Posted to News on 9th Oct 2010, 10:01
Camera for high-speed 3D scanning and colour imaging
Sick (UK) is launching the ColorRanger E high-speed 3D scanning and colour imaging camera for machine vision applications. This latest addition to the company's range of 3D sensors offers the functionality of a 3D camera with a line-scan colour camera to provide two modes of quality inspection within a single unit.
According to Sick, the new camera can significantly improve the ease, reliability and speed of the quality control process, as it can measure colour, shape, contrast, volume and height simultaneously. It is suitable for use in applications including food processing, electronics, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and building material production.
The ColorRanger E provides high-resolution RGB colour at up to 3072 pixels per channel. Moreover, using MultiSCan technology the camera can deliver simultaneous 3D colour information at more than 11kHz.
Multiple inspections can be performed in parallel, at full production speed, thereby reducing the need for multiple cameras. This can save investment, maintenance, labour costs and time, and makes it easier to combine data for analysis.
Colour adds a new dimension
David Hannaby, the Vision Systems Product Manager for Sick (UK), comments: "Height, shape and volume have traditionally been measured to ensure quality control; however, the ColorRanger E can enable the measurement of a totally new dimension - colour.
"Adding the ColorRanger E to the production process can deliver a level of quality assurance that can only be achieved by measuring colour; this is exceptionally important when aesthetics, for example, are a critical factor.
"More reliable inspections can be achieved by considering the measurement of both dimension and colour, enabling the manufacturer to reduce waste and save cost."
The ColorRanger E delivers high-quality 3D and multi-linear colour data, including RGB, near-infrared, IR and monochrome without IT content, on a Gigabit Ethernet communication interface - which facilitates convenient remote PC access for quality monitoring.
Colour is ensured by well separated colour filters of high spectral response, on-chip white balancing, and spatially corrected colour channel output. To eliminate interference from the different light sources used for 3D and colour imaging, the ColorRanger E has a filter option for light source separation.
For more information on the Sick ColorRanger E camera, contact Ann Attridge [email protected] or Andrea Hornby [email protected] on +44 (0)1727 831121.
