Click HERE to see a great example of Machine Vision applied to a common "motor skills" game, where the user maneuvers a marble through a maze full of holes.  FastVision traditionally works on more "serious" applications.  Our cameras are found in such locations as Post Doc research labs to manufacturing shop floors and surgery rooms.  But, by studying this simplified application, the viewer can understand how a robotic device could perform better and more accurately than the human hand/eye coordination.  Add sensor technology to the high speed analysis of visual images dictating robotic responses, and the possibilities are endless.  An example of sensor technology in this same "Marble Navigation Box" application would be if the floor of the box had sensors in it.  As the marble progressed through the maze, the sensors could be programmed to signal the knobs to turn appropriately to help the marble avoid falling through the holes.

OR....the sensors could trigger "blocks" to pop up, or the holes to close up.  But, then, that would be cheating. 

When your factory is running today's high-speed production equipment, it can be very difficult to maintain a high standard of quality unless you are able to monitor every step of the manufacturing process. All parts and assemblies have a certified quality-control sample that they must be manufactured to match. When you use a machine vision camera and image-pattern-matching software, it becomes possible to maintain the highest standards of quality.

When you use a machine vision camera from Fast Vision placed at critical locations in your production line, the image-pattern-matching program can compare the captured image of a manufactured part or assembly to the approved quality-control sample. Based on the established pass/fail parameters, adjustments can be made without shutting down to keep everything within acceptable limits and significantly reduce the number of rejected parts or assemblies in each production run.

The past decade  has seen huge progress in CMOS Image Sensor (CIS). Not only have the imagers seen drastic performance improvements. The phone camera has led the dramatic growth of imaging markets overall, and digital still camera manufacturers are adopting CIS to support Full HD video capture. Digital camera technology is highly focused on image quality, and manufacturers previously have been reluctant to use CIS rather than CCD.

This is why FastVision selected the CMOS Sensor from Panavision Imaging Division, specifically the Dynamax 3.2Mp sensor for FastVision's newest cameras -- the FC 200 and FC 300.   The unique, patented Active Column Sensor (ACS®) technology from Panavision's Dynamax family of CMOS sensors have demonstrated advantages over CCD and other CMOS technologies.  This allows FastVision's newest cameras to achieve  ultra-low noise levels while operating at high frame rates with wide dynamic range, in either global shutter or rolling shutter modes.

The FastCamera 200 is a high‐speed 2 megapixel digital camera system, using a CMOS imager with an electronic global shutter. This camera has a the option of a high‐speed, scalable, integrated FPGA, image processor, and memory subsystem which enables stand‐alone high speed in camera image processing and extended storage.

Options include back thinned versions with high QE in the visible and NIR range, ruggedized, Camera Link output. When integrated with a high powered frame grabber /coprocessor board, the resulting system capabilities can be expanded by adding processors and memory on the board according to the needs of the user.  Appropriate applications are in medical, military, and manufacturing.

Excerpt from Science Daily (with input from Jet Propulsion Laboratory):

ScienceDaily (July 11, 2012) — Neurosurgeons and researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and the Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute are adapting an ultraviolet camera to possibly bring planet-exploring technology into the operating room.

If the system works when focused on brain tissue, it could give surgeons a real-time view of changes invisible to the naked eye and unapparent even with magnification of current medical imaging technologies. The pilot study seeks to determine if the camera provides visual detail that might help surgeons distinguish areas of healthy brain from deadly tumors called gliomas, which have irregular borders as they spread into normal tissue.

"Our goal is to revolutionize the way neurological disorders are treated. Ultraviolet imaging is one of several intraoperative technologies we are pursuing," commented Keith L. Black, MD, chair of the Department of Neurosurgery.

From a notice of a new market research report: "The Industrial Automation Equipment (IAE) report consists of top-level coverage of 42 product markets, compiled from over 25 syndicated IMS Research reports. Unit shipments have been included for the first time, as well as coverage of several products within the power transmission equipment section. The IAE report presents each product market by major geographic region, and discusses overarching trends for the total IAE market, motors & motor controls, automation equipment, and power transmission equipment. The study also presents market shares by these categories on a global level and by major geographic region. A few key findings from the report include:

• The global IAE market was estimated to be worth $145.9 billion in 2011, and is forecast to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.1% between 2007 and 2015 to reach $204.7 billion in 2015.
• In terms of unit shipments, the global industrial automation equipment market was estimated to comprise 482.5 million units. Due to slight increases in the pricing of certain product types, unit shipments are forecast to grow slower, at a CAGR of 5.0% between 2007 and 2015.
• All regions grew by double-digit rates in 2011 for total industrial automation, with EMEA, Americas, and Asia Pacific growing by 11.0%, 11.8%, and 13.8% respectively."

FastVision's new FC 300 might be useful for ophthalmologists, with output similar to Optical Coherence Tomography.  The FC 300 is a camera that can capture repetitive images of the retina in a low-light situation.

FastVision's new camera offers low noise, and a frame rate allowing the possible acquisition of 1000 windows of interest per second.  

If you suddenly start having quality problems with your automated production line, you need to take the necessary steps to correct the issue. The first thing you need to do is find out where the problem lies; if you cannot do this, you are going to be making poor quality products for a long time. One way to find out what is going on is to install a stop action camera machine vision system in your production line.

FastVision Can Build a Stop Action Machine Vision System for You

We can build a complete machine vision system for you that will allow you to install a stop action camera at several strategic locations in your production line. This will make it possible for you to inspect the manufacturing process, one frame at a time, and see exactly where the problem is occurring. This way, you will be able to take the appropriate action needed to correct the problem and bring your quality back up to spec.

A collaborative new product from FastVision, LLC and frame grabber manufacturer, Alacron, the new FC 300 utilizes the new CMOS sensor from Panavision Imaging. “Panavision Imaging now offers one of the quietest CMOS sensor designs in the world,” says Dr. Joseph Sgro, CEO of Alacron, Inc. and FastVision, LLC. “Our new FC300 camera reflects many advantages of this new sensor including low cost and high speed of 3.2 megapixels running at 180 frames per second.”

Sgro explains that this technology can be made into a back-side imager (BSI) with delta doping (DD) and anti-reflective (AR) coating. The FC 300 incorporates Jet Propulsion Laboratory's patented delta doping process.

Possible applications for the new camera include medical, military (used for NIR -- near infrared), and manufacturing, as well as outer space exploration.  "With it's anti-reflective coating, the new camera can survive the rigors of outspace, while producing clear images in very low light situations," Sgro explains.