Transcript
illunis Expands the High Resolution Camera Market with the New RMV-71
By: David Krekelberg
One constant of technological development is continuous evolutionary change. Specifically in the machine vision market, cameras are being developed into smaller, less expensive, and higher resolution devices. The RMV-71 Megapixel, which is designed and manufactured by illunis, is a perfect example of a CMOS camera that has evolved into a device that has higher resolution, a lower cost, and can adapt to multiple applications. The RMV-71 incorporates the CMOSIS CHR70M CMOS image sensor with a resolution of 10,000 x 7096 pixels. This sensor is comprised of 3.1µm x 3.1µm pixels in a rolling shutter configuration. With an active area of 31mm x 22mm, the RMV-71 camera can use a standard lens developed for 35mm sensors. This type of sensor is available in Bayer with micro lenses, monochrome with and without micro lenses, and special high grade monochrome versions.
illunis has added extensive image processing to the RMV-71 to maximize the image quality achieved by the sensor. Such a large sensor cannot be efficiently manufactured without significant defects; therefore, these deficiencies must be addressed in the design of the camera. The RMV-71 corrects these defects in Pixels, Rows, and Columns in both color and monochrome configurations. In addition, the RMV-71 adds flat field correction to all columns of the CMOS sensor as well as dynamic hot pixel substitution. This image processing chain produces excellent image quality in a wide range of illumination and exposure.
When compared to existing high resolution cameras, the RMV-71 has significant advantages in many markets. The fact that the sensor is a rolling shutter device limits the application universe, so many important factors must be considered before choosing the RMV-71 as a solution. Table 1 illustrates contemporary high resolution sensors with the specifications of the CHR70M. For very high resolution applications the RMV-71 provides a distinct advantage, because it is two times faster and less than half the cost of a CCD camera. In certain markets such as document scanning, the RMV-71 readout is 5.8 times faster than the KAF-50100 sensor and does not require a mechanical shutter.
Sensor Resolu on Op cal Format Max fps RMV‐71 @ res Shu er CDS Well depth ENOB Readout Taps Cost
CHR70M 10,000x7096 35mm 4.2 4.2 RS Yes 13Ke 10+ 8 1X
KAI‐29050 6576x4384 35mm 4.0 9.8 GS Yes 20Ke 11 4 2.5X
KAI‐16070 4864x3232 35mm 8.0 16.8 GS Yes 44Ke 11+ 4 2.4X
KAF‐50100 8176x6132 Medium 1.0 5.8 Mechanical Yes 40ke 12+ 4 4X
Comment Ac ve pixels Lens required illunis camera CHR70M ROI ‐ ‐ ‐ Effec ve # Bits ‐ 1 pc. retail
Table 1. High Resolution CCD vs RMV-71 Comparison
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The RMV-71 offers unique flexibility through the ability to control the region of interest readout (ROI). As the ROI area is decreased, the frame rate is increased providing very high resolution images in real time. The ROI is programmable in units of 16 columns by 8 rows and can be orientated anywhere on the sensor. An 8X sub-sampling mode is also provided to increase frame rates for fast preview. Table 2 shows the readout speed of common image formats.
ROI Resolu on Fps
Full raster
4K UHD
HD
Panorama
10,000x7096 4.22
3840x2160 30.36
1920x1080 96.45
10,000x1000 29.97
Table 2. RMV-71 Region of Interest Readout Speeds
Two form factors of the RMV-71 have been developed by illunis to meet market demand. The original RMV-71 was developed for document scanning and LCD inspection markets (Fig. 1). The RMV-71 can be provided with or without a lens mount and is available in Camera Link as a medium format or base format output. The RMV-71 is also available in a USB 3.0 version for cost sensitive applications. The second version of the RMV-71 is named the RMOD-71 (Fig. 2). The RMOD-71 incorporates the same features as the RMV-71, but in a smaller form factor. The RMOD-71 can also be provided as a small OEM camera block or as a complete camera (Fig. 3). This OEM module is designed to be used within an array configuration that can be used to image a Giga Pixel image at four frames per second. The standard RMOD-71 includes active cooling and a CNC machined case for maximum performance for industrial applications. Table 3 shows the differences between the RMV-71 and the RMOD-71.
Fig. 1 RMV-71
Fig. 2 RMOD-71
Fig. 3 RMOD-71 OEM Module
Camera Model
RMV‐71
RMOD‐71
Comments
Sensor Data Format
CHR70M Camera Link base and medi‐ um, USB3
CHR70M Camera Link base and medi‐ um, USB3, and raw data
Sensor is 3pt mounted Flexible output in 8 or 12 bits per pixel
Cooling
Heat Sink, no Fan
Fan, ac ve cooling
Unique Feature Expansion Feature
OLED status display Lens mount
For lower dark current for long exposures Very small OEM module User friendly OEM module used in 4x4 array allows GPix
Table 3. RMV-71 vs RMOD Features
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The flexibility of the CMOSIS CHR70M sensor provides unique advantages for imaging applications. For example, in markets such as security and surveillance, the ROI feature can be used to balance imaging area/resolution versus readout speed. The same camera hardware can be used for very high resolution images of large areas as well as high frame rate HD images for tracking specific targets. For document imaging the sensor is unmatched in area and frame rate. For instance, the RMV-71 camera configuration can be used silently in sensitive environments such as libraries and churches. For industrial, medical, and scientific applications the high resolution is a benefit to productivity. Unfortunately, due to development restrictions, the CHR70M is not available for biometric applications. Both the RMV-71 and the RMOD-71 can be integrated as Camera link, in base or medium modes, or as a USB3 device. Special OEM versions are available.
The high resolution camera market is rapidly expanding as new sensors are introduced. By applying years of research and development experience, the team at illunis has created a new benchmark imaging platform with the RMV71 Megapixel camera series. This camera provides the highest resolution readout, flexible imaging parameters, and a lower cost to enhance industrial, medical, document imaging, and LCD inspection solutions. illunis has provided off the shelf and custom OEMs cameras for over fifteen years to hundred’s of customers worldwide. For more information about the RMV-71 and RMOD-71 and to learn more about the complete illunis product offering please www.illunis.com or www.illunis.cn.
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