Boston, MA, May 5, 2004--At the Vision Show East, Dalsa Corporation (Waterloo, Ont., Canada) announced its development of the world's first 12,000-pixel line-scan sensor and camera. The new camera architecture is in production and will be commercially available to general markets in late 2004.
Prior to this announcement, line-scan cameras provided only up to four outputs; the new camera offers twice the throughput. This camera's 12k pixels minimize the number of cameras and peripherals needed for web inspection, thus lowering system costs. In web inspection, a continuous sheet of paper or other material in the process of being manufactured moves at high speed past one or more cameras, which continuously examine the web for flaws. For example, two different substrates can be merged, and the vision system must inspect for proper adhesion and form. In addition, the cameras must be on the lookout for proper display of graphic elements, evidence of foreign particles, and tab placement. Because such webs can be very wide, many cameras in a row are often needed to inspect to sufficient detail; the greater the number of pixels in a line-scan camera, the fewer cameras are needed.
Specifications for the 12,000-pixel camera will be released in the fourth quarter of 2004. (Other line-scan cameras by Dalsa have resolutions to 8192 pixels for a standard line scan at data rates to 160 MHz.and line rates to 79 kHz.)
The Vision Show East (May 4-6) is held by the Automated Imaging association (Ann Arbor, MI).
