5 Reasons to use a Machine Vision Lighting Controller
Lighting controllers can improve machine vision performance and save money
Accurate control of machine vision lighting can bring many benefits from delivering consistent measurements to reducing the number of components required in a vision system. A new Application Note highlights 5 powerful reasons to use a dedicated lighting controller.
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Consistent light levels
Consistent light levels are essential to guarantee repeatable results in machine vision systems since a small change in illumination intensity can result in a significant variation in measured values. A number of factors including the age and temperature of the LED can affect the illumination intensity. A constant current lighting controller enables precise control of the light output to compensate for these and other factors and maintain consistent light levels.
Pulsing/strobing the light
There are a number of situations where strobing or pulsing the LED can be beneficial. One application is high speed inspection where pulsing the light at the appropriate rate prevents motion blur in the image, effectively ‘freezing’ the motion. Overdriving is another important application where the LED is driven ins short pulses at a higher current than the specified maximum value in order to increase the light output intensity. This approach can be used when there is insufficient light intensity under normal operating conditions to obtain sufficient detail in the image.
Multiple images from a single camera
A dedicated lighting controller can trigger the several lights at different intensities and for different durations in a defined sequence. This enables a sequence of images of an object to be obtained using a single camera under a variety of lighting schemes. This can eliminate the need for multiple cameras, saving both on cost and space.
Ethernet communication
Lighting controllers offering Ethernet communication provide great flexibility. They can be easily configured remotely using a web interface. This enables the lighting to be easily changed for different batches as well as facilitating remote troubleshooting.
Application Note: 5 Reasons To Use A Lighting Controller In Machine Vision
Saving money
The use of lighting controllers in machine vision systems can save money in a variety of ways from increasing LED lifetime to simplifying the system set up and reducing the amount of hardware required. In addition, improved measurement repeatability leads to reduced waste and fewer product returns.
