Princeton makes entire camera line GigE Vision-compliant

-- Test & Measurement World, 6/17/2008 8:50:00 AM

In addition to Camera Link and IEEE 1394a interfaces, Princeton Instruments’ MegaPlus family of high-resolution cameras now offers a GigE Vision data interface. The GigE Vision interface not only eliminates the need for expensive frame grabbers, but also enables data transmission over standard Cat-5e and Cat-6 cables at distances of up to 100 m. MegaPlus cameras provide resolutions ranging from 1.6 Mpixels to 16 Mpixels, as well as both active and passive cooling options.

“The unique architecture of MegaPlus cameras allows us to fully utilize the benefits of the new interface, while minimizing its limitations,” explains Ravi Guntupalli, Business Manager of Princeton’s Imaging and Industrial Groups. “For example, one of the issues associated with the GigE Vision standard is an increased load on the CPU, traditionally handled by a frame grabber. Fortunately, the MegaPlus platform’s extensive on-board FPGA-based image processing capabilities—such as RGB color interpolation, flat-field normalization, and defect correction—reduce the CPU load significantly.”

MegaPlus cameras are suitable for such vision applications as semiconductor inspection, particle imaging velocimetry, and aerial imaging.

Princeton Instruments, www.piacton.com.