Smart cameras gain open-source platform
Vision Award recognizes innovative business model of the LeanXcam smart camera.
By Ann R. Thryft, Contributing Technical Editor -- Test & Measurement World, 1/26/2009 11:23:00 AM
The 2008 Vision Award, presented November 4 during Vision 2008 in Stuttgart, went to Supercomputing Systems, makers of the LeanXcam smart camera based on open-source hardware and software. Reto Baettig, head of the company’s vision department, said that the award was made for innovation in the business model on which the camera is based.
“Cameras like this one are not new in machine vision,” said Baettig. “But up to now, they have always been higher priced and sold with a complex, expensive software package.” Supercomputing Systems is offering an open-source system to reduce costs and enable vision applications in mid-volume segments that require the automation of tasks such as bar-code reading or product identification. The LeanXcam is suited for use with cost-sensitive products manufactured in volumes of a few hundred to a few thousand per year, an area not currently being served, Baettig said.
The camera’s hardware design has been simplified and the cost per system greatly reduced, to under 200 euros, said Baettig. Hardware includes a 60-fps, WVGA (wide VGA) CMOS image sensor, a 500-MHz DSP (digital signal processor), and Ethernet I/O. The camera can be purchased as a system, or its schematics, layout, and bill of materials list are available free of charge.
The LeanXcam runs the open-source µClinux operating system. In addition, a software framework and integrated development environment, designed by Supercomputing Systems, are distributed under the LGPL v2 open-source license.
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