The world is analog
Steve Scheiber, Technical Editor -- Test & Measurement World, 2/1/2005
I have long contended "The world is analog—everything else is digital." Although you might find the remark to be facetious, it is a reminder that as we continue to increase the digital content of our daily lives, analog tools and the phenomena they process will not go away.
To digitize any aspect of the real world, you must sample the analog source, a process that produces only an approximation of the original. In machine-vision applications, the success of image acquisition and processing may depend on where along the line such sampling occurs.
| Read other articles from this Machine-Vision & Inspection Test Report:Combining AOI and x-rays for greater flexibility The world is analog Inspecting the future A common environment simplifies application development |
Using analog cameras along with a frame grabber to digitize images at the next step provides greater flexibility. Frame grabbers can support multiple cameras and can analyze and digitize images more quickly and more efficiently than cameras can. Improving digital resolution may require upgrading only the frame-grabber board rather than the cameras themselves, at considerable savings.
Manufacturers continue to address customers' needs for such "old hat" solutions. One such product, Coreco Imaging's X64-AN Quad, won a T&MW 2005 Best in Test award. Innovation sometimes looks backward as well as forward.
Contact Steve Scheiber at sscheiber@aol.com .
