Machine Vision

Factory Automation

• Get the distance and flexibility you need
• Move PCs off the factory floor
• Reduce costly and complex industrial-grade components
• Get rid of frame grabbers

Vision systems for product inspection, quality control, assembly, and other demanding factory applications are often hampered by the point-to-point links, short cable reaches, and high cost of Camera LinkŪ and LVDS camera-to-PC connectivity equipment.

Cameras and host PCs must be connected directly by cables no longer than 10-20 meters unless equipped with costly custom boards and fiber extenders. This means PCs often reside in harsh or dangerous factory environments, adding complexity and cost to maintenance. Typically, each camera needs its own PC and frame grabber, driving up costs further and leaving little room to improve system efficiencies through networking.

The Pleora iPORT™ Connectivity Solution eliminates these issues by allowing cameras to exchange imaging and control data with PCs in real time over standard, 1-Gb/s Gigabit Ethernet (GigE) links or LANs. iPORT delivers deterministic, low-latency, and highly reliable connections between cameras and PCs over 100 meters of standard Category-5 LAN cable. With low-cost GigE switches, the reach extends even further. iPORT's advanced triggering capabilities handle virtually any automation requirement. Standard GigE equipment is well-understood, readily available, and easy to work with.

iPORT supports most GigE connectivity options, from traditional one-camera-to-one-PC links to large installations such as the one shown above, where multiple cameras send data simultaneously to multiple PCs for real-time processing. It's easy to integrate multiple camera types into one vision system because iPORT sends all imaging formats over GigE.

For more information about iPORT products, click here.