30000-S is a new 30 Megapixel high-speed camera featuring the Sony IMX342 CMOS sensor. This camera offers high resolution and fast frame rates. It is powered by the latest 25 GigE interface, which provides a 2.5x increase in data transmission speeds over its predecessor, 10 GigE and twenty-five-fold increase over the industry standard, the GigE Vision interface making it ideal for sports broadcasting and more.

“Emergent Vision Technologies is excited to bring crossover capability with the announcement that all our 10 GigE and 25 GigE Cameras will be SMPTE 2110 compliant,” said Emergent Vision Technologies CEO John Ilett. “SMPTE 2110 is an exciting new standard that allows production to move video data over IP.