Block Camera Functions Now Controllable Via USB 2.0 inside Customized Housing Assembly

Sony’s FCB standard definition block cameras are now available with USB-2.0 offering power, video, and controls over the same connector in the USB 2.0 housing kit configuration available from Aegis Electronic Group, Inc.

USB 2.0 is still the favored interface used throughout the world do to the simplicity of use and inexpensive cost associated with the integration of USB systems, therefore this was the next logical step in the establishment of such a noteworthy block camera assembly line.

Available in 10X, 18X, 26X or 36X zoom, camera functions including auto focus, auto iris and auto zoom are controlled via RS232 and are Direct Show Compatible with Windows.

Housing kits include an FCB analog zoom block camera, Interface board and custom panel mount connectors or cabling inside a black, cold rolled steel housing that can be customized to meet individual application needs.  Assembly also includes a 1/4-20 mount bracket assembly.  Dimensions: 107.95 D x 61.976 T x 63.5 W.

Other output configurations available include HD component, HDSDI, Flying leads, Panel Mount Power connector with Panel Mount 9 Pin d-sub or Panel Mount 12 Pin Hirose connector.

Custom cabling configurations and length options are also available, please contact a sales representative for more information.

Back to Camera Basics: Things You Need To Know Before Choosing Your Industrial Camera

I’ve mentioned this in the past, but always like to refer back to it because understanding the basic parameters of what you need for your imaging application is crucial to not only successfully finding the right camera but it cuts your research time literally in half because you already know a little bit about what you are looking for.

So, what are the five initial parameters that you should figure out before embarking on your camera quest? Field of View, Working Distance, Minimum resolution needed (or preferred), Object depth  and Lighting Requirements.  One might immediately become overwhelmed with the thought of trying to figure this information out on there own, but once you break it down it’s relatively simple.

1. Field Of View (FOV):
   The area of the object that will be viewed on the monitor.
2. Resolution:
   The smallest resolvable feature of the object.
3. Minimum and Maximum Working Distances:
   Measurement from objective lens to the object.
4. Depth Of Field Requirement:
   Maximum object depth needed in focus
5. Lighting/Illumination:
   How much light do you have versus how much lighting do you need

Once these details are assertained, next comes the task of finding the right components to go with your new camera (i.e. lenses, cables, capture cards, monitors, etc.).  It’s important that you select components that operate at the same performance level as your camera.  You wouldn’t pay extra to have high definition cable channels when you don’t have an HD capable television, right? The same rules apply to camera systems…why spend money on a high resolution camera and lens when  you are going to be looking at the images on a low resolution monitor? Just doesn’t make much sense.

The other important factor to take into consideration is “future consideration”.  High quality camera systems are by no means inexpensive, and when I mean inexpensive, I am comparing them to the $20-$200 cameras you will find in electronics warehouses or various internet sites.  High quality “industrial camera systems” can run as low as $300 and as high as tens of thousands of dollars.  Either way, a quality system is going to be not only a financial investment but an investment in your time and energy as you tirelessly search for the right system at the right price.  Given this required investment, it is crucial to keep in mind how this system will be able to adapt to application changes in the future.

An example off the top of my head is the Sony EVI-HD1 SD/HD PTZ camera, the list price on this particular camera is $4,028.  Amazing image quality and performance aside, the point I am trying to convey is that even though this camera is expensive what people do not realize is that it can be used in both standard definition and high definition, it is switchable.  People buy this camera and use it in standard definition until the day they decide to transition to high definition.  When that day comes, a switch on the camera is flipped to HD and an HD frame grabber is purchased and they’ve got an upgraded system with minimal additional investment.

Not all systems are switchable but the system components can be purchased in such a way that makes them interchangable for future applications if/when the need arises.

After absorbing all the information I just put other there, it’s at moments like these when people realize just how valuable camera distributors are to those looking to purchase and integrate camera systems.  Manufacturer’s distributors typically know the products they sell backwards and forwards.  They can tell you what components go with what cameras and will even do most of the work for you in terms of giving you the best camera options available on the market for any particular application.  Camera systems purchased through distribution may cost a little more then finding a camera on an internet shopping site, but that’s because there is an actual person in the background making sure that you are purchasing exactly what you need rather then what you think you need. That same person is also only a phone call or email away when issues arise during the integration process and the camera system is not working like you need it to, most one stop internet sites do not offer that level of customer service, they typically only offer a manufacturer’s warranty for the components purchased.

Anyway, back to the point…there’s a lot to know about finding the right camera system for your application and it all begins with knowing the basics of what you need.

Back to Camera Basics: C-mount and CS-mount Lenses

C and CS-mount are both threaded lens mounts found on a majority of industrial CCD cameras and lenses. The difference between C and CS-mount equipment is called the flange back distance.  The flange back distance is the distance between where the lens comes in contact with the camera (the flange) and where the CCD sensor must be positioned (the focal plane or focal point).

12 mm f/1.2 C-Mount lens with a C-Mount to CS-Mount adapter

On C-mount lenses, the flange back distance is 17.52mm (0.69 inch) and on CS-mount lenses it is 12.52mm (0.49). Both the C-Mount and CS-Mount lenses are 1 inch in diameter with 32 threads per inch (TPI). Unless the camera has a built-in flange-back adjusting ring, a C-Ring (5mm spacer ring) is required when a C-Mount lens is to be mounted to a CS-Mount camera.

One thing to remember is that CS-Mount cameras are always compatible with C- or CS-Mount lenses but C-Mount cameras are not compatible with CS-Mount lenses.  Basically, if you have a CS-mount camera and a C-mount lens, you can add a 5mm spacer (C-ring) to obtain the correct focus but if you have a C-mount camera and a CS-mount lens, correct focus cannot be achieved.

Fog, smoke, snow, and rain are no match for this new surveillance lens technology – Pentax introduces their new mid, and long range zoom PAIR lenses

GOLDEN, CO (November 17, 2009)…PENTAX Imaging Company has announced new technology to overcome the big challenges of the atmospheric interference of fog, snow, and haze in outdoor live security surveillance. PENTAX Atmospheric Interference Reduction (PAIR) system technology offers newly developed image processing circuitry installed directly within PENTAX lens housings with specific step by step signal processing for each lens characteristic

The primary advantages of in-camera PAIR technology include:

• No image adjustment requirements.
• Real-time clear images available immediately after video switching with multiple cameras.
• Removable noise (graininess) that is caused by solid particles such as snow, smoke, or sand or by liquid particles such as fog and rain.
• Color image reproduction for more accurate information.
• Half the cost of dedicated devices such as image enhancers and/or element cancellation devices.
• Autofocus.

“PAIR technology entirely eliminates the need for more expensive, separate fog cancellation devices that require multiple cameras with individual adjustments.” said Tom Harada, Managing Director of Security Systems and Machine Vision Optics, PENTAX Imaging Company.

PENTAX PAIR ZOOM LENS MODELS FEATURING NEW TECHNOLOGY

Ｈ５５ＺＡＭＥ-Ｆ-ＰＡＩＲ01
1/2 INCH 55X ZOOM LENS

f=12mm～660mm（～1680mm with 2.5x EXTENDER）F4.0～360*
(*model most suitable for border/harbor patrol surveillance)

Ｈ３３ＺＭＥ-Ｆ-ＰＡＩＲ01
1/2 INCH 33X ZOOM LENS
f=10～330mm F1.5～560**

Ｈ２０ＺＡＭＥ-Ｆ-ＰＡＩＲ01

1/2 INCH 20X ZOOM LENS
f=12～240mm F1.6～720**
(**models most suitable for railway, highway and guard post surveillance)

FACTS ABOUT THE PENTAX PAIR ZOOM LENSES

• Real-time image reproduction against atmospheric interference
  • Reduction of noise caused by liquid particles fog, haze, and solid particles snow, smoke, sand
  • Reproduction of saturated image by high-light.
  • Cancellation of noise caused at dusk.

• Simple and easy adaptability
  • Auto-Focus Function.
  • Simple Protocol of RS-232C with fine-tuned lens control.
  • Compatible with any camera.
  • Edge and contrast enhancement by video parameter change.
  • Quick, easy switching between pre-process, and post-process images.

Far Reaching Imaging Requires the Flexibility of SONY’s XCG Gigabit Ethernet Cameras

While Sony VIP was one of the last camera manufacturers on the market to release their signature line of Gigabit Ethernet (GigE) cameras, the quality of these four cameras is certainly not the lowest found.  The first interface standard to allow fast transfers (1000 Mbps) of data using standard low cost cables over long lengths of up to 100 meters, GigE Vision cameras have become ideal for large-scale system applications where accuracy, speed, sensitivity and picture quality are a must.

SONY XCG-Series GigE Vision Industrial Cameras

Offering resolution options of up to 5 Megapixels (Mp), frame rates of up to 90 frame per second (fps), the flexibility of near IR capabilities and sequential trigger, the XCG series has a camera for everyone requiring high-bandwidth data capabilities over long distances (distance between the camera and the host computer).

XCG-5005E is a (2448 x 2048 resolution / 5 Mega Pixel) monochrome 2/3 type progressive scan IT CCD @ 15fps

XCG-U100E is a (1600 x 1200 resolution / UXGA) monochrome 1/1.8-type progressive scan IT CCD @ 15fps

XCG-SX97E is a (1360 x 1024 resolution / SXGA) monochrome 2/3-type progressive scan IT CCD @ 16fps

XCG-V60E is a (640 x 480 resolution / VGA) monochrome 1/3-type progressive scan IT CCD @ 90fps

The best part of this series is that no matter which of the four you choose they all deliver amazing sensitivity and picture quality as one comes to expect from a high quality Sony camera.  High performance applications for these cameras include (but is certainly not limited to): Parts Inspection, Pattern Recognition, Quality Control, High-end security, 1D/2D readers and Medical/Biomedical purposes.

UK Report Findings Show the Benefits of Industrial Speed Cameras Go Beyond Traffic Control

Governments have reasons for deploying traffic enforcement cameras—the safety of motorists and pedestrians and raising local revenues, for example.

But across the Atlantic, the United Kingdom’s Sustainable Development Commission has some bigger ideas. Speed cameras and related technologies to influence driver behavior can also reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the commission said in a 64-page report, “Smarter Moves,” released January 25.

The report suggests several ways information technologies can save energy; it advocates more videoconferencing, carpooling, mass transportation and telecommuting to reduce travel, for example.

Enforcement cams, like this one from American Traffic Solutions, can slash emissions as they reduce speeds, the UKSDC says.

But in the United Kingdom, where license plate recognition technology already tracks more than 1 million vehicle movements a day, the commission envisions much, much more.

To slow traffic, the commission wants speed cameras. And not just the kind that measure speed at a single spot that can be dodged by briefly slowing down, but also networked cameras those that measure average speed over a distance, making them harder to avoid. More than half of all drivers exceed speed limits, so there’s plenty of behavior to influence, the commission notes. It also advocates changing the speed limits in residential areas to 20 mph, where currently 49 percent of motorists top 30 mph.

But there’s more. How about “intelligent speed adaption,” along with automated braking systems, technology that could advise (or maybe force) drivers to follow local limits? “A GPS-based database of speed limits can be linked into a vehicle’s cruise control system to automatically set cruise speeds,” the report notes, calling for a timetable on the implementation.

That technology—already in effect in some fleets—could save 25 million “tonnes” of carbon over 60 years in the United Kingdom, the commission said.

Then there are pay-as-you-go insurance schemes: Your insurance company installs a GPS tracking device, and you pay in proportion to miles driven, the thinking goes. Some politicians in the United Stated have also embraced the promise of this technology to track road use, replacing (or supplementing) fuel taxes.

Similar tracking technology could educate drivers on “green” driving, alerting them to inefficient actions like quick acceleration and braking.

The complete report is available here.

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2010, February 1. Can Speed Cameras Save the Planet? GovernmentVideo.com.  Retrieved on February 2, 2010 from http://www.governmentvideo.com/article/91798.