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GigE Vision™ is a new camera interface standard
developed using the Gigabit Ethernet communication
protocol. GigE Vision is the first standard to
allow for fast image transfer using low cost standard
cables over very long lengths. With GigE Vision,
hardware and software from different vendors can
interoperate seamlessly over GigE connections.
The GigE Vision standard was developed
for industry, by a talented group of companies,
including JAI PULNiX, representing every sector
of the vision industry. The Automated Imaging
Association (AIA) oversees the ongoing development
and administration of the standard.
GigE Vision™ offers many
benefits including:
High bandwidth (1000 Mbps) allows
large uncompressed images to be transferred quickly
in real time
Uncompromised data transfer
up to 100 meters in length
Standard Gigabit Ethernet hardware
allows single/multiple camera connection to single/multiple
computers
Low cost cables (CAT5e or CAT6)
and standard connectors
Highly scalable to follow the
growth of Ethernet bandwidth. As 10GigE becomes
mainstream, GigE Vision™ will be the fastest
connection in the industry
Standard hardware, cables allow
easy, low cost integration
JAI PULNiX's family of GigE Vision-compliant
cameras is based on the AccuPiXEL dual-tap platform,
with a 51 mm square housing. The GigE cameras
make use of a special high performance driver,
which operates with “jumbo” packets.
This reduces the overhead of the transmission,
resulting in high utilization of the 1 Gigabit
transmission. Furthermore, the driver also makes
use of the “TCP/IP offload engine”
functionality in the Intel 82540 GigE chip set
that limits the CPU usage to only a few percent.
Launching the GigE family of cameras
was a natural extension of the Cam2Net (Camera
Link to GigE adapters) provided by JAI PULNiX.
Now the same functionality, based on the same
SDK, is integrated directly into the cameras.
JAI PULNiX's GigE cameras include
the TM-6740GE, a high-speed 200 frames per second
camera with VGA resolution. The TM-4100GE, the
flagship model with 2k x 2k resolution, capable
of 15 frames per second. The TM-1405GE, the Gigabit
Ethernet equivalent of the TM-1400 but with a
Dual-tap AccuPiXEL platform and a 1.4 megapixel,
30 fps imager that makes it a popular choice for
many machine vision applications. And the TM-1327GE,
also offering 1.4 megapixels and 30 fps, but with
a 2/3" CCD offering extended sensitivity
across both visible and near IR portions of the
spectrum.
New GigE Vision models are under
development at JAI PULNiX as we expand the product
family to meet the full range of machine vision,
medical/scientific, and defense applications with
these innovative cameras.
All JAI PULNiX GigE cameras are
available in monochrome or color versions, and
include a user-friendly graphical user interface
(GUI), provided as part of the camera’s
extensive software development kit (SDK).
The GigE software allows users to control various
camera functions, including:
Shutter control
Gain control
A/D reference voltage control
Save settings, load settings,
and report settings
Look-up table (LUT) settings
and graphic display
Scanning mode and option selections
The SDK also provides functions
for controlling the grabbing of images, and configuring
local I/Os, by means of an integrated API and
a set of powerful C++ classes. Changes in the
camera’s acquisition modes automatically
update the API for easy image acquisition. CPU
usage is only a few percent, thanks to the TCP/IP
offload engine. The integrated API and the AccuPiXEL
dual-tap GUI allow the user to be up and running
with the GigE cameras within minutes. Changes
in the camera’s acquisition modes automatically
update the API for easy image acquisition.
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