Free ePaper: CoaXPress for Multiple Camera Systems

A multiple camera (multi-camera) based vision system can provide a bigger field of view, faster throughput, greater detailed inspection or more measurement information, and possibly all combined for metrology and inspection equipment. 

Faster throughput requirements can be satisfied with a single high-speed camera or the larger field of view (FOV) needs are met with a single ultra high-resolution (i.e. 25 Megapixels) camera depending on the system implementation.  In certain circumstances, the necessary performance enhancements can be more efficiently achieved through a multiple camera vision system.

CoaXPress (CXP) is an ideal interface for linking together data from several cameras since CoaXPress has the ability to carry many channels of image data and meta-data, which makes the interface easily scalable. CoaXPress is a digital interface standard that allows the transmission of data from a device, for example a camera, to a host such as a frame grabber in a PC, at a high speed of up to 6.25Gbps over a single coax cable. 

Because multiple cameras can be linked via a single frame grabber and long, low cost coaxial cables and with absolute synchronization, an accurate system can be created.  For example, four (4) 8 Megapixel cameras at 16 fps each can be combined on a single frame grabber with a single cable per camera with power also over the cable greatly reducing the system complexity.

CoaXPress as an interface for multiple camera solutions in machine vision provides system builders the highest throughput improvement options.  In addition, greater flexibility is available as different non-similar cameras with varying speeds can be connected with the same PC/frame grabber architecture without any constraints in cable lengths and with low cabling costs.

If you have determined that a multi-camera vision system would increase the performance of your overall instrument, then CoaXPress may be the best interface to use if you have at least one of the following situations:

1. You need to utilize the full bandwidth of the cameras
2. You have limited cable space
3. You need long cable lengths
4. You want to combine cameras of different speeds
5. You want to combine cameras with different image sensor technologies (CCD and CMOS)
6. You have strict timing/synchronization requirements
7. You want to upgrade from analog
8. You want a system that does not overload the PC

Download our free ePaper for more information on multi-camera systems and ways to implement CoaXPress.