Smart camera

A smart camera (also intelligent camera ) is a type of camera for industrial image processing, which has an internal processor that can be performed on the image processing operations. In general, not the raw image, but only processed information is output from a smart camera.

The definitions of a smart camera is uneven between different manufacturers. Belbachir defined him as an intelligent and autonomous optical system, in addition to filter out the image pickup circuit application-specific information from captured images and process, generate event descriptions and based on that can make decisions. Smart cameras differ with respect to vision sensors in the operation carried out on the integrated processor image processing can be configured or programmed and compared to PC-based or embedded systems by which shall not transfer the images but processed directly. The term "smart camera" or " smart camera" was published for the first time by Ron Schneiderman 1975 in a publication in " Electronics ". In 1985 Buechli et al. a low-cost smart camera for " Machine Vision " realized.

A smart camera contains interfaces for communication, for example, Ethernet, as well as industry-standard V.24 interfaces for connection to PLC or pneumatic valves. Despite the integrated processing circuits they need not necessarily be larger than a normal industrial or surveillance camera.

A smart camera usually consists of the following components:

  • An imaging sensor, such as CCD or CMOS sensor and its control
  • Image memory
  • Real-time image processor (DSP, CPU or FPGA)
  • Application-specific information processing and data storage
  • Interfaces ( eg USB, Ethernet, FireWire, Camera Link ) for programming and communication with external devices ( eg PLC).
Active Pixel Sensor IEEE 1394
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