Frame Grabbers | MVPro 13 | February 2019 by Clifton Media Lab

WHAT LIES AHEAD IN 2019?

EXECUTIVE SPOTLIGHT JEAN CARON, EURESYS

PRAISE FOR LINE SCAN CAMERAS

ISSUE 13 - FEBRUARY 2019

FRAME GRABBERS - A LOOK AT THE MAJOR PLAYERS

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MACHINE VISION PROFESSIONAL

Let’s Doubleh! the Bandwidt

Coaxlink Quad CXP-12 Four-connection CoaXPress CXP-12 frame grabber AT A GLANCE • Four CoaXPress CXP-12 connections: 5,000 MB/s camera bandwidth - 32-bit & 64-bit, MS Windows, Linux and macOS drivers/SDKs included - x86 & AArch64 64-bit ARM platforms supported

• PCIe 3.0 (Gen 3) x8 bus: 6,700 MB/s bus bandwidth • Feature-rich set of 20 digital I/O lines • Extensive camera control functions • Memento features a new logic analyzer

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CONTENTS

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ED’S WELCOME - Happy New Year

LATEST NEWS

“However, industrial applications often require both. IDS Imaging Development Systems GmbH therefore combines standard vision industrial cameras with the vision app-based IDS NXT concept. Thanks to a “Smart GenICam App”, data generated by customer-specific programming can be used in exactly the same way as if they were part of the manufacturer-independent standard functional scope of the industrial camera.” GenICam, as a camera interface, provides standardised camera functions as well as the so called Feature Node Map (camera API) which allows camera manufacturers to integrate special functions. Users simply upload the new camera function to their IDS NXT camera as a vision app. The camera firmware then integrates the application code into the range of functions. Configuration, control and results of the vision app can easily be processed via the camera’s XML description file in any GenICam-compliant third-party application, such as HALCON, using the full GigE bandwidth at the same time. The use of vision-compliant applications on the IDS NXT platform also means that application processes can be scaled between camera and host PC. As powerful embedded systems, models such as IDS NXT rio and rome offer the option of partially or completely shifting decision processes from the host PC to the camera (“on the edge”). Advantages include, said IDS, lower network load, hardware-accelerated processing, lower energy consumption and lower system costs.

BASLER STARTS PRODUCTION OF NEW ACE U MODELS Four new, high-resolution Basler ace U models have now entered series production. The new cameras are equipped with the IMX183 Sony sensor and feature a 20 MP resolution with frame rates of up to 17 frames per second. Basler told MVPro Magazine that they are particularly suitable for applications that require a highly detailed inspection of the finest structures.

All four new ace U models are available with a GigE and USB 3.0 interface and include the PGI feature set, the unique combination of 5×5 Debayering, Color-Anti-Aliasing, Denoising and Improved Sharpness. The GigE models also excel with high-performance GigE Vision 2.0 features such as PTP.

The four new high-resolution ace U models have Basler’s PGI feature set for colour and monochrome cameras, which corrects unwanted artefacts. This, said Basler, provides users with a particularly good evaluation on a pixel level. As a result, Basler said, it enables a detailed inspection of high-resolution displays with excellent image quality at a very attractive price. The back-illuminated sensor technology of the Sony IMX183 provides outstanding sensitivity and low noise at a small pixel size of 2.4 µm. With this particularly light-sensitive sensors, the four new ace cameras offer excellent image quality even in low light conditions.

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NEWS

BASLER TO USE EMBEDDED SHOW TO HIGHLIGHT EMBEDDED PORTFOLIO Basler (Ahrensburg, Germany) will use the embedded world show, in Nuremberg from 26 to 28 February 2019, to present highlights from its embedded portfolio. With new Embedded Vision Kits, Basler said that it expands the variety of supported embedded platforms and offers answers to various customer requirements for different processors and camera interfaces. What’s more, these development kits and the system software provided enable users to easily integrate vision into embedded applications with plug-and-play convenience.

“Our goal is to make the integration of embedded vision as easy as possible for our customers by offering Embedded Vision Kits, appropriate software, consulting and development expertise.” Basler’s presence at embedded world will be rounded off by presentations at the exhibition’s exhibitor forum and at the embedded world Conference, which will take place at the same time.

In live demonstrations on various topics such as IOT, AI or Face Detection, Basler shows what is possible with its products in the field of embedded technology. “With our many years of experience in vision technology and our expertise in the development and production of vision components, we support our customers on the way from the product idea to the final solution,” says Gerrit Fischer, Head of Product Market Management at Basler.

FUJIFILM UPGRADES POPULAR LENS SERIES WITH “ANTI-SHOCK AND VIBRATION” DESIGN Fujifilm has updated its DF/HF-HA-1B series lenses to ruggedised versions equipped with the unique Fujinon “Anti-shock and Vibration” technology. Fujifilm told IFA Magazine that demand for quality optics in ruggedised versions continues to increase and the designated DF/HF-HA-1S is designed to meet that demand. The Fujinon HA-1B series lenses are already in wide use across a variety of manufacturing environments, from automotive to electronics to pharmaceutical. These applications often have strict space constraints, making the external diameter of only 29.8 mm an attractive feature. The Fujinon HA-1S upgrade provides vibration mitigation and shock absorption within the existing design, so the compact form factor remains.

“These lenses are compatible with image sensors up to 2/3” in a broad selection of focal lengths (6, 9, 12.5, 16, 25, 35, 50, and 75mm). The optical performance of the upgraded series is identical to that of the Fujinon HF-HA-1B.” The Fujinon HA-1S will be available from January and will become the new standard version, eventually replacing the Fujinon HF-HA-1B as current stocks are depleted.

Nina Kürten, Sales Manager at Fujifilm, said: “A ruggedised Fujinon HF-HA-1S provides mechanical robustness for reliable performance in machine vision applications such as automated assembly, quality inspection, and industrial robots. It expands the base to where quality optics are required but where ruggedized design is also a significant factor, such as unmanned aerial vehicles and mobile applications.

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OPTO DIODE INTRODUCES THE FIRST IN A SERIES OF UVLEDS Opto Diode (Camarillo, US), an ITW company, has introduced the first in a series of ultraviolet light-emitting diodes (UVLEDs). The OD-265-001 is a new, narrow-spectral output UVLED designed for robust and long-lifetime use. The device features include total power output of 0.53 mW (minimum) and 0.68 mW (typical), with peak emission

wavelengths at 260 nm (minimum), 265 nm (typical) and 270 nm (maximum). Emission in this wavelength range makes these devices suitable for disinfection applications. The OD-265-001’s spectral bandwidth at 50% is typically 13 nm. The half-intensity beam angle measures 70 degrees, with forward voltage typically at 5 V, and a maximum of 6.5 Volts; capacitance is typically 350 pF. Thermal parameters include storage temperature ranges of -40 °C to 100 °C. The operating temperatures range from -30 °C to +80 °C. Opto Diode’s new OD-265-001 UVLED is housed in a hermetically-sealed TO-46 package, for convenient and easy integration into new, or existing systems.

CRITICAL LINK INTRODUCES MITYCAM-C50000 FOR CMOS SENSOR EVALUATION AND EMBEDDED APPLICATIONS Critical Link (Syracuse, US) a leader in embedded electronics solutions, has launched its latest embedded imaging solution. The MityCAM-C50000 serves as the official evaluation platform for the CMV50000 CMOS image sensor from ams/CMOSIS. The global shutter sensor features 47.5MP resolution (7920 pixels x 6004 pixels) at 30 frames per second, with mono and RGB color options, low dark noise, and high dynamic range. The sensor outputs in subLVDS mode and provides special capabilities in binning, subsampling, and on-chip corrections. “The performance of the CMV50000 sensor is unparalleled for machine vision and video applications,” said Omar Rahim, vice president of imaging products at Critical Link. “We are pleased to have been selected by the ams team to develop this evaluation kit. The CMV50000 sensor and the MityCAM-C50000 platform are enabling innovation on factory floors, in healthcare, and numerous other areas.”

The system is based on an open architecture embedded processing design utilizing Critical Link’s MitySOM-A10S image processing board. The board features Intel’s Arria 10 SoC with dual core Cortex-A9 ARMs and up to 480KLE user-programmable FPGA fabric, DDR4 memory, and 12 high-speed transceiver pairs, making it an ideal solution for embedded vision and scientific imaging applications.

The MityCAM-C50000 provides multiple interfaces including USB3 Vision and HDMI preview as standard, with custom options to include CoaXPress, Camera Link, GigE Vision, and others.

Rahim added: “For many, the idea of programming an FPGA can be daunting. Today, however, new tools are making development easier and faster for image processing and machine vision applications.”

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EVT LAUNCHES EMSENS EVT Eye Vision Technology (Karlsruhe, Germany) has launched EmSens, the embedded vision sensor solution for the control cabinet. EmSens is a combination of a single-board computer such as Odroid XU4, or the Pine and the Basler dart board level USB 3.0 camera. The EVT embedded vision system contains all the components with the image capture on-board and including the EyeVision image processing software.

EmSens means a small, compact solution, which requires little space. In a top-rail housing the EmSens can be easily mounted into a control cabinet. Compared to other embedded developments, EVT told MVPro Magazine that EmSens is straightforward Vision Solution, which is also cost-saving. The Basler dart camera has a CS-mount and S-mount, or else also is available without mount. The user can choose between grey and colous sensor and three different resolutions up to 5 MP. EmSens is completed with the single-board computer with USB 3.0 interface such as Odroid XU4 or Pine. For both ARM systems there is the possibility to run the complete EyeVision functionality. Therefore the system can be adapted to individual needs and can also be extended with additional image processing functions. EyeVision has prefabricated commands for the solution of applications such as measurement technology, pattern matching, object counting, code reading (bar code, DMC, QR, OCR/OCV), colour inspection, surface inspection, or completeness check. What’s more, said EVT, there is also no difference between the software running on a PC or on an ARM system. The user can therefore create their inspection program on the graphical user interface with the drag-and-drop function. No programming skills are needed.

NEW SERIES OF CAMERA MODELS AND SOFTWARE INTEGRATIONS JAI (Copenhagen) has launched a series of new camera models and software integrations which provide advanced colour imaging capabilities to builders and users of microscopy-based imaging systems. The series include six new models in JAI’s Apex Series of high performance 3-CMOS prism colour cameras, as well as full integration with two of the most popular microscopy software solutions – Image-Pro from Media Cybernetics and the µManager open source software package.

compatibility have made it a widely-used choice for microscopy systems. The new camera variations include both standard JAI green housings, as well as special white housings for systems intended for hospitals, or clinical/laboratory environments where white housings are often preferred.

Three of the new JAI camera models are variations of the AP-3200T-USB, a 3.2-megapixel, 38.3 fps 3-CMOS prism colour camera. The other three models are variations on the AP-1600T-USB, a 1.6-megapixel 3-CMOS camera offering higher frame rates at lower resolution. All models have USB3 Vision interfaces, whose combination of bandwidth and easy plug-and-play

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NEWS

SICK’S POCKET-SIZED CAMERA The Ranger3 is the first to be powered by SICK’s innovative Imager with ROCC (Rapid On-Chip Calculation technology). Faster than any comparable device on the market said SICK, its next-generation technology is capable of capturing 7000 profiles per second at full sensor acquisition. The Ranger3 extracts the true 3D shape of an object, regardless of its contrast, or colour, and as a result achieves 3D measurement with unprecedented accuracy, enabling operators to achieve reliable quality inspection at more rapid throughputs. “The SICK Ranger3 is built around our new M30 CMOS sensor, which is seven times as sensitive as anything SICK has used before in its vision cameras,” says Neil Sandhu SICK (UK) vision specialist. “This means that lighting is never going to be an issue, even with low contrast dark objects at high speeds. SICK has launched the Ranger3 camera, a high-definition streaming camera. It will, said the company, push forward the boundaries of 3D vision inspection in a wide range of industrial applications thanks to a breakthrough CMOS sensor that powers unprecedented high-speed image processing in a compact device.

“The SICK Ranger3’s sensor acquires 3D profiles over 2560 coordinates at 1/16 subpixel resolution, for very high definition, even on very dark or reflective surfaces, for an outstanding imaging dynamic range.”

IDS ENSENSO XR CAMERA CREATES 3D DATA TWICE AS FAST THANKS TO ON-BOARD PROCESSING IDS said that its Ensenso XR stereo camera can calculate 3D point clouds itself. It then transmits the data via Gigabit Ethernet, or WiFi to a host PC for further analysis.

through the fast capture of 3D point clouds, from which many applications will benefit,” explains Dr. Martin Hennemann, Product Manager Ensenso at IDS. The camera series was officially presented for the first time at VISION 2018 based on a prototype.

The advantages of the new camera series include, for example, significantly faster 3D data generation and reduced load on bandwidth and connected PCs. Models of the Ensenso N and X series make use of an industrial computer to calculate 3D point clouds. As the cameras can handle the calculations themselves and transmit only the results, 3D data can be generated twice as fast, depending on the parameterization. What’s more, if data is transmitted via WiFi, only one cable (for power supply) needs to be connected to the camera. This is important, for example, if the camera is installed on a robot arm. “Ensenso XR inherits the modular concept and precise detail capture of the X series and provides new scope

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NEWS

DATES FOR VISION 2020 ANNOUNCED For those of you with diaries that include the year after next, here are the dates for VISION 2020: 10, 11 and 12 November, 2020 Organisers Messe Stuttgart have issued some infographics which relate to this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s event, some of which appear below.

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HUMAN ASSISTANCE CAMERA NOW AVAILABLE IN EUROPE FROM STEMMER IMAGING The Ricoh SC-10 camera inspection system, which is designed to both provide assembly instructions to operators and verify each step has been completed correctly, is now available in Europe from STEMMER IMAGING. It is promoted as a simple, self-contained camera system and one which is having a major impact in many different manufacturing environments in Japan. It works by loading a set of work instructions into the camera and displaying on a monitor while the camera scans the work piece. The human operator follows the on-screen assembly instructions and after every action,

the system compares the result to the correct stored image before the next step can be taken. This reduces errors, helps operators learn new tasks and provides a digital audit trail of all operations. The RICOH SC â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 10 series automatically checks the assembly status and identifies incorrect, or missing items by using either pattern matching, colour verification, or identifying the presence of textures. In addition, when used in conjunction with a Barcode scanner, it can record the part number and select the job instruction set, record the serial number and user ID. Each step completed is recorded in a CSV file including the time spent and an optional image of the inspection can be saved. This means that it can be used for assembly work analysis and traceability. The camera features in-built software, which can be set up with a directly attached mouse and keyboard via USB. An HDMI monitor can be connected to display the assembly instructions and inspection state. No PC is required. Job configuration and instruction along with the inspection audit report can be stored either on the inbuilt SD card, or on a network storage location via the inbuilt Ethernet port.

BLUETECHNIX COMPLETES INTEGRATION INTO THE BECOM GROUP The integration of Bluetechnix into the BECOM Group is now complete. As part of the BECOM Group, it will operate under the name BECOM Systems in the future. The BECOM Group is a system solution provider offering development, validation and production of electronics. Embedded in the BECOM Group, the company will offer its familiar product portfolio of ToF Depth Cameras and System-on-Modules, electronics services, solution components and customer specific products as ODM. Its main focusses are 3D-cameras (ToF), Embedded Systems as well as control devices, LED and power electronics.

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PHOTOGRAPHER SEBASTIAN KRAWCZYK WINS FRAMOS YOUNG ART COLLECTION 2018 photographic way in which the images were taken, with movements and long exposure times, describes the way we rush through nature today without breathing deeply. What technique do you use for this effect and what is its purpose or meaning for you?

Munich photographer Sebastian Krawczyk has won the FRAMOS Young Art Collection 2018. His picture “Vibrant Venice” has received the FRAMOS Young Art Collection Award 2018. FRAMOS said: “As part of the series “Blurred Lines” the photo seems to look more like a painting. The digital print resembles a canvas where dots dissolve into strokes, colours mix with each other, and surfaces are interspersed with fine hatchings. The camera is guided like a brush, manual presets create a photorealistic, painterly realisation. The 180cm by 100cm work was hung in Ottawa, FRAMOS’ Canadian office.” As a global partner for vision solutions, FRAMOS has been supporting up-and-coming artists since 2011 with the Young Art Collection. Where engineers and vision specialists find solutions for automation and digitisation every day, modern architecture and photographic works of art bridge the gap between technology and art in the office. Krawczyk was questioned about his pictures:

My paintings look as if the paint has been quickly applied in a rush, and then removed in a semi-dry state. The actual creation process is purely physical; only small movements and manual presets provide the typical Blurred Lines result. All pictures were taken as shown, they are spontaneous and are not manipulated, except for minimal color adjustments. They show local nature and landscapes, which literally appear paint-like and almost unreal. The transition from the momentary to the transient plays an important role. It is as if we are dealing with flown away fragments of memory, which almost remind us of the present and the wish of their existence in absolute beauty. How did you come upon with this photographic art form and your way of photographing? As a child, it was always me who handled the analog camera back then, during the family holidays. I grew up in a very visually influenced way and wanted to capture everything that was important to me. I have no talent for drawing, so I think in pictures and during my studies in communication design I mastered my technique. Photography, especially as reportage as I do it, needs a special kind of attention – a deep interest and understanding of what is deeply going on around you. You have to be able to “see” in the truest sense of the word; to perceive things that others do not even notice. The camera’s technical settings, at some point, created effects that were not even planned and that had a very special appeal, like a flickering and tugging. I experimented with what the technology offered and how I could work with it. This is how new methods were developed not only to photograph a motif beautifully, but also to present it in a completely different way. This has made my art and my technique unique.

Sebastian, in your series “Blurred Lines”, you distort dreamlike landscapes and thus focus on today’s travel behavior. What do you do you hope to convey with the blurry shots? We travel a lot nowadays and we easily have access to visit even the most remote places in nature. Always in play: our camera. Instead of really enjoying the view, we capture the beauty of all these breathtaking landscapes in front of us on digital devices. The photographic proof and the sharing in social networks has been degenerated as its main purpose. We hardly take the time to really process what we have seen. Instead, we collect blurry, fuzzy memories in our heads – as they can be seen in my pictures. The

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How was the picture “Vibrant Venice” created? The Blurred Lines series consists mainly of sequences from the Bavarian foothills of the Alps, nature scenes from Tyrol and other European countries. In Venice, I tried for the first time to use the technique in an urban environment. It was important that the motif could still be clearly classified for the viewer despite the distortion. my shots are not planned, everything happens spontaneously, and I must intuitively regard the moment as coherent. Suddenly there was this gondolier, which poked between the two shores with the motorboat sailing behind it and the chain of lights. The contrast between past and present, slow and fast, craft and technology, light and darkness appealed to me a lot.

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SPS IPC DRIVES BECOMES SPS Christian Wolf, Managing Director of Turck and Chairman of the SPS Exhibitor Advisory Board, explained: “…adopting the name SPS as an abbreviation of Smart Production Solutions means we can retain the prominent SPS brand and leverage it around the world. It also reflects how the exhibition is increasingly showcasing holistic approaches to Industry 4.0, including through new exhibitors from the IT sector.” SPS IPC Drives, to mark its 30th anniversary next year, has changed its name. The electrical automation exhibition will officially be known as SPS from now on. What’s more, the abbreviation no longer stands for a key component of automation technology – namely speicherprogrammierbare Steuerung, the German words for “programmable logic controllers” – but Smart Production Solutions.

Sylke Schulz-Metzner, Vice President for SPS at Mesago Messe Frankfurt, added: “In making this change, we’ve committed to aligning SPS with the issue of digital transformation. To complement its strong reputation in automation, the exhibition is sending a clear signal that it also wants to cover the opportunities digitalization presents in industrial production. This is how we plan to expand the already sound core of the SPS brand and further its ongoing development.”

SPS IPC DRIVES NUREMBERG 2019 NUMBERS Some 65,700 visitors flocked to Nuremberg at the end of the year for the 29th SPS IPC Drives. The show was held on an area of 136,000 square meters and featured 1,630 exhibitors from all over the world. In a total of 17 exhibition halls, users and decision-makers visited the exhibition booths and shared ideas on current trends and cutting-edge technologies in industrial automation. The results of the first hackathon were presented on the opening day of the event. In the run-up to the exhibition, start-ups had 48 hours to develop innovative digital ideas for smart automation. The competition and the €8,000 prize money were won by Othermo with a solution for the company WAGO Kontaktechnik. The “software and IT in manufacturing” exhibition area grew yet again and occupied Hall 5 at SPS IPC Drives 2018 in addition to Hall 6. Both here and throughout the exhibition, trade visitors could find out about digital solutions, including for industry, cybersecurity, cloud services, and 5G.

only transported into the exhibition halls, but intensive talks where these subjects are turned into concrete results can take place.” Steffen Winkler CSO, Member of the Board Business Unit Automation and Electrification Solutions at Bosch Rexroth AG, added: “The SPS IPC Drives is the most important leading exhibition for automation technology worldwide. This is where the ‘Who is who’ of the industry meet in a unique concentration. The exhibition is, as ever, a working one. This means that a great degree of the visitors are trade specialists and they have specialist questions or come to the exhibitions with concrete projects. “With a high amount of senior experts at our stand, we are in a position to answer many questions directly and talk in-depth about project requests. At the same time, our team receives highly-concentrated feedback from the world of automation.”

The “Automation meets IT” and “wireless in automation” shared booths were also popular attractions. Their core topics of Industry 4.0 and innovative wireless technologies also impact the automation world of tomorrow. Udo Aull, Managing Director CSO SEW Eurodrive, said: “It is one of the strengths of this exhibition that buzzwords such as Industrie 4.0. and digital transformation are not

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FUJIFILM OPTICAL DEVICES EUROPE CREATES ONE-FOR-ALL LENS SERIES The MOD is just 100 to 200 mm and the maximum CRA is at 4.9° as required by the latest high-resolution sensors. This guarantees a high relative illumination across the entire image without vignetting. FUJINON’s patented Anti-Shock and Vibration design limits shifts of the optical axis to 10 µm and ensures constant resolution power in the typical, rough manufacturing environments. These lenses also come with knurled screws which cannot accidentally fall out anymore and get lost or damage sensitive manufacturing machines during installation or maintenance.

FUJIFILM Optical Devices Europe (Kleve, Germany) has created a machine vision, one-for-all lens series for 1.1”-sensors and 2.5 µm pixels. The CF-ZA-1S lens series is designed for use with all standard machine vision cameras that use C-mount, an image sensor of up to 1.1” optical format and pixel pitches from 2.5 µm (equals up to 23 megapixels).

All features are designed in a compact build with the world-smallest external diameter of just 39 mm for the 1.1” optical format. The series provides a lineup of six different lens models with different focal lengths from 8 to 50 mm, allowing customers to choose the lens most appropriate for their desired application. The CR-ZA-1S is the universal one-for-all solution of modern machine vision systems. It will be available from Q1 2019.

IDS NXT RIO & ROME INDUSTRIAL CAMERAS: AI-READY THANKS TO VISION APP IDS believes that artificial intelligence has opened up new application fields for camera technology and image processing. IDS told MVPro Magazine that the new IDS NXT rio and rome (protection class IP65/67) product families show how a flexibly usable embedded solution for industrial purposes can look like: an AI vision app transforms these standard industrial cameras into high-performance inference cameras. Hardware and software are designed to allow AI-based vision tasks to be solved “on the edge” – in other words directly on the device. Inference times of only a few milliseconds are realised. As a result, the cameras are

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comparable to modern desktop CPUs in terms of accuracy and speed. The AI-enabled camera models will be available from 2019. Kai Hartmann, Product Manager IDS NXT, said: “The IDS NXT rio and IDS NXT rome models are redefining industrial cameras. They can be flexibly modified using the vision app-based concept and, in combination with the robust housing, standardized connections and powerful hardware components, enable an easily integrated embedded solution for AI tasks.” From 2019, the models will not only be available with sensors from different manufacturers and resolution classes, but also as board-level variants for machine or device construction.

GRABBING THE FRAME Almost written-off by the introduction of new technology, the venerable frame grabber is alive and well. Here we look at some of the major players.

ACTIVE SILICON In response to our feature, the team at Active Silicon prepared a paper.

THE ROLE OF THE FRAME GRABBER IN TODAY’S MACHINE VISION “With so many new USB 3.0, 10GigE and smart cameras entering the market, some system integrators are suggesting that the frame grabber is a redundant component. Indeed, the death of the frame grabber has been predicted for many years despite its valuable role as an interface suited to high bandwidth requirements. New technologies have threatened, for a decade at least, to replace the need for a frame grabber and yet it still thrives. We know from the numerous requests we get for faster vision systems that frame grabbers still have a very important role to play. “In the first half of 2018, Grand View Research published a report projecting the market size to grow to US$489.2m by 2025, producing an estimated 975 thousand units. An increasing diversity of applications created by AI, robotics and Industry 4.0 is fueling this growth, alongside the rise in demand for ever-faster image acquisition.”

WHAT IMPORTANCE DOES THE FRAME GRABBER HAVE? “Particularly with the emergence of CoaXPress v2.0, the interface is faster than standard PC digital interfaces;

our new CXP-12 boards can offer 50 Gbps which is way beyond USB 3.0 or even 10GigE. Such interfaces are also designed for reliable 24/7 usage, in contrast to PC interfaces which are generally optimized for lowest cost rather than dependability. Additionally, the boards are built for real time operation supporting very fast triggers between the PC and the camera. “If you were at the VISION show in Stuttgart and listened to our Head of Sales and Marketing, Frans Vermeulen, you will understand how using a GPU with a frame grabber can speed up image processing by reducing the PC processing burden and leave additional processing space on the CPU for other functions. Having a frame grabber in your vision system can not only make a huge difference to the speed of image acquisition and processing, but also enable additional functionality and high levels of data-rate capability. The dedicated software supplied with frame grabbers can also often be tailored to specific applications such as the medical sector (requiring specific compliance) and defense (needing heightened security).”

WHAT IS ACTIVE SILICON DOING? UPDATE ON OUR FIREBIRD RANGE “2018 saw the release of our new single CXP-6 board, optimized for cost-effectiveness. This new addition to our FireBird family offers an affordable solution with all the advantages of higher bandwidths, real-time triggering, long cable lengths and the robustness and high reliability of a dedicated vision standard. DMA engine technology “ActiveDMA” guarantees zero CPU

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Fig 1: FireBird frame grabber 1xCXP-6.

intervention, high-speed and low-latency image data transfers. In addition, cable lengths are supported of up to 40m at 6.25 Gbps and over 100m at 3.125 Gbps. All Active Silicon FireBird frame grabbers are GenICam compliant as standard and the board is supported by the proven ActiveSDK software.

PCI Express board for capture from two Base cameras or a single Base, Medium, Full or 80-bit Camera Link camera (including PoCL). The low-profile design allows this board to be used in small embedded PC enclosures and rackmount cases where the full height PC cards are not suitable.

“At VISION, we also unveiled our new CXP-12 quad link board. Each CoaXPress link supports the new CoaXPress v2.0 speed of up to 12.5 Gbps data rates, along with device power up to 13W and device control at up to 42 Mbps – all on a single coax cable. For faster devices, the links can be concatenated to provide multiples of the single CoaXPress bandwidth. Offering a Gen3 PCI Express interface, these frame grabbers also employ “ActiveDMA” technology.

“Our FireBird Camera Link CompactPCI Serial card supports Camera Link for rugged industrial rack systems. For a combined total data throughput of 10 Gbps, the FireBird Quad USB 3.0 Host Controller supports four USB 3.0 ports arranged as two ports per host controller with each controller having its own PCI Express x1 Gen2 interface. “Through 2018, we enjoyed record sales as we marked our 30th year in business and are looking forward to strengthening our position in the marketplace and continuing to provide innovative products throughout 2019 and beyond. As frame grabbers represent around half of all our revenue, we’re proof that there’s still a significant role for them in machine vision. While competitive technology such as USB 3.0 and 10GigE has unquestionably evolved over the years, advancements in frame grabber design and operation are keeping them at the forefront of high-speed imaging – the situation remains unchanged!” MV Fig 3: FireBird Camera Link frame grabbers

Fig 2: FireBird frame grabber 4xCXP-12 “We also support Camera Link interfaces with our wide range of GenICam-enabled Camera Link frame grabbers. For example, the FireBird Camera Link Dual 80-bit (Deca) is an eight lane Gen2 PCI Express board for simultaneous capture from two Camera Link cameras, which could be two Medium, two Full or two 80-bit cameras (including PoCL). “In a low-profile format, our FireBird Camera Link 80-bit Low Profile is a cost-effective and fast four lane Gen2

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Figure 1: Komodo CoaXPress Frame Grabber employing eight CoaXPress links, image data can be operated on simultaneously by up to 8 cameras.

KAYA INSTRUMENTS Michael Yampolsky, CEO of KAYA Instruments, explains how CoaXPress 2.0 offers new opportunities for system designers. “In 2011, the Japan Industrial Imaging Association (Tokyo, Japan, http://jiia.org) ratified Version 1 of the CoaXPress (CXP) standard, a standard that eventually replaced the older Camera Link Standard developed by the Automated Imaging Association (AIA; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; www.visiononline.org). “Perhaps the main reason for this was the need for speed. Even in it’s fastest Extended Full or Deca Mode, the Camera Link standard was only capable of data transfers of 6.8Gbits/s (850 Mbytes/s). Unlike Camera Link, the CXP standard is scalable both in the number of channels used and the speeds at which they can operate. These include CXP-1 links that can transfer data over co-axial cable at 1.25 Gbit’s to distances of up to 212 m, CXP-2 links running at 2.5 Gbit/s, to distances of 185 m through to the fastest CXP-6 links running data at 6.25 Gbit to 68 m. “To meet the demands of systems integrators KAYA Instruments introduced a range of CoaXPress-based PCIE products known as the Komodo 8CH CoaXPress frame grabber series. These are offered in a number of configurations with one, two, four or eight CXP6 - 1, 2, 4, 8 channel configurations on PCIe Gen3 x8 interface cards. By offering such a range of interfaces, the developer can then choose which frame grabber is required, without paying for an excessive number of links. “Several other major benefits of the original standard were using low-cost coaxial cable with a standard 75 Ω BNC connectors. As well as the maximum CXP-6 speed, Figure 2: With the future of camera-to-computer interfaces seemingly in fiber’s favour, KAYA Instruments’ Komodo FXP CoaXPress over Fiber acquisition system allows up to eight CoaXPress (CXP-6) channels to be interfaced to cameras as far as 80km distances from the frame grabber.

Version l of the standard also sports a serial 20.83Mbps frame grabber-to-camera uplink channel to allow for fast camera control. And, like Camera Link, the CXP interface also supports 13W Power over CXP (poCX), camera triggering and camera control. This year, the JIIA introduced the latest version of the CoaXPress standard Version 2. This supports data links as fast as CXP-10 (10 Gbps) and CXP-12 (12.5Gbps), with the benefit that developers can reduce systems cost by choosing cameras with fewer camera-to -computer links. In Revision 2, a hybrid cable connection with High-Density BNC or DIN 1.2/2.3 connectors are used to interface cameras to frame grabbers. Here again, camera vendors are introducing a range of frame grabbers with different numbers of links to meet a variety of applications. The first two from KAYA Instruments, for example, will be the Predator II single channel CXP-12G frame grabber (Figure 3) and the four channel Komodo II CoaXPress 12G Frame Grabber. “While the CoaXPress Version 2 standard represents a breakthrough in terms of speed, it, like the Camera Link standard before it, will become camera-to-computer distance limited as speeds increase. Recognizing this, both the JIAA and independent hardware companies are debating the future of high-speed interfaces. What seems to be emerging is that, perhaps in five years, fiber interfaces will more than likely be the interface of choice. Indeed, companies such as KAYA Instruments have already introduced products such as the Komodo FXP CoaXPress over Fiber acquisition system that allows up to eight CoaXPress (CXP-6) channels to be interfaced to cameras as far as 80km distances from the frame grabber (Figure 2).” MV Figure 3: Predator II, low-cost single channel CoaXPress 12G Frame Grabber KAYA is based in Israel.

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ADLINK TECHNOLOGY ADLINK Technology, which is based in San Jose, California, recently launched its PCIe-GIE72/74 GigE Vision PoE+ Frame Grabbers. The company is a leading global provider of embedded building blocks and application-ready intelligent platforms. The new PCIe-GIE72/74 2/4CH PCI Express GigE vision Power over Ethernet (PoE)+ frame grabbers feature comprehensive PoE power protection exclusive to ADLINK, multi-card capture capability, and smart PoE management combined with ADLINK’s extensive experience in GigE vision-based solutions. Key assets, such as cameras and other equipment, are secured from damage by the PCIe-GIE72/74’s PoE power protection. In addition, a user friendly PoE management utility and APIs monitor and control PoE ports in real time and enable prediction of possible failure events. Any number of PCIe-GIE72/74 cards can be installed in a single system without occupying any BIOS I/O resources. Combined with wide operating temperature tolerance from 0˚C to 70˚C, the multi-card capability makes the PCIe-GIE72/74 ideal for deployment with fanless computers in environments with limited space and in applications such as automated optical inspection (AOI) and industrial automation.

Based on ADLINK’s extensive system expertise, the PCIe-GIE72/74 was designed with comprehensive PoE protections in order to eliminate the threat of asset damage. The frame grabbers respond to over/under current, voltage and temperature events, and their automated power budget control manages budgets according to source (PCIe or 4/6 pin Molex connector). When the budget is exceeded, PoE power is interrupted to prevent damage to connected devices. The PCIe-GIE72/74’s easy-to-use utility and APIs provide real-time PoE status monitoring of device class, voltage, current, wattage and temperature. PoE power can be remotely switched on and off; PoE port priority and thermal thresholds remotely set; and possible failure predicted, all reducing operating costs and circumventing downtime. MV

TELEDYNE DALSA Teledyne DALSA has introduced its next generation family of frame grabbers for high-performance image acquisition. The Xtium2 for the PCIe Gen3 platform. The Xtium2 family starts with the introduction of two new models of frame grabber boards featuring AIA’s Camera Link HS interface: the Xtium2-CLHS PX8 and Xtium2-CLHS FX8. The series will also provide support to upcoming and existing interfaces like CoaXPress (ver 2.0) and Camera Link. The Xtium2-CLHS PX8 features 7-lanes operating at 10 Gbit/s using CLHS X-Protocol and can deliver host transfer bandwidth in excess of 6.8 GByte/s. The Xtium2CLHS PX8 supports a CX4 connector that is Active Optical Cables (AOC) ready. The AOC cables use fiber cable to deliver cable lengths greater than 15 meters. The Xtium2-CLHS FX8 supports up to four bidirectional SPF+ modules to deliver up to 4.0 GByte/s of image acquisition and host transfer speeds of up to 6.8 GByte/s. The low cost SPF+ module and fiber optic cables help extend cable lengths to 100 meters. In addition, the Xtium2-CLHS FX8 is capable of supporting multiple independent CLHS cameras. “The next generation of Xtium2 frame grabbers are designed to meet the data throughput and cable length

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requirements of the new high-speed, high-resolution cameras with CameraLink HS and CoaXPress interfaces. The Xtium2 series simplifies downstream image processing with its on-board, real-time processing with no CPU usage. While performance remains at the heart of the design, reliability and lower system cost are key deliverables for these products,” said Senior Product Manager, Inder Kohli. When combined with cutting-edge color, and multispectral line scan cameras like the new Linea ML, the Xtium2-CLHS frame grabbers enable the newest and most demanding vision applications. Xtium2-CLHS Key Features: - Longer cable distance beyond 15 meters at max data rate without sacrificing performance - Distributed Processing using Data-Forwarding at max input data rates

- The Xtium2-CLHS series is comprised of two boards: Xtium2-CLHS PX8 uses CX4 connector which is ready for Active Optical Cables (AOC) Xtium2-CLHS FX8 uses 4 SFP+ slots for scalable solution - Synchronized acquisition from multiple independent cameras

- Real-time on-board process delivers ready to use pixel formats to reduce processing time - Supports CLHS X-protocol delivering 97% data-transfer efficiency - High reliability with advanced meta data - Fully supported by free Sapera LT SDKs

- Hi-Dynamic Range imaging with Multi-plane support

AVAL GLOBAL AVAL DATA Corporation is Japanese company operating in the industrial embedded computer market and believes it offers the highest reliability and availability together with continuous technical support. Established over 60 years ago, its factory is located in Atsugi city in Tokyo, Japan, and all of Aval Data’s products are manufactured there. The factory is certified ISO9001, ISO 14001 and environment management system. In 2017, targeting overseas market with diversifying needs, Aval Data established Aval Global Corporation in Korea with TS Corporation. The company provides consultIng service which allows it to its business into an international market.

2) Data Distribution Functioned Frame Grabber APX-3326A-CLIO (CL Full/Deca x 1CH with Data distribution) Features - CL Base~Full/Deca 1 x camera Configurable - Acquired or saved image can be out through output port for data distribution - POCL compatible - 512MB FIFO memory onboard - x4 PCI Express 2.0 - OS : WIN 7 & 10

The company’s Major product line-up includes frame grabber and pre-processing boards for various interfaces; big data distribution solutions; High Speed Digitizer (DAQ); SWIR Camera; and, various customized products.

3) FPGA Processing Board

Aval Data provides frame grabbers with various interfaces such as Camera Link, CoaXPress, Opt-C:Link(Aval’s own interface with optical communication), Gig.E, USB, etc.,

- CL Base~Full/Deca x 1camera Configurable - Compatible with PoCL - Built with ALTERA EP2 AGX260 for custom image processing - 512MB FIFO memory onboard - GPIO for external devices - x4 PCI Express 2.0 - OS : Windows 7 & 10 - FPGA Processing Sample (Shown as below)

Camera Link Frame Grabbers 1) Multi-Channel Frame Grabber (Best Seller!) APX-3324A (CL Base x 4Ch)

APX-3327-1-260 Features

Features -

CL Base 4 x camera Configurable PoCL compatible 512MB FIFO memory onboard X4 PCI Express 2.0 OS : Win 7 & 10

APX-3326A (CL Full/Deca x 2CH) Features -

CL Base~Full/Deca 2 x camera Configurable PoCL compatible 512MB FIFO memory onboard x4 PCI Express 2.0 OS : Win 7 & 10

4) 1Ch CL Board Model

APX-3302

APX-3323

CL Configuration

Base x 2CH

Base~Full x 1Ch

PoCL

Compatible

Memory

256MB

System BUS

PCIE 2.0 x 4

GPIO

IN : 2 / OUT : 6

Windows 7 / 10

IN : 1 / OUT : 1

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CoaXPress Frame Grabbers

PX-3634

Wide range of product lineup of AVAL DATAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s CoaXPress interface PCI Express frame grabber boards, including highperformance model, low-cost model, and from single to multiple camera connectivity. SDK (Software Development Kit) is used in common to CoaXPress products

Features

1) CXP-6 Frame Grabbers

Configuration: CXP-3 Single x 4Ch Compatible with PoCXP 2GB FIFO memory onboard GPIO for external devices X4 PCI Express 2.0 Compliant with CXP standard 1.1 OS : Windows 7 & 10

APX-3664S4 (Compatible all configuration with 4 cables) Features - Configuration: CXP-6 Quad x 1Ch, Dual x 2Ch, Single x 4Ch - Compatible with PoCXP - 2GB FIFO memory onboard - GPIO for external devices - X8 PCI Express 3.0 - Compliant with CXP standard 1.1 - OS : Windows 7 & 10

APX-3662 Features -

Configuration: CXP-3 Single x 2Ch Compatible with PoCXP 2GB FIFO memory onboard GPIO for external devices X4 PCI Express 2.0 Compliant with CXP standard 1.1 OS : Windows 7 & 10

2) FPGA Processing CXP-6 Frame Grabber

APX-3661

APX-3664A-E7

Features

- 1Ch configurable with CXP-6 Single, Dual, Quad camera - Compatible with PoCXP - Built with Intel 5AGZME7H2F35C3N for custom image processing - 2GB FIFO memory onboard - GPIO for external devices - X8 PCI Express 2.0 - OS : Windows 7 & 10 - FPGA Processing Sample (Shown as below)

Configuration: CXP-3 Single x 1 Ch Compatible with PoCXP 1GB FIFO memory onboard GPIO for external devices X4 PCI Express 2.0 Compliant with CXP standard 1.1 OS : Windows 7 & 10

4) Relevant Product CoaXPress Splitter (1 IN 4 OUT)

3) CXP-3 single Multi Channel boards APX-3636A Features -

Configuration: CXP-3 Single x 6Ch Compatible with PoCXP 2GB FIFO memory onboard GPIO for external devices X4 PCI Express 2.0 Compliant with CXP standard 1.1 OS : Windows 7 & 10

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AEB-3664 CoaXPress (CXP) dedicated distribution BOX (splitter) AEB-3664A for distributed processing of large volume image data from camera. Data input from one CoaXPress camera (Quad, Dual, Single) is transferred to four APX3664 units. Features -

Splitter for APX-3664 series Connectable up to 4 x APX-3664 series Configurable with 1 x CXP-6(or lower) Quad/Dual/Single Data out to 4 different PC PoCXP compatible Uplink from Master Interface Built in Power supply MV

BITFLOW BitFlow unveiled its first CXP v2.0 frame grabbers at VISION 2018 in Stuttgart The US company is a global innovator in frame grabber technology for machine vision. Over the past two years BitFlow has furnished input and direction to the Japan Industrial Imaging Association (JIIA) on the finalization of the new CoaXPress v2.0 (CXP v2.0) standard — an upgrade that will double the speed of the interface used in the inspection of semiconductors, food and beverage, and pharmaceuticals, among others. “By coordinating with the JIIA on a standardization roadmap BitFlow is in a better position to develop frame grabbers that will reliably perform up to full potential,” explained Donal Waide, Director of Sales for BitFlow. “Because BitFlow engineers have been actively involved in every detail of CXP v2.0 development we can ensure our customers that the frame grabbers we are introducing at VISION are fully tested and certified to meet the high quality expectations of system designers.” BitFlow’s first CXP 2.0 frame grabbers were on display the company’s VISION booth. It also conducted live demonstrations of its 2.0-ready Aon-CXP and CytonCXP CoaXPress frame grabbers, along with its advanced Camera Link models.

BAP IMAGE SYSTEMS BAP Image Systems (BAPis) is an imaging products and solution provider which offers a number of image processing boards and frame grabbers. The company was founded in 2000 for the specialized business of high-speed colour and grayscale data capture and processing. Its hardware and software technology has been used in a variety of mechanical transporters and scanners. End user applications exist in medical, industrial, financial and government domains. Typical application areas of devices manufactured by the company cover machine vision systems, embedded

It also displayed the BitFlow BitBox, an I/O device that provides 36 inputs and 36 outputs in a compact, DINrail mounted form factor supporting TTL, LVDS, open collector, opto-isolated and 24V signaling. Introduced a decade ago, CoaXPress standard v1.1.1 is currently supported by over 50 vendors of cables, connectors, intellectual property, transceivers, cameras, frame grabbers, simulators, range extenders and software. CXP v2.0 will double the current 6.25 Gbps image data transfer rate to 12.5 Gbps, therefore allowing for higher frame rates or larger camera resolutions. The JIIA and BitFlow have concluded CXP v2.0 is necessary for manufacturers to achieve the extremely high levels of quality, cost efficiencies and productivity needed to gain a competitive edge in the global economy. Among its many proven advantages, CoaXPress allows video, camera control for triggering, and up to 13W of power to be transferred without latency on offthe-shelf coaxial cables up to 100 meters in length or approximately three times that of USB3 or GigE Vision. Also, because CoaXPress relies on standard coax, many such cables previously installed in legacy defense and security systems utilizing analog cameras can be re-used for migrating to digital imaging, eliminating the cost of new cabling. MV

automation systems, book scanners for libraries and archives, high speed document scanners for banks, mass bookkeeping processing and government domains, automated voting/election systems and other. • DB5G_CXP4- Interface for IE5G_SS • DB5G_J2K4 - JPEG 2000 Compression Board for IE5G_SS • DB5G_CLF- Camera Link Daughterboard for Embedded Grabbers • IE5G_SS - Super Speed Image Processing Engine • IE64_HS - High Speed Image Engine

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EURESYS The most successful products in 2018 for Euresys were the Coaxlink frame grabbers and the Open eVision libraries. Euresys also launched some products as Easy3D, EasyDeepLearning and the Coaxlink Quad CXP-12, all of which the company demonstrated at VISION. For Embedded Vision, with the acquisition of Sensor to Image, Euresys further increases its technological capabilities and development capabilities. The company will continue in 2019 with the development of CXP-12 frame grabbers and also several major releases of Open eVision. Easy3D library is a set of software tools enabling the development of 3D Machine Vision Inspection Applications. It is able to generate a depth map from a series of images that contain a laser line projected on the inspected object and computes a calibration model applied to depth maps to transform them into calibrated 3D point clouds. It provides functions to generate such ZMaps. The Easy3D Studio application provides an easy way to configure a complete 3D laser line inspection setup. EasyDeepLearning library is a Convolutional Neural Network-based classification library which learns by example. It has been tailored, parametrized and optimized for analyzing images, particularly for machine vision applications. It learns how to distinguish defects or classify parts by being shown many images of the parts to be inspected. It includes functions for dataset creation, classifier training and image classification. Compatible with CPU and GPU processing it is able to detect defective products or sort products into various classes.

It supports data augmentation, works with as few as one hundred training images per class. EasyDeepLearning has a simple API and the user can benefit from the power of deep learning with only a few lines of code. It includes a free Studio application to ease the creation of deep learning applications. The Coaxlink Quad CXP-12 is a 4-connection CXP-12 frame grabber A major feature of this new product is the increase of the maximum connection bit rate to 12.5 Gbps. Currently, the maximum data rate over a single connection is 6.25 Gbps. This innovation results in a maximum camera data transfer rate over 4 connections of 5 GByte/s allowing operation of a 10-bit 12-megapixel area-scan sensor at more than three hundred images per second, or an 8-bit 16k line-scan sensor at 300 thousand lines/s. This new member of the Coaxlink series comes with a PCle Gen 3 x8 bus offering a peak delivery bandwidth of 7.8 GByte/s. The effective delivery bandwidth being of 6.7 GByte/s. It is worth noting that a single Coaxlink Quad CXP-12 provides more bandwidth than four Camera Link Full frame grabbers, in a single slot! The numerous applications of the new Coaxlink Quad CXP-12 include among others, AOI, 3D SPI, 3D inspection, printing inspection and in-vehicle video transfer. Sensor to image is a major supplier of IP Cores for the FPGA vendors Intel /Altera, Lattice and Xilinx. They are very suitable for implementing camera and sensor interfaces in embedded systems. MV

PLEORA Pleora Technologies, which is based in Ottawa, Canada, is one of the world’s leading supplier of highperformance video interfaces. It has introduced the imaging market’s first external frame grabber that helps manufacturers and system integrators reduce costs, simplify cabling, and speed time-to-market by converting Sony FCB-EV7520A block cameras into GigE Vision 2.0 cameras. “The iPORT SB-GigE-EV7520A builds on our extensive expertise in developing video interfaces for Sony block cameras,” said Harry Page, President, Pleora Technologies. “Our new external frame grabber gives manufacturers and integrators a low-risk way to leverage the design, cost, and performance benefits of Ethernet when deploying Sony’s high-sensitivity, high-quality block camera in high-performance imaging applications.” Pleora’s external frame grabbers for block cameras have been designed into a wide range of imaging applications, including medical telepresence, perimeter security, transportation, robotics, sports analysis, and drone systems. The iPORT SB-GigE-EV7520A transmits video

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with low, consistent latency at high frame rates between the Sony block camera and computing platforms or displays. Video, power, and control data is transmitted over low-cost Ethernet cabling to existing ports on the computer or display. Designers can choose from a broad selection of small form factor and low-power computing platforms, including laptops and embedded systems.

The networking flexibility of GigE means images from multiple Sony block cameras can be aggregated to a single port, and/or images from one Sony block camera can be multicast to multiple PCs and displays. With the extended reach of GigE – up to 100 meters over standard Cat5e/6 cabling and further with basic network switching – image analysis equipment can be centralized in a remote location.

In comparison, competing Sony block video interfaces require multiple cables for video transmission and control, external power sources for cameras, and PCIe frame grabbers to capture images at the PC or display. This results in more complex systems, longer design times, higher costs, and limited component selection. MV

GIDEL Gidel is based in the US and Israel. The company’s frame grabber families offer a spectrum of possibilities, from plug-and-play frame grabbers to full vision, or imaging system solutions that include data acquisition, image processing on FPGA, custom camera interface and protocol, and custom I/O connectivity. Gidel’s infrastructure is designed for flexible modularity and is supported by Gidel’s development tools for exceptionally efficient and effective system development and integration. Gidel’s off-the-shelf frame grabbers currently support CoaXPress and Camera Link cameras. In addition, it is extremely simple to implement support for any userdefined camera using Gidel’s open infrastructure option. For customers requiring quick custom implementation and optimized system performance, Gidel offers inhouse consultation and development according to user specification. HawkEye-CXP CoaXPress Frame Grabbers • Grabbing from up to 4 CoaXPress (cXp-6) channels • Grabbing from 1, 2, or 4 cameras simultaneously

HawkEye-CL Camera Link Frame Grabbers • Supports PoCL Camera Link 2.0, including 80-bit (Deca) and dual-base • Option for image processing on FPGA, allowing for real-time processing free of host computer • Huge frame buffers of up to 16 GB to enable high-acquisition capacity and to enhance image processing capabilities • Ultra-high data offload capability of up to 64 Gb/s, enabling high-resolution post-processing on host computer MV

• Infrastructure for full vision/imaging system solution, including image acquisition, real-time image processing, and post-processing on host • Huge frame buffers of up to 16 GB to enable high acquisition capacity and to enhance image processing capabilities • Ultra-high CPU-free data offload capability of up to 64 Gb/s, enabling high-resolution post-processing on host computer • Powerful tools for efficient development of both software and FPGA code

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MATROX IMAGING The Matrox Rapixo CXP is a new generation of frame grabbers from Matrox Imaging. The frame grabbers support version 2.0 of the CoaXPress (CXP) digital interface standard for machine vision applications. The Rapixo CXP series supports data rates of either up to 6.25 Gbps (CXP-6) or up to 12.5 Gbps (CXP-12). A PCIe 3.1 x8 host interfaces comfortably matches the maximum input bandwidth from the CXP links. The CXP links are accessed through highdensity BNC connectors allowing for a homogenous interconnection with new cameras. Power-overCoaXPress (PoCXP) support on each connection simplifies system configurations, combining the camera’s power interface with its command- and data-interface onto the same coaxial cable.

onboard memory to buffer incoming image data in situations where the host computer is temporarily unable to accept data. The fanless design for select models ensures extended use without maintenance. The Matrox Rapixo CXP makes use of a fieldprogrammable gate array (FPGA) device from the Xilinx Kintex UltraScale family for not only integrating the controlling, formatting, and streaming logic of the various interfaces, but also allowing developers to incorporate Matrox Imaging- or user-developed custom image pre-processing operations to offload from the host computer. MV

The Matrox Rapixo CXP features four connections for interfacing to independent cameras as well as for handling higher data rates through connection aggregation. The Rapixo CXP series possess sufficient

SILICON SOFTWARE An update from Silicon Software. Multi-tasking Frame Grabbers for High-speed Applications “More powerful sensors with ever higher resolutions and increasing demands on the entire image processing system as a whole require more bandwidth resp. data throughput for the camera interface. Among the high-speed interfaces, CoaXPress is one of the most important, and its predicted market share will continue to increase in the future. The current CoaXPress frame grabbers of Silicon Software’s “microEnable marathon” product line support CoaXPress version 1.1.1. The next generation will be designed for CoaXPress version 2.0 with a configuration up to CXP-12. “A special high-speed frame grabber of the “CNN ready” series with Camera Link interface is already available for deep learning applications with convolutional neural networks (CNN). Keeping pace with the expansion of existing and the availability of completely new interfaces, new frame grabbers for the camera interfaces of the next generation will be released: CXP-12, 10 GigE and NBASE-T. Besides “power over” feature, all frame grabbers unify image and signal processing, image pre-processing and camera control via the on-board FPGA processor.” CoaXPress Frame Grabbers “One, two or four compatible CoaXPress camera types can be connected respectively to the image acquisition and processing boards. The frame grabbers support colour (RGB and Bayer) and monochrome area, line scan and CIS cameras and up to 25 GB/s incoming bandwidth

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They support the CoaXPress configurations CXP-1 to CXP-6 and are well suited for high performance cameras, industrial multi-device and multi-camera solutions. “The variant with four ports can be configured from one high-speed camera with four inputs to four different CoaXPress cameras at the same time with a multitude of pixel formats and bit depths. The V-series is graphically programmable with the software VisualApplets in short time using data flow models to realize specific image processing applications with real-time, deterministic and low-latency behaviour. Existing FGPA hardware code (created with VHDL or Verilog) can also be integrated using VisualApplets Expert. “All CoaXPress frame grabbers include FPGA-based image pre-processing (e.g. Bayer filter, lookup tables and white balance) at a very high frame rate, minimizing CPU load and accelerating the computer’s overall system performance. This guarantees a cost-efficient system setup with increased application performance. Based on PCI Express x4 (Gen 2) they take advantage of the Silicon Software DMA1800 technology, combining the maximum data throughput of 2.5 GB/s at 4-channel operation with intelligent data reduction by image pre- or post-processing. “General Purpose Input/Output signals can be used via two GPIO connections that are independently configurable (slot bracket GPIO and onboard GPIO with an interface to TTL or Opto trigger boards). With these trigger signals it is possible to internally synchronize several frame grabbers or peripheral devices in series (daisy chain), amongst other techniques.” MV

Special FPGA Based Deep Learning Board “The programmable “CNN ready” Camera Link frame grabber equipped with a runtime license for deep learning under VisualApplets fulfils the requirements for high computing performance and bandwidth and offers a more powerful FPGA. The board calculates larger neural nets with bandwidths over 200 MB/s without delay.

“Using graphical FPGA programming with VisualApplets, suitable net architectures can be integrated and pretrained configuration parameters for the weights of the networks can be imported.” MV

“The integrated FPGA features high parallelism of processing, low thermal power, deterministic latencies and long market availability. The frame grabber offers a more cost-effective, energy efficient and faster solution than an industrial GPU comparable solution.

COGNEX The Cognex 8704e GigE frame grabber is a 4-port GigE card available for use with Cognex and third-party cameras. It is the recommended GigE interface card for all new vision software applications for organizations building their own industrial PCs for machine vision. • Interface 1 to 4 Cognex Industrial Cameras or third-party GigE vision cameras to your PC for single- or multi-camera vision development • 4 independent channels with Power Over Ethernet (PoE) allow for simultaneous image acquisition • PCI Express compliant • Jumbo frames • Integrated license security

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A3 BUSINESS FORUM 2019 The great and the good of the vision and imaging, robotics, motion control and motor industries gathered in Florida in mid-January to attend the annual A3 Business Forum.

Imaging technology as a whole is being incorporated into a variety of new products, from autonomous vehicles and drones to smart phones and VR headsets.

Over 650 international attendees from suppliers, distributors, integrators, educators, end-users and others in the automation related ecosystem swarmed the Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek Hotel on January 14-16.

SOFTENING

These professionals, representing the robotics, vision, motion control and motor industries were attending the A3 Business Forum, an annual event presented by the Association for Advancing Automation (A3) a trade association governing four daughter associations, RIA, AIA, MCMA and A3 Mexico each focused on progressing the usage and education of automation.

VALUABLE INSIGHT The event is strictly available to members of any of the four associations and provides valuable insight of the robotics and automation industry through presentations covering forecasts and predictions for upcoming trends as well as important trade data. Highlights included keynote presentations on The Human Exploration of Mars from Dr Anita Sengupta, University of Southern California and Aerospace Experience Technologies; a Global 2019 Economic Outlook & Forecast presented by Alan Beaulieu, ITR Economics; an entertaining talk by Dr Dennis Hong from RoMeLa (Robotics & Mechanisms Laboratory) of the Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Department of UCLA entitled Do Robots Need to Look Human. There was also a panel on the future of Artificial Intelligence among many other interesting talks. Alex Shikany, Vice President of AIA, provided an update on the automation market. For traditional machine vision technologies, areas like life sciences, consumer electronics manufacturing, and agriculture are expanding.

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That said, some economic indicators like industrial production, semiconductor market forecasts, and manufacturing PMI are softening, which will likely bring low single-digit growth numbers for the machine vision market in 2019. Longer term, the industry will continue to grow rapidly. The overall trend is toward “smart systems,” either in the factory or in our homes. Smart systems need good data inputs to operate, and imaging technology is one of the primary ways they can get it. MVPro Magazine’s publisher Alex Sullivan was one of 650 industry figures who attended: “It was great event and good to meet so many industry leaders and decision makers from around the world of vision, robotics and automation “As always, it was good mix of business and social networking. “And as publishers of both MVPro and RoboPro Magazines, it’s great to see both industries merging and intertwining together so closely.”

“ It ’s great to see both industries merging and inter viewing together so closely.” The next A3 Business Form takes place between Monday, January 13-15, 2020, once again at the Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek, Orlando, Florida, US. MV

JEAN CARON OF EURESYS In a new feature for MVPro Magazine, we ask senior executives within the industry ten key questions. First up is Jean Caron.

1. DESCRIBE YOUR ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES? I’m Vice President Sales and Support EMEA. I’m in charge of managing all relationships with customers, especially the key accounts, and of managing the distributor network within the region. The second main responsibility is the business development strategy to increase the Euresys business for both product range, the frame grabbers and the machine vision libraries. Another duty is to maintain high visibility of the Euresys brand within the MV market and of the relationships with other MV manufacturers.

2. WHERE ARE YOU BASED AND HOW MUCH DO YOU TRAVEL AS PART OF YOUR JOB? I’m based at the Euresys HQ in Angleur, Belgium. I’m travelling as much as possible to visit prospects, customers and distributors. I attend major trade shows and conferences within the EMEA to find new opportunities. I also visit major MV shows to maintain my market knowledge. I’m out of the office 60 to 70%+ in average per year.

3. DESCRIBE YOUR MANAGEMENT STYLE? I have confidence in each person of the team and this gives them some autonomy with the aim of providing customers and prospects with a first-class sales and support. Thus, delegated is important for me but with keeping in mind that I’m still accountable for the team actions.

To achieve this goal, I define the scope of responsibilities of each team member and stay always available to give them advice. It is also important as manager to work continuously on developing the professional skills of the team.

4. WHAT IS YOUR BACKGROUND - HAVE YOU ALWAYS BEEN IN THE MACHINE VISION INDUSTRY? I would say yes, I’m in the MV industry since I passed my masters. I have a Phd in Industrial Computer Sciences with a focus in Machine Vision during my thesis. I started my career as R&D Engineer and then joined Cognex International as Vision Solution Engineer. During this period, I used my technical skills and ability to develop close relationships with customers to complete numerous training and custom MV development. This job led me with the seniority to the supervision of engineers working on MV projects. I always liked to progress and develop new skills. Thus, I joined Euresys to organize and manage the worldwide technical support of customers and prospects. Then I had the opportunity to take the responsibility of the EMEA sales development. I’m also quite involved in the MV community, as elected Board member and treasurer of the European Machine Vision Association for more than 4 years.

5. IF YOU WERE NOT WORKING WITHIN THIS INDUSTRY, WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU WOULD BE DOING? Certainly, a highly skills technical job including relationships with customers and partnerships. I like the idea that I can help people to achieve their projects.

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6. HOW HAS YOUR COMPANY POSITIONED ITSELF TO BE A MAJOR PLAYER IN THE MACHINE VISION INDUSTRY AND WHAT DOES IT HAVE TO DO TO STAY THERE? Euresys has rapidly developed consciously a strong presence not only in Europe but also in USA and Asia by opening a sales and support office in Texas and in Singapore in 2001. It was to cover the most active MV regions and positioning the company as a major actor, close to its customers. Since then Euresys always take care of listening to the customers requests in order to develop and improve products that fits with the market requirements. We also attached a lot of attention to the partnership with our distributors who act locally every day to convey the best Euresys image. Another point of attention to maintain our position in the market is to be able to deliver on time and in volume highly reliable products. This point is critical when you supply customers developing machines based on vision components that are shipped worldwide in the field.

7. THERE IS A RECOGNISED SKILLS SHORTAGE WITHIN THE INDUSTRY - WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO RECRUIT THE RIGHT PEOPLE YOU NEED? In Belgium, Euresys invests in developing partnerships with universities and colleges. We also participate in university forums and we organize company visits. It gives visibility toward new graduates and visiting our well equipped labs is always attractive! For senior profile we mostly use headhunter companies. Nevertheless, it is important to spend a lot of time with them to explain our business and industry. This is one of the key for them to cast the right profiles.

8. WILL THERE BE FURTHER CONSOLIDATION WITHIN MACHINE VISION INDUSTRY THIS YEAR, AS THE LARGER PLAYERS ACQUIRE THE SPECIALIST SMALLER COMPANIES? The consolidation of the local distributors has started. I think it will continue. Nowadays the business has to be considered European-wide and no more focused only on one country.

a continuous opportunity for large companies to increase their technological portfolio so this process will continue.

9. SHORT-TERM, WHAT ARE THE MAIN DIFFICULTIES THE INDUSTRY MIGHT FACE OVER THE COMING YEAR? A relative slowdown is expected this year in Asia but after 2 years of very high growth increase one can conceive that it is mandatory getting one’s breath back. In Europe, the market is still dynamic at least for the MV components we are involved in. There is a lot of company working on new projects giving us new opportunities. The main drawback is that after the economic crisis in 2010 the lack of human resources in companies continue to slowdown the completion of the new projects in Europe and so the MV business growth.

10. HOW DO YOU SEE MACHINE VISION INDUSTRY DEVELOPING OVER THE NEXT DECADE? I see only positive signs for the future of the MV industry. Technically, the processing power increases while the size and power consumption of any processor is reducing. It will give more opportunity for our industry to develop compact products for the embedded market. In addition, thanks to the high processing capabilities, these products will be able to benefits from all new image processing algorithms to target new applications.

“A relative slowdown is expected this year in Asia but after 2 years of ver y high growth increase one can conceive that it is mandator y getting one’s breath back. In term of market, we notice that more and more consumer products are using cameras leading to more possible business for our industry. It is also important to consider the automotive industry that is installing more and more performing ADAS systems-based on lidar but also on cameras with powerful image processing. MV

On the other hand, we nowadays discover more and more well funded European startups bringing to the market great new products. The acquisition of these startup is obviously

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NEW COLOURCORRECTED LENS SERIES FOR LINE-SCAN CAMERAS At the beginning of November 2018, Chinese manufacturer OPT Machine Vision presented its new Coloretto lens series at the Vision trade fair in Stuttgart. Hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an article from OPT on the new series.

Despite significant advances in area sensors, line scan cameras are still unequaled in their resolution and recording speed. Line-scan cameras with color sensors have been increasingly used for some time now. These sensors are equipped with multiple lines, each of which is equipped with a different color filter; e.g. for red, green, and blue. These cameras are ideal for print inspection because they can simultaneously check the geometry and color values of a product. The five new achromats for the spectral range from 400 nm to 700 nm specifically meet the high demands of modern target cameras with 7Îźm pixel size. Image acquisition and processing at maximum speed are the key features of industrial applications in which line-scan cameras can be used. The objects to be examined travel at high speed past the sensor lines of the line scan cameras, which capture the object line by line with triggered sampling rates of more than 100 kHz.

SPECIAL CONDITIONS The lenses used must be excellently adapted to these special conditions in order to guarantee exact, reliable and reproducible imaging results. A low chromatic aberration and minimal distortion are therefore a must. The lenses of the new Coloretto series from OPT fulfill both of these requirements. This is proven, among other things, by the excellent color correction and the low distortion of less than 0.1%. Ideally suited for use in quality assurance, the five lenses cover a wide range of applications, from the examination of print products, to the inspection of semiconductor products and high-quality flat surfaces, to the optical control of electronic components. Therefore, the automotive industry or the paper and printing industry also use high quality line scan cameras in many areas. The lenses of the series have a V38 connector and are available for industrial cameras with different sensor sizes. The five lens variants have image field diameters of 30 mm to 80 mm.

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Coloretto

Line Scan Lenses

Colour corrected, 7 μm resolution, 0.1% distortion, up to 80 mm image circle

MAGNIFICATIONS

offer our industrial customers attractive products, but also the ever-desired competent purchasing advice in connection with their machine vision projects.”

The range of lens magnifications from 0.04 x to 0.33 x shows that OPT provides a lens series here that is ideally suited for wide areas of industrial use of line scan cameras with high adaptability.

ABOUT OPT MACHINE VISION:

The Coloretto series lenses stand for the consistent expansion of the high-quality product portfolio that OPT has been able to offer for target cameras so far. Along with the proven high-resolution Hawk lens series for pixel sizes of 3.5 μm and 5.0 μm and 7.0 μm and the 29MP Fix Focus lens series for image field diameters of 140 mm to 180 mm, the Coloretto series is the third lens series for line-scan cameras in the extensive OPT program.

OPT MACHINE VISION is a global provider of components for machine vision with a focus on LED illuminations, LED controllers, lenses, industrial PCs, software libraries, and accessories. OEMs and system integrators from all around the world use OPT. Since 2005, OPT is driven by its mission to develop machine vision components which are easy to integrate in systems and enable new technical solutions for the challenges in modern manufacturing automation. MV

In addition, OPT can supply the right lighting solution and numerous accessories for line camera applications. “With the new Coloretto lens series, we underline our ambition to be able to offer excellent optical system solutions - even for line scan cameras with different specifications,” emphasizes Thomas Feichtner, Sales Director at OPT Machine Vision. “However, we not only

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“ The five new achromats for the spectral range from 400 nm to 700 nm specifically meet the high demands of modern target cameras with 7μm pixel size.

ETRON PARTNERS WITH EYS3D AND KNERON TO DEVELOP 3D DEPTHMAP SENSING@AI-ON-EDGE SOLUTION

The companies are developing a 3D Depthmap Sensing @AI-On-Edge Solution which will provide 3D face recognition and 3D body motion detection for computer vision and machine learning applications of artificial intelligence. MVPro Magazine takes a look.

Coming out of the annual consumer tech jamboree known as CES, which happens every January in Las Vegas, was an alliance between Etron Technology, eYs3D and Kneron. The three companies plan to jointly develop a 3D sensing solution for terminal Artificial Intelligence (AI)On-Edge, adopting the 3D natural light depthmap sensing technology. Providing facial recognition and body motion detection, this collaboration promotes the 3D sensing for AI-On-Edge, which will accelerate the popularization of computer vision and machine learning applications of artificial intelligence.

AI-ON-EDGE The face recognition technology market demand is said to be high, relying on AI-On-Edge to enhance the practical value. With Face ID (3D face recognition unlock), the system can not only recognize the userâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s face, but also use it. The mobile phone also records five to six facial features, which means that five to six people can unlock their mobile phones with their faces as long as they are allowed by the mobile device holder. After docking with the face

recognition of the edge device, it can control the home information appliances that are connected to the device such as air conditioners and TVs. The system can also achieve Anti-Face to Face, anticounterfeiting identification, which can be widely used in security monitoring, punch access control system and so on.

SMART RETAIL With the rapid rise of smart retail, AI-On-Edgeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 3D Body Motion Detection can accurately perform passenger flow calculations, with 3D smart stereo cameras, with dual lens and 3D depth of field technology, plus passenger flow calculation (People/ Things Counting) algorithm and core image processing technology, can accurately calculate two-way passenger flow, and use the excellent 3D depth image technology (Depth-Map) to provide optimized management for central management through individual detection. In addition, the system can also identify people, items, and scenes, and can provide the active marketing advertising media needed for smart retail, for electronic billboards, interactive advertising. MV

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RUBEDOS INTRODUCES 3D VISUAL PERCEPTION SYSTEM FOR ROBOT APPLICATIONS Lithuanian based company Rubedos tells MVPro Magazine about its new VI PE R system which equips robots with eyes and a brain.

Addressing the technological needs for next generation industry and service robots, Rubedos has launched its new 3D visual perception system VIPER. Powerful and lightweight, the bolt-on and easy to integrate VIPER system enables intelligent automation with a turnkey set of hardware and embedded computing. It can be applied to a wide range of use cases to equip industrial and service robotics with visual perception. Its stereo vision system with two 3.4 MP low light cameras continuously measures environment depth in 3D with a depth frame rate up to 40 fps over range distances up to 50 meters.

“ the VIPER system is particularly suitable for smaller robotic systems All object detection and classification tasks are performed on-board in an embedded NVIDIA Jetson TX2 computing unit using algorithms specifically designed by Rubedos. By this, VIPER offloads low- and high-level image processing to the on-board processor, reserving the robot’s main computing resources for robot navigation. “In the smart factories of the near future intelligent robots will leave their safety cages. However, the lack of visual perception still is the sandbag of intelligent automation as this next generation robots depends on the ability to acquire, organize, and interpret surrounding visual data”, said Rubedos Co-Founder Linas Vaitulevičius. “Our VIPER system achieves this by continuous measuring environment depth in 3D and industry specific object detection and classification.”

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COMPACT AND LIGHTWEIGHT SYSTEM With its low energy consumption, a compact design of 246 x 98 x 35 mm and a light weight of 0.8 kg the VIPER system is particularly suitable for smaller robotic systems. It is autocalibrated,IP65 ingress protected and physically connected to the robot with standard ¼” – 20 UNC, M4 mounting. Communication is supported via Ethernet at 1 Gb/s.

PERCEPTION APPS Rubedos designed the VIPER system extensible with a set of ‘perception apps’. These application level software modules address standard factory floor tasks such as obstacle detection, a follow-me function, a safety volume guard to detect trespassing attempts, an object identification tool; and 3D vision based simultaneous localization and mapping. “On top of that, we stand by to develop perception apps adapted to tailor-made applications“, added Linas Vaitulevičius. “Overall, the new VIPER system provides high-density, low power, long-range optical depth sense as well as visual perception in an on-board package. All these features make VIPER a true value proposition for integrators and vision guided system manufacturers.” Since 2014 Lithuania-based Rubedos has focused its R&D on development of 3D visual perception systems for robotics. Prior to that, the company has successfully developed a robotic tumor targeting solution for an image guided radiation therapy that passed the high hurdles of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). MV

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NET – VISION EXPERTISE FOR UNIQUE SOLUTIONS N ET New Electronic Technology (N ET) has more than 20 years of experience with customized vision solutions. This has resulted in a unique success formula, which is reflected in N ET’s core competencies and products - the “younique solutions”. N ET’s unique vision solutions are the result of many years of accumulated expertise. CLOSE COOPERATION WITH CUSTOMERS FOR OPTIMAL CUSTOMIZED SOLUTIONS NET has provided the perfect vision solution for hundreds of applications in the fields of industry and medicine. The focus has always remained the same: our customers’ goals. We take a broader view of the application and think outside the box by maxing out the technological possibilities, not losing track of our customers’ competencies and goals and proposing innovative approaches to help them achieve better results, both operatively and strategically. The consulting process in combination with the experience offered by our sales engineers in Europe, USA and Japan enables specific solutions to be offered directly.

Together with our customers, we have developed product solutions that currently support a wide variety of industrial and medical applications. NET offers a complete range of camera technology, featuring in particular the latest smart and embedded vision solutions for decentralized applications. As part of the TKH Group, NET stands for smart vision solutions which meet the individual requirements of customers and industry alike. NET’s Open Camera Concept provides the new technological basis for individual vision solutions. Below, we will show you how customers - in close cooperation with NET - use this technology to develop unique smart vision solutions, e.g. individual industrial solutions for packaging inspection. This enables integrators and users to create their application solution more efficiently than ever before.

Existing product platforms make it possible for NET to very quickly develop new camera solutions for its customers. For example, we were able to produce a side view camera by modifying a USB3 industrial camera and equipping it with a special lens. The mechanism allowed us a tolerance of a mere micrometer for the necessary calculations to be made correctly. This highly complex project could only be realized through close cooperation and transparent communication with regard to what was physically possible, manufacturable and economically sound.

TECHNOLOGIES FOR THE FUTURE - THE NET OPEN CAMERA CONCEPT The evolution of the Open Camera Concept began some five years ago with its implementation in the embedded FPGA of the GigE vision camera line GigEPRO, a compact camera solution for industrial applications. Customers can now integrate existing image processing functions, which previously could only be carried out afterwards on an external computer, into the camera. Camera-embedded algorithms in the FPGA make low-cost real-time image processing possible. And in a way that only the image data relevant for the particular task needs to be transmitted to the host PC or actuator. Decentralized multi-camera

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applications, in particular, benefit from this due to the more efficient vision architectures. Thanks to NET’s camera-embedded barcode recognition algorithm, only the actual decision-critical data is transmitted, which has significant benefits. The host PC is now able to process the data from several decentralized cameras without reaching its limit. As the central computer’s workload is now significantly reduced, tasks can be dealt with faster and on a larger scale than ever before. The resulting scalability and the ability to make efficient adjustments to the application at any time offer huge opportunities for solution providers in the areas of process automation and quality control.

own skills and experience into competitive advantages. Integrating existing functions into the vision system is key to developing unique, uncopiable solutions. However, technological advantages also lead to increased efficiency, speed, safety and improved interconnectivity. So-called open vision solutions make it possible for a company to develop its own resource-efficient solutions. The demand for these solutions is growing in the industry. Vision solution providers, who see themselves committed to achieving both goals, offer their customers the greatest advantages. MV

As it is constantly undergoing new developments, the Open Camera Concept also unlocks new potential for customers through CORSIGHT, the CPU- and FPGAbased smart vision camera system. In the near future, new technologies in the field of industrial image processing will be supported by an ARM-based fully-integrated embedded vision solution: hardware-accelerated computer vision and machine learning algorithms in the camera. Due to the increase in performance potential, industrial clients will be able to create their application solutions more efficiently in future than they have been able to so far using today’s conventional vision solutions.

ENGINEER YOUR OWN SUCCESS: UNIQUE VISION SOLUTIONS The new possibilities in the field of image processing are progressively shaping the future of industry and medicine. From the viewpoint of the user, the focus lies on optimizing the application and realizing new application possibilities. Innovative image processing workflows are an effective means of achieving this. The NET Open Camera Concept® takes this into account as it allows companies to break new ground, for example in the fields of automation, robotics, logistics and distribution. What’s more, it offers them a more direct means of turning their

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Chart: NET Smart Vision Solutions featuring the Open Camera Concept (OCC)

CONTACT DETAILS Dr Thomas Däubler Managing Director at NET New Electronic Technology (NET), Finning (Germany) Tel. +49 8806 92340 www.net-gmbh.com

ADAPTIVE ACCELERATION HOLDS THE KEY TO BRINGING AI FROM THE CLOUD TO THE EDGE Emerging applications for AI will depend on System-on-Chip devices with configurable acceleration to satisfy increasingly tough performance and efficiency demands, says Dale Hitt, Director Strategic Marketing Development at Xilinx

As applications such as smart security, robotics, or autonomous driving rely increasingly on embedded Artificial Intelligence (AI) to improve performance and deliver new user experiences, inference engines hosted on traditional compute platforms can struggle to meet real-world demands within tightening constraints on power, latency, and physical size. They suffer from rigidly defined inferencing precision, bus widths, and memory that cannot be easily adapted to optimize for best speed, efficiency, and silicon area. An adaptable compute platform is needed to meet the demands placed on embedded AI running state-of-the-art convolutional neural networks (CNN). Looking further ahead, the flexibility to adapt to more advanced neural networks is a prime concern. CNNs that are popular today are being superseded by new state-of-the-art architectures at an accelerating pace. However, traditional SoCs must be designed using knowledge of current neural network architectures, targeting deployment typically about three years in the future, from the time development starts. New types of neural networks such as RNNs or Capsule Networks are likely to render traditional SoCs inefficient and incapable of delivering the performance required to remain competitive. If embedded AI is to satisfy end-user expectations, and – perhaps more importantly – keep pace as demands continue to evolve in the foreseeable future, a more flexible and adaptive compute platform is needed. This could be achieved by taking advantage of userconfigurable multi-core System on Chip (MPSoC) devices that integrate the main application processor with a scalable programmable logic fabric containing configurable memory architecture and signal processing suitable for variable-precision inferencing.

INFERENCING PRECISION In conventional SoCs, performance-defining features such as the memory structure and compute precision are fixed. The minimum is often eight bits, defined by the core CPU, although the optimum precision for any given algorithm may be lower. An MPSoC allows programmable logic to be optimized right down to transistor level, giving freedom to vary the inferencing precision down to as little as 1-bit if necessary. These devices also contain many thousands of configurable DSP slices to handle multiply-accumulate (MAC) computations efficiently. The freedom to optimize the inferencing precision so exactly yields compute efficiency in accordance with a square-law: a single-bit operation executed in a 1-bit core ultimately imposes only 1/64 of the logic needed to complete the same operation in an 8-bit core. Moreover, the MPSoC allows the inferencing precision to be optimized differently for each layer of the neural network to deliver the required performance with the maximum possible efficiency.

MEMORY ARCHITECTURE As well as improving compute efficiency by varying inferencing precision, configuring both the bandwidth and structure of programmable on-chip memories can further enhance the performance and efficiency of embedded AIs. A customized MPSoC can have more than four times the on-chip memory, and six times the memory-interface bandwidth of a conventional compute platform running the same inference engine. The configurability of the memory allows users to reduce bottlenecks and optimize utilization of the chip’s resources. In addition, a typical subsystem has only limited cache integrated on-chip and must interact frequently with off-chip storage, which adds to latency and power consumption. In an MPSoC, most memory exchanges can occur on-chip, which is not only faster but also saves over 99% of the power consumed by off-chip memory interactions.

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SILICON AREA Solution size is also becoming an increasingly important consideration, especially for mobile AI on-board drones, robots, or autonomous/self-driving vehicles. The inference engine implemented in the FPGA fabric of an MPSoC can occupy as little as one-eighth of the silicon area of a conventional SoC, allowing developers to build more powerful engines within smaller devices. Moreover, MPSoC device families can offer designers a variety of choices to implement the inference engine in the most power-, cost-, and size-efficient option capable of meeting system performance requirements. There are also automotive-qualified parts with hardware functionalsafety features certified according to industry-standard ISO 26262 ASIL-C safety specifications, which is very important for autonomous-driving applications. An example is Xilinx’s Automotive XA Zynq UltraScale+ family, which contains a 64-bit quad-core ARM® Cortex™-A53 and dual-core ARM Cortex-R5 based processing system alongside the scalable programmable logic fabric, giving the opportunity to consolidate control processing, machine-learning algorithms, and safety circuits with fault tolerance in a single chip. Today, an embedded inference engine can be implemented in a single MPSoC device, and consume as little as 2 Watts, which is a suitable power budget for applications such as mobile robotics or autonomous driving. Conventional compute platforms cannot run real-time CNN applications at these power levels even now, and are unlikely to be able to satisfy the increasingly stringent demands for faster response and more sophisticated functionality within more challenging power constraints in the future. Platforms based on programmable MPSoCs can provide greater compute performance, increased efficiency, and size/weight advantages at power levels above 15W, too.

their own projects. Success depends on suitable tools to help developers optimize the implementation of their target inference engine. To meet this need, Xilinx continues to extend its ecosystem of development tools and machine-learning software stacks, and working with specialist partners to simplify and accelerate implementation of applications such as computer vision and video surveillance.

FLEXIBILITY FOR THE FUTURE Leveraging the SoC’s configurability to create an optimal platform for an application at hand also gives AI developers flexibility to keep pace with the rapid evolution of neural network architectures. The potential for the industry to migrate to new types of neural networks represents a significant risk for platform developers. The reconfigurable MPSoC gives developers flexibility to respond to changes in the way neural networks are architected, by reconfiguring to build the most efficient processing engine using any contemporary state-of-the-art strategy. More and more, AI is being embedded in equipment such as industrial controls, medical devices, security systems, robotics and autonomous vehicles. Adaptive acceleration leveraging programmable logic fabric MPSoC devices holds the key to delivering the responsive and advanced functionality required to remain competitive. MV

The advantages of such a configurable, multi-parallel compute architecture would be of academic interest only, were developers unable to apply them easily in

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OPT opts for German base

OPT Machine Vision, a global provider of components for machine vision with a focus on LED illuminations, LED controllers, lenses, industrial PCs, software libraries, and accessories, has chosen Germany for its first European base. The Chinese company told MVPro that it is strengthening its position as a globally active provider of innovative high-performance products and services for the industry. From its new locations in Berlin (which includes the building of a R&D centre) and Stuttgart, OPT Machine Vision GmbH plans to offer its customers in Europe more intensive consulting and far-reaching support in the development of specific machine vision applications.

“Our competent team is well positioned,” says the Managing Director, Sean Wang. “We have brought experienced Machine Vision experts into the team, who advise our customers individually with great expertise and detailed knowledge of the industry. Furthermore, we are also hiring for Technical Sales and Technical Support/FAE positions in EMEA.” By founding OPT Machine Vision GmbH, OPT gives further positive impetus to its growth in Germany and EMEA. MV

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2019 IS SET TO BE A PIVOTAL YEAR What will 2019 bring for the machine vision industry asks MVPro Magazine Editor Neil Martin? To ask what the year has in store for the industry, the answer will in part come from the state of the global economy and whether certain key economies are heading for a recession. Back at Vision 2018, the industry was in upbeat mood, highlighting a successful 2018, coming off a very successful 2017. Growth was actually flat in 2018, but the message was that it was some achievement to maintain that, given that 2017 was “turbo-charged” with huge Chinese investment into their mobile phone operations. This year, observers are predicting another flat year and if that can be maintained, given the external economic pressures working on the market, then it will be a significant achievement. The great advantage with the machine industry is not only are its traditional markets in good shape, but there are many new applications which should offset any hiccups this year.

VDMA MACHINE VISION SECTOR GROUP This is what Dr Klaus-Henning Noffz, Chairman of the Board of the VDMA Machine Vision sector group and CEO of Silicon Software GmbH, referred to at the opening press conference of VISION. He said: “Despite all the challenges, the general mood in the industry is positive and the overall growth trend will continue. Machine vision is firmly established in production and is continuously conquering new fields of application, even outside the factory environment – constantly striving

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for improved quality, higher reliability and more safety. Embedded vision in combination with deep learning provides further impetus for growth.” In the US, when the last market figures were published for market vision market, things were still looking very good, with North American sales of machine vision components and systems increasing 19% year over year to $709 million in the first quarter of 2018, setting a new all-time record for quarterly sales, according to statistics issued by AIA, the industry’s trade group. “Our most recent poll of industry experts revealed that 45% of respondents expect the market to increase over the next two quarters, 42% predict stagnation, and 13% are bracing for a decline,” said Alex Shikany, Vice President – AIA. “We continue to see demand for vision systems that are smaller, intuitive, cost effective, and complimentary to a more connected automation system. It’s an exciting time to be in this field with the innovation we’re seeing at every turn.” “Vision technology is being integrated in a growing number of automation applications today because the technology is enabling new ways to solve complex challenges.” said AIA President Jeff Burnstein. “Growing global trends such as autonomous vehicles, AI, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) rely heavily on vision and imaging, which bodes well for the future of this industry.”

TREND It’s the same trend as seen in Europe - machine vision is being used in a growing number of applications. But the big question is of course, are we heading for a global slowdown? There are economic headwinds which are now making themselves felt, such as the threat of China/US trade wars, a repositioning of the car industry as it transitions towards less cars and electric models, and the home-grown Brexit troubles for UK.

The latest figures show that the China’s economy has grown at its slowest rate since 1990, expanding at 6.6% in 2018. That would be dramatic growth for western economics, but for China, it’s off the pace. Europe is of course not immune. Apart from Brexit and a possible no-deal scenario between the UK and mainland Europe which would see a return to the not so satisfactory WTO rules and tariffs, Germany is in slowdown mode and some see it slipping into recession. Italy continues to flirt with populist rebellion and France is once again finding it difficult to bring in social reforms that many argue are long overdue if it is to become a true economic powerhouse. In its recent state of play report, the IMF cited the escalating Chinese/US trade tensions as one reason for reducing its 2019 growth forecast which has been notched own from 3.7% to 3.5%. This all points to a general cooling down from the heights enjoyed in 2017, but what do the experts, the investment fund managers, think?

ECONOMIC PREDICTIONS Shamik Dhar, Chief Economist at BNY Mellon Investment Management, shared his predictions for 2019 with us, headlining his thoughts with the words: ‘Central economic scenario: Steady as she goes – 65% probability.’ “Our central economic forecast sees the world economy slowing in 2019, led by a slowdown in both the US and China. World trade growth slows as well, causing tradedependent regions such as the euro area and some Asian countries (ASEAN) to disappoint. At the same time, the central outlook assumes there is more ‘room to grow’ in the US than is commonly believed.” No surprise there then. As for risk scenarios. “We see a number of risks to this outlook. In one, growth is somewhat stronger, economies are closer to capacity, inflation picks up strongly and interest rates go up faster... In another, the US Federal Reserve raises interest rates more rapidly towards ‘neutral’, with severe implications for risk assets. In the third, markets diverge from economic fundamentals and sell off independently, because valuations look overstretched in an environment of slowing growth. “As well as these scenarios, there is a lot of idiosyncratic event risk. These include: the worsening of trade tensions between the US and China; renewed crisis in the euro area, triggered by Italy; and Hard Brexit. “Bringing this all together we foresee a tricky year ahead for investors and attach a 65% probability to our central scenario and a combined 35% to our other risk scenarios.” However, he does not believe there is a recession around the corner. “Much of the data show that the US economy remains robust, driven by the healthiest labour market in nearly 50 years and tame inflation signals.”

HAS THE BUBBLE BURST YET? David Jane of investment house Miton, asks: “Has the ‘everything bubble’ burst?.” He explains: “Many years ago we described QE as battlefield medicine, quite necessary at the time but with real danger of addiction if not exited early. Ten years after its introduction, attempts to exit QE are proving more problematic for the US than policy makers may have expected. “Despite a strong economic backdrop, Fed Chairman Powell’s attempts to tighten policy rates and Europe’s exit of QE appear to have stumbled against the barrier of rapid stock market falls and declining economic expectations. The message from markets seems clear, without free money the ‘everything bubble’ bursts. Powell’s more dovish comments have been assumed to imply further weakness in asset prices will be met with looser monetary conditions and, therefore, the party can continue. “Consequently, it’s reasonable to argue that the ‘everything bubble’ narrative is real. Market’s consistently negative response to any reduction of abnormal monetary policy supports that thesis, and what is harder to know is how and when it ends. It appears policy makers would like to end the QE era but feel they can’t move in any way that is destabilising to financial markets. Following Powell’s comments, expectations of US interest rate rises are now dramatically scaled back. The assumption is that if conditions deteriorate further, a new round of QE will be initiated. “Markets and economies now appear addicted to abnormal monetary policy and the consequences of any concerted attempt to exit appear too troubling for policy makers. So, perhaps we can confidently assert that the ‘Powell Put’ is firmly in place. We would not be so certain. As ever, reality is a lot more nuanced than such simple narratives. “Markets could simply be attempting to read into recent events meaning that suits their existing prejudices. Those in the everything bubble camp can see it as above, but those on the other side can see the changes in interest rate expectations as reflecting a lower inflation outlook, on the back of a falling oil price, and the market moves as a healthy correction reflecting lower profits growth in 2019 than 2018, against a slower economic backdrop. “Our view sits a little in both camps. We have to be alert to the possibility that markets are so artificially inflated by years of free money that a reckoning is long overdue, and that recent moves are the start of something much more serious. At the same time, we are alive to the more likely prospect that we’ve seen another short-term setback to bring valuations back into attractive ranges. We are avoiding investments where the valuation is dependent on a high degree of optimism, either about the economy or an individual company’s prospects. “We are also avoiding companies with high levels of debt, as these are always the first to get into difficulty if the economy slows or lenders become more discerning. Our corporate bond portfolios remain very short dated, complemented by some much longer dated government

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bonds and gold to act as downside hedges. On the positive side, there remain plenty of good quality businesses on attractive valuations, often with relatively low levels of dependency on the economy. Many parts of the market are now discounting very negative scenarios, with a lot of bad news already priced in to large parts of both the equity and bond markets.” The point about avoiding companies with high levels of debt is well made. When times get tough, the one thing you need is a healthy balance sheet. Debt quickly becomes a stranglehold around the best companies when the squeeze is on.

THE FUTURE DEPENDS ON OPTICS

SUDDEN, NON-SEASONAL, DECLINE The chart segments Chinese trade by direction on a monthly and three-month average YOY basis. Calculations based on China General Customs Administration data. Source: Panjiva.

CHINA/US Many of the concerns about the global economy centre of course on the spat between China and the US. An analysis from Panjiva, part of S&P Global Market Intelligence, states that although China’s exports may have slipped, the US is still a $4.3bn loser in the trade war.

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The report says: “China’s international trade activity dropped in December, Panjiva analysis of official data shows, with exports having fallen by 5.8% and imports by 4.4% in dollar terms and having risen by 0.2% and dropped by 3.1% respectively in yuan terms. The drop in exports is a particular concern given that was the first year-over-year decline in dollars since December 2016. The report continues: “Perhaps unsurprisingly a major culprit was trade with the United States. Exports to the US fell 3.7%, the first non-seasonal decline since October 2016. That would indicate an end to the pre-tariff purchasing rush by US buyers following an agreement between President Xi Jinping and President Donald Trump at the start of December to hold-fire on increases while trade negotiations take place. Exports to the US had previously climbed by 12.3% in the prior three months. “The negotiations continue until March, yet it is still clear that the US is a net loser from the tariffs. The decline in Chinese imports from the US accelerated to 35.8% on a year earlier from 10.3% in the prior three months. As a result Chinese imports from the US fell $5.80bn in December while exports fell $1.53bn, a net balance of $4.28bn “against” the US.”

UK: +44 (0) 1904 788600 GERMANY: +49 (0) 6131 5700-0 FRANCE: +33 (0) 820 207 555 sales@edmundoptics.eu

The pain of a tariff war, asymmetrically felt Chart segments Chinese with the US by direction on a monthly and three-month average basis. Calculations based on China General Customs Administration data. Source: Panjiva..

“Yet, trade with the US is not the only reason that Chinese exports fell. Shipments to Hong Kong were reported as having fallen by 26% – though that likely included volatile elements including gold – while exports to Taiwan dropped 1.7% and those to Japan by 1.0%. Those would suggest China’s economic problems are more widespread than simply the US trade war.

The US is not China’s only export problem Chart segments Chinese exports by counterparty. Calculations based on China General Customs Administration data. Source: Panjiva.

FINAL WORD

example), but whether that will tip certain key economies into recession, that, at the moment at least, appears unlikely.

All this said, as we sit here at the start of the new year, no-one quite knows how things will pan out. A slowing down looks likely, and in many ways this has to some effect come about through self-harm (China/US and Brexit for

Which means, 2019 should be another positive year for the machine vision industry, albeit a little trickier to navigate than previous years. MV

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LETâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S HEAR IT FOR LINE SCAN CAMERAS How to use a line scan camera, from EVT Eye Vision Technology, Germany

Line scan cameras often do not get the deserved attention in the world of machine vision. Because even in cases where the use of a line scan camera would be technically and economically of advantage, a matrix camera is used.

LINE SCAN CAMERAS ARE THE BETTER ALTERNATIVE

But despite that, line scan cameras are the only efficient solution for the inspection of endless materials such as steel bands, paper webs and glass sheets, etc.

Line scan cameras are the better alternative compared to matrix cameras, when inspecting moving sheet material for defects. The reason is a result of the difference in those two technologies:

Therefore line scan cameras such as the EyeCheck ZLS are for example used in the printing industry for the production of paper, when producing steel sheets, as well as in textile production, to detect and classify flaws in the material.

Matrix cameras either capture a fixed (synchronous) or variable (asynchronous) image sequence of a moving object. To capture endless material with this technology and check for defects, means that an overlapping of images is necessary. And that is not enough. The software has to laboriously rectify, cut and string together the images afterwards. But then why lose time, when line scan cameras offer a cost effective way to capture high resolution images, which then are passed onto the software on a standard PC for the evaluation.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE? A) ONLY ONE LINE AND THAT CONTINUOUSLY Line scan cameras only have one line of light sensitive image elements, which scan moving objects continuously in a high line (frame) rate. This means that in use the single pixels are read into a parallelly arranged horizontal register and then each pixel is converted into digital values. Those can then be processed by a PC and evaluated with an image processing software. For example steel sheets are used differently according to their quality. The image processing makes it possible that the flawless parts of steel sheet is used for the bonnet and the doors and the sheet with small flaws is used for the underbody.

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B) SYNCHRONOUS WITH THE SPEED When using a line scan camera, the object has to move in a reasonable speed below the camera, or in some cases

the camera is moved over the object. The challenge is to get the same resolution in the direction of the movement (y-direction) as in the direction of the object width (x-direction). Therefore the line frequency of the camera has to match the speed of the object, because otherwise the image is either stretched or compressed. In practice the band-conveyor change speed according to different influences such as load transfer, brake or speed-up application and therefore do not run with the same speed all the time. This means in most cases that an incremental encoder is used to match the line frequency to the speed of the inspected material. Because only then is an evaluation of the image with the software sensible an exact.

C) SETTING FOR THE LIGHT This successfully done, the light is another thing to mind. Because the system as it is now will deliver images in varying brightness, depending on the speed. The reason is the varying exposure time of the line scan sensor with varying line frequency. The integration time of the sensor remains constant with a timing signal. The configuration is carried out on the frame grabber and is conform with the maximally expected line frequency. In the end it need two things to work smoothly: steady resolution and steady lighting even when the line frequency changes.

THE SOFTWARE THAT FITS THE NEEDS Besides the many hardware components such as lighting, lens and frame grabber, also a powerful image processing software is important. The software is taking on the challenge of evaluating the plentiful data. The EyeVision software offers high flexibility and accuracy as well as user friendliness. Additionally the EyeVision software supports many hardware platforms.

INTELLIGENT LINE SCAN CAMERA With the intelligent line scan camera EyeCheck ZLS EVT offers the ultimate combination. The camera has an integrated FPGA, high resolution, evaluation directly on the camera, completely without a PC. Also the EyeVision software is already installed an the user gets a complete package: camera, processing unit, evaluation software. As fast and as easy to use as possible. EVT also has the matching lighting to complete the combination. This is not only true for line scan cameras. EVT offers its customers the EyeVision image processing software as well as cameras, lenses, lighting and the matching cables and accessories. In short every component for an image processing solution. MV

1.1"

For sensors and still only 39mm in diameter

The new Fujinon CF-ZA series. Small size, great ideas Especially developed for 1.1" sensors, the new CF-ZA series offers a high resolving power of 2.5Âľm pixel size and consistent brightness from the image center to the corners without vignetting â&#x20AC;&#x201C; for all six models with focal lengths from 8mm to 50mm. More at www.fujifilm.eu/fujinon. Fujinon. To see more is to know more.

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