How to Get the Best Image Quality from PixeLINK Cameras
PixeLINK CMOS and CCD high-performance monochrome and color cameras produce stunning image quality. Regardless of which model you choose for your machine vision application, PixeLINK delivers precision, reliability and simplicity for system integration.
By following these simple procedures, PixeLINK users can capture crisp images in any application. To begin, plug in the camera and open its software. Start in the preview window. Next, configure the Region of Interest to get the proper field of view.
Configure the camera’s settings so that all blacks are black and no areas in the image are saturated. Do this by adjusting the lens, lighting, exposure, brightness, and gain. Enabling auto exposure is a good place to start. PixeLINK cameras include a histogram tool that can be used to ensure an image is not saturated.
For color cameras, it’s best to set the white balance to match the temperature of the light source. Use the Auto White Shading and Auto White Balance feature to set the camera’s white point. Now ensure that the highest intensity areas are white or gray. Gray is better than bright white. Saturation is adjusted to get the best color while Gamma control settings adjust image contrast.
All digital cameras have temporal and pattern noise. Noise results in image artifacts and, therefore, poor image quality. PixeLINK cameras use a pixel-by-pixel flat-field correction (FFC) to correct for pattern noise. FFC is factory calibrated at zero gain with a standard light source and no lens. Users should perform an FFC calibration in the field with the applicable lighting and lens.
The PixeLINK Camera Kit and SDK include an FFC wizard. Users should first determine the exposure and gain settings to be used in their application before evaluating the camera on image quality. If it’s not possible to set a single gain or exposure setting, practical limits must be used, or else unacceptable image quality will result.
Camera temperature affects the black level offset. Therefore, in machine vision applications, it’s critical to heat-sink the camera. Users should also allow the camera to reach its operating temperature before use to minimize temperature-induced image quality drift.
PixeLINK CCD and CMOS High-Performance Cameras
PixeLINK’s CCD and CMOS industrial and machine vision cameras are available in monochrome or color, with up to 5MP resolution. They can deliver up to 170 frames per second with low noise images and a pixel pitch of up to 4.8 µm. The cameras also interface via the most common standards, including Firewire A, USB 2.0, Micro-B USB 2.0, USB 3.0, and GigE. PixeLINK also offers a camera designed for microscopy that delivers up to 12.6MP resolution and 170 fps. PixeLINK high-performance CCD and CMOS cameras also used for inspection and security applications.
To learn more about PixeLINK industrial and machine vision cameras from Phase 1 Technology, speak with our industrial imaging experts.