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Accurate and repeatable machine vision timing
Accurate and repeatable machine vision timing
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Accurate and repeatable timing plays an important role in machine vision. Synchronization can range from basics like setting correct camera exposures up to generating complex imaging sequences. While simple camera timing functions such as frame rate and exposure times can be set on the camera itself, much greater timing functionality can be provided by using a lighting controller with inbuilt sequencing functionality. A suitable lighting controller can handle the complex timing that is often needed for machine vision lighting systems where many applications, particularly on production lines, have several devices that need to be accurately sequenced. These devices might include component sensors, cameras, lighting and reject gates. Many Gardasoft lighting controllers also include sequencing functionality and Gardasoft also offers a dedicated, machine vision sequencing controller with eight independent input and output channels: the Gardasoft CC320.
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LED pulsing, overdriving and multi-light sequencing
Constant current LED lighting controllers can provide precise control of the pulse height (intensity), pulse width (duration) and pulse (triggering) frequency needed for the general pulsing and overdriving used so extensively in machine vision. Pulsing can be used to prolong the useful life of the light by turning it on only when required; to eliminate motion blur in high speed applications or to overdrive the light to deliver short pulses of light at higher intensity than the light’s normal rating. Multichannel lighting controllers enable the connection of more than one light and provide independent timing configurations for each channel. This enables complex lighting configurations to be achieved such as independent control of individual lights at multiple inspection stations or simultaneous or sequential triggering of multiple lights for image acquisition from a single camera.
Triggering and sequencing cameras, lighting and reject gates
Automated machine vision production line inspection solutions require accurate timing of component sensing and of triggering cameras, lighting and reject gates. The CC320 trigger timing controller can take a range of input signals from various components and use these to trigger events on any of the 8 independent output channels. By taking into account how the inputs trigger different outputs and which mode each output is in, it is possible to configure complex sequences of operation. Several outputs can be triggered by one input to give synchronous operation, or from separate inputs to give asynchronous operation of different functions.
Combined technology
If you would like to learn more about setting up and optimizing machine vision timing, see our free white paper Optimizing Machine Vision Timing.
White Paper: Optimising machine vision timing
