December 02, 2014
As spotted in the latest Market Research Study by FRAMOS Technologies, fast interfaces like GigE and USB 3.0 Vision™ in vision technologies are one of the biggest game changers for the further development of machine vision. Currently manufacturers still rely heavily on CameraLink® coupled with currently used cameras creating strong demand from customers for frame grabbers to bridge the gap between speed and usability.
Pleoras iPORT CL-U3 External Frame Grabber FRAMOS was first to bring the plug-and-play usability and low-cost cabling advantages of USB3 Vision™ to Camera Link® installations allowing designers to cut the cost, improve usability, and reduce the complexity of vision systems by treating Camera Link cameras like plug-and-play USB 3.0 products.
Stefan Waizmann, Head of Product Management from Pleoras distributor FRAMOS explains: "Pleora's iPORT CL-U3 meets growing demand from equipment manufacturers for vision system solutions that leverage low-cost, easy-to-use video interfaces such as USB3 Vision. The iPORT CL-U3 allows manufacturers deploying Camera Link cameras in new vision systems or upgrade projects to benefit from USB3's economical cabling, straightforward installation, and compatibility with a wider range of computing platforms."
The iPORT CL-U3 External Frame Grabber products convert images from Camera Link Medium or Base cameras into a USB3 Vision-compliant video stream. The uncompressed video is transmitted with low, consistent latency over a USB 3.0 cable directly to existing ports on a computer or display. By eliminating the need for a Camera Link frame grabber in a PCIe slot, designers are free to choose from a broad selection of small form factor and low-power computing platforms, including laptops, embedded systems, and tablets. With Pleoras feature-rich eBUS™ SDK application, designers can rapidly prototype and deploy production-ready software supporting video transmission over 10 GigE, GigE, USB 3.0, and wireless using the same application programming interface (API).
Benefits of USB3 for microscopy and factory automation
In microscopy applications for life sciences, measurement, and quality control, transmitting microscopic images to a computer for analysis and observation, the iPORT CL-U3 allows designers to retain existing cameras, sensors, and optics while leveraging the ubiquitous computing platform support and simplified cabling of USB3. In comparison to previous systems with more complexity, bulky cabling and higher costs, the iPORT CL-U3 transmits images from the microscope camera over an off-the-shelf, thin, flexible USB 3.0 cable directly to a port on a laptop, single-board computer, or tablet. Integrated programmable logic converter (PLC) and GPIO capabilities allow end-users to control, trigger and synchronize the camera and other vision system elements.
The iPORT CL-U3 product family also includes models that deliver enhanced PLC and GPIO capabilities to minimize the effects of electrical noise, power over Camera Link (PoCL) to simplify cabling, and an extended -20°C to +65°C temperature operating range. In bin-picking or sorting robots for assembly and manufacturing lines, the image feed from a Camera Link Base or Medium line scan camera is converted at the source into USB3 Vision-compliant video by the iPORT CL-U3. Video, power and control is transmitted between the camera and image-processing computer over a single USB 3.0 cable. The thinner, lighter USB 3.0 cable is easier to route than bulky Camera Link cables, allowing faster setup and teardown of work cells for different products and short production runs.
Leveraging the onboard PLC, the iPORT CL-U3 uses input signals to accurately and deterministically control and trigger the camera and other vision systems elements, such as area sensors and lighting sources. The sophisticated real-time GPIO interfaces with all types of sensors, and employs differential signaling and high-threshold logic (HTL) techniques to minimize the effects of electrical noise.
