Low noise, high sensitivity CCD cameras

JAI today announced the official release of two new members of the C3 Basic series. These new 1.4 megapixel cameras with GigE Vision interface – the BM-141GE (monochrome) and the BB-141GE (Bayer color) - can be used for a variety of machine vision applications, but are particularly well suited for outdoor applications, which are characterized by wide ranging and continuously changing lighting conditions. With their megapixel resolution, outstanding image quality, and high level of automated operation, these new cameras provide a combination of high performance features well beyond that available from typical small format traffic and security cameras – both interlaced and progressive. The BM-141GE and BB-141GE are designed around Sony’s popular ICX-285 2/3” progressive scan CCD (1392 x 1040 pixels) providing excellent sensitivity and spectral response. This sensor uses its 6.45 µm pixel size and improved microlens technology to provide higher overall sensitivity (as low as 0.03 lux) with low smear characteristics. It also features extended spectral response in the near-IR region offering roughly 4X the sensitivity of conventional sensors at a 945 nm wavelength. Through a combination of sophisticated circuit design and thermal management techniques, the BM-141GE and BB-141GE deliver a signal-to-noise ratio of greater than 58 dB, producing high quality images even in nighttime illuminated situations. Both cameras feature an advanced Automatic Exposure Function that can simultaneously control gain, shutter, and lens iris to maintain optimum exposure levels across a wide range of changing lighting conditions as often occurs in outdoor surveillance/security and traffic applications. The BM/BB-141GE cameras offer pre-set shutter speeds up to 1/10,000 second and programmable exposures as short as 63 µs for capturing fast moving objects. A variety of trigger modes are provided including reset continuous triggering (RCT) which enables the camera to operate in continuous mode while awaiting a trigger signal. This allows triggering to be used without sacrificing the cameras’ auto exposure capabilities. With the “decimation readout” feature, it is possible to “thin out” the number of lines read out from the CCD chip to obtain a “draft mode” image. This “draft mode” is particularly useful in traffic and security applications characterized by “idle” time between events. During the “idle” time the camera runs in draft mode (with reduced image size) which will free up data transmission bandwidth and save computing power. Other features such as sequence trigger mode, fixed/variable partial scanning, pre-processing together with a fast pixel clock frequency (58MHz), 30 frames/sec and NIR-capabilities, also position these cameras as particularly useful for demanding machine vision applications as well as food sorting and medical applications (life science and spectroscopy identifying or investigating sample composition of human tissue). The JAI GigE Vision Camera Software package contains all SDK components required for easily integrating the cameras into vision applications. The SDK also contains JAI control tool and a highly efficient filter driver.