Integration of Cameras and Frame Grabbers into Industrial Machine Tools

The integration of cameras and frame grabbers into industrial machine tools is becoming increasingly common as the demand for increased automation and inspection in the manufacturing process grows. The integration of cameras and frame grabbers into machine tools provides several benefits including improved process control, reduced inspection time, and enhanced product quality.

Cameras can be used for several applications in industrial machine tools including in-process inspection, measurement, and monitoring of the production process. The image sensors in these industrial, machine vision, cameras range throughout the visible spectrum to infra-red and near-infrared (NIR image sensors). The computer system is then used to process the images, extract relevant information, and provide feedback to the machine tool for process control and optimization. There are many manufacturers currently producing industrial cameras to the machine vision market, including Kaya Instruments, Allied Vision, Zeiss, Matrox & Basler to name but a few.

Frame grabbers are important components in the integration of cameras and machine tools as they transfer the image data from the camera to the computer system. Among the many industry standard interfaces (or machine vision standards and protocols), the advanced CoaXPress (CXP), CameraLink (CL cameras) and Camera Link High Speed (CLHS) interfaces require frame grabbers, whereas Ethernet and USB based cameras, such as USB3 cameras and GigE Vision cameras, can usually be connected without a frame grabber.  HD-SDI cameras, and even GigE Vision cameras, benefit from frame grabbers in that compute-intensive image pre-processing that curates the image relieves compute burden on the host CPU. Often, the host will additionally have a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) that will be used to further process images from the machine vision image capture system. Frame grabbers are integrated into the host machine vision system using industry standards such PCI Express (PCIe) for CameraLink, CLHS and CoaXPress, Ethernet cards, or USB, as well as SFP+ cages and connectors for a fibre-optic connection.

The CoaXPress Machine Vision Interface in Industrial Machine Tools

CoaXPress is an industry standard for high-speed machine vision cameras and data transmission, finding application in industrial machine tools and much else. Abbreviated to CXP, it is now in its 2nd Generation, although all CoaXPress Versions CXP1.0, CXP1.1 and CXP 2.0 are all available. Better still, they are both forward and backwards compatible, meaning only components need be added or replaced, enabling all installed systems and infrastructure to continue to work seamlessly. 

CoaXPress provides high-speed data transfer rates of up to 12.5 Gigabits per second (Gbps, or often simply “CoaXPress 12G”) per channel, making it possible to transfer large amounts of image data from a machine vision camera via a frame grabber to a computer system in near real-time.

In industrial machine tools, CoaXPress cameras are used for various applications such as optimization, process control, inspection, and measurement. Some machine vision solutions providers have specialized on the future-oriented, forward-facing CoaXPress interface for cameras and frame grabbers because of the power and versatility of CXP for data throughput and image processing.

The cameras are connected to a frame grabber, which helps to transfer the image data from the camera to a computer system. The computer system is then used to process the images, extract relevant information, and provide feedback to the machine tool for process control and optimization.

CoaXPress offers several advantages over traditional machine vision interfaces such as USB and Firewire. One of the main advantages is its high-speed data transfer rate, which makes it possible to process large amounts of image data in real-time. Additionally, CoaXPress supports long cable lengths of up to 40 meters, making it possible to place cameras at a distance from the computer system while still maintaining high data transfer rates.

In conclusion, CoaXPress is a widely used interface standard for high-speed machine vision cameras in industrial machine tools. It provides high-speed data transfer, long cable lengths, and real-time image processing capabilities, making it a powerful tool for various applications such as process control, inspection, and measurement.