What would smartphones be without apps? They would be ordinary mobile phones and surely far less versatile. With IDS NXT, camera manufacturer IDS is applying the app principle to industrial image processing. Users benefit from greater flexibility: they can assign their required image processing task to vision app-based cameras and sensors according to their individual requirements. This approach allows not only a variable functionality of the devices, but also the direct, device-internal processing of information provided by the image sensor. Based on the app development kit and a HALCON embedded runtime license, users can create and install individual vision apps. The IDS NXT platform kicks off with IDS NXT vegas with a 1.3MP CMOS sensor, liquid lens with autofocus, integrated ToF sensor and many other functions.
Traditional vision sensors, such as barcode readers, for example, often provide only a few predefined tasks and their functionality cannot usually be extended. IDS NXT shows that there is another way: the freely programmable platform is not restricted to specific tasks. Instead, users can install different vision apps just as easily as on their smartphone. Afterwards, they can change and set up their preferred vision tasks in a very short time. The image processing engine then delivers either pre-processed data to a PC or final results for independently made process decisions. This offers universal possibilities in numerous application fields - for example, optical quality assurance, as an analytical instrument in medical technology, for monitoring tasks by facial recognition or counting vehicles or people.
Other features include SOC (system on a chip) with low power consumption and an integrated flash memory (1GB) for storing error images, system logs, user settings and vision apps. Dust-tight and splash-proof to IP65, the sensor also comes with vibration-proof, industry-standard M12 circular connectors that provide Gigabit Ethernet, 12-24V DC power supply, trigger, flash, two digital inputs/outputs and an RS-232 interface. The latter allows direct communication with a PLC or other machine controls.
The standardised RESTful (Representational State Transfer) web service also provides TCP/IP communication, which can be used to configure all IDS NXT device parameters including the apps. This means that the vision app-based sensor is configured and ready for use in just a few minutes with the help of the Windows IDS NXT Cockpit or an iOS tablet with the IDS NXT mobile app. IDS NXT vegas comes with a full HALCON embedded runtime license and the IDS NXT Software Development Kit.
Follow the link for more information about the new IDS NXT vision app-based cameras and sensors.
IDS Imaging Development Systems Ltd
Cheyenne House
West Street
GU9 7EQ
UNITED KINGDOM
+44 (0) 1252 916656