Home

File

1. 8 1 6 1 Software Installation from the CD ssss ss ss 2222 222 8 1 6 2 Software Installation via Internet Download 8 1 6 3 Hardware Driver Installation sssssssssssssssssrrrrrrrr nr nn enone 8 1 7 Imaging Optics Details ll 9 1 7 1 EONS MOUNT sas dess dum met nia as dia kad xak a a Wa dara ka ka k n a ay n 9 1 7 2 Back Focal Length AdjuStmenNt sssssssssssserrrnnna 9 2 CAMERA STARTUP kk kk kk kaka kk kk kk rn kk kk kk nr 11 2 1 PFepara tl N sis ss 4 24x 3 5 5x2 2224 erna SARK 11 2 2 Tu rnon the PC sosoisisssssssiok ds psenids resnsssnsranke 11 2 3 Turn on the Camera s sssssssassrarrrrnrrrn rn rn nn nn nana 11 2 4 Starting Camware ssssssssssrrrsrrrrnnn nn rr rr KAKA nn 11 3 CAMERA FUNCTIONS L ssssssssnsnanananannnnnnnnnnnnr 12 3 1 Components and Data FIOW 12 3 2 Primary Image Memory camRAM 13 3 2 1 Primary Image Memory Structure sssssssseresssnnne 13 3 2 2 Operating IMOCECS sssssssssssrsnssssrenrrnnr kk kk nn kk kk nn rn nn kk 14 3 3 Exposure Control smsmsssssssssssrnrnrnrnrn rn rn iiss 16 3 3 1 Single Image and Sequence MOdEeS sssssss222 gt 16 3 3 2 Relationship between Memory Mode Exposure Control and Trigger SigNalS sssssssssssssrrsrsrssnnsrrrnn nr 16 9 3 Time Lapse Hiosposdesss a ale b y die sn dakae K ae eet E ni Da daka 18 3 3 4 External Exposure Control Signals j j 21 3
2. IRZ FireWire 400 The drivers for firewire interfaces or cards are part of Windows XP or part of the board manufacturer package The installation of an additional hardware driver for the in terface is not necessary The first time the camera is connected via firewire to the computer Windows will notify the user that a new device User Manual pco camera status 12 2004 1 7 1 7 1 Chapter 1 Introduction page 9 has been detected Afterwards the typical Windows hardware drivers installation process will begin At this point you are asked for the location of the corresponding inf file Please click on the drive where the CD has been inserted or to the directory where the installation software has been downloaded Windows will perform any further installation and system registration automatically Camera Link The hardware driver required for the Camera Link frame grabber is found as part of the frame grabber setup pack age and should be available from the frame grabber manufacturer Installation instructions for the hardware driver should be available in the frame grabber instruction manual Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet Drivers for ethernet interfaces or interface cards may be found as part of the Windows XP operating disk or are available with the frame grabber materials The installation of any additional hardware drivers should not be neces sary Imaging Optics Details Lens Mount The pco camera famil
3. teaa Depending on the application a new image recording can be started after read out taa The internal delay time and the read out time are system inherent parameters 2 Delay time tuelay gt O The start signal can also start an additional delay time tuelay Preceding the actual exposure if it is required see Figure 3 1010 It takes the internal time tia similar to the earlier example See Figure 3 1010 shorter than displayed in the illustration in relation to texp OF teaa and then the ac tual exposure t p is started Finally the image is read out for teaa Afterwards a new recording can be started User Manual pco camera status 12 2004 Figure 3 10 Image sequence Figure 3 11 Chapter 3 Camera Functions page 19 t u t x taciay BIZI LS m E EEE Ter time Time lapse illustration of the image recording for the asynchronous image recording and delay time tj gt 0 mode The arrows indicate the beginning of each image recording sequence the times are not drawn to scale As opposed to single image recording sequential image recording is started by a software start signal trigger mode auto sequence and subsequent images are quickly recorded in a sequence with the highest possible quality The camera determines the optimum exposure control depending upon the adjusted exposure time texp and the delay time tg e y To stop the sequential recording the stop button must be
4. After finishing the adjustments tighten the two Allen screws F mount adaptor Begin by loosening the Allen screw which is in the hole of the knurled ring around the F mount adaptor close to the camera front plate The distance between the lens sup port plate and the image sensor can be changed by turn ing the total F mount adaptor If you want to adjust for the infinite lens position the lens must be set to infinite before you begin Then the F Mount adaptor can be adjusted with the connected lens until you see a sharp image with the camware software in recording mode or with Live View running After finishing the adjustments tighten the Allen screws User Manual pco camera status 12 2004 Chapter 2 Camera Startup page 11 2 Camera Startup 2 1 Preparation 1 Check that the following cable connections have been made camera is connected to the power supply via a special cable camera is connected to the PC via a corresponding interface cable pco power is connected via an appropriate power cable to the power line 2 Check if the lens is properly tightened C mount or in serted F mount 2 2 Turn on the PC Turn on the connected PC 2 3 Turn on the Camera Turn on the camera system by pressing the main power switch on the front panel of pco power and look for the power and status LED lights The power light displays the operating status of the power supply while the status light displays the operating
5. Disregarding this symbol and the accompanying text warning notices may result in system damage and data loss This symbol and the accompanying text point out tips hints and other useful information These Symbols denote enumerations and listings Text which refers to software menus and related information is written in Courier typeface with a fixed width Safety Instructions Never operate the camera in humid or dusty environments or in places with high amounts of x ray radiation Humid ity dust or x rays could damage the camera To avoid the risk of water condensation protect the camera against extreme changes of ambient temperature If condensation enters the camera there is the risk electric shock To prevent damage to the camera the system must be kept stable and protected against strong jolts or vibra tions The socket at the bottom of the camera is to be used for mounting purposes only User Manual pco camera status 12 2004 Chapter 1 Introduction page 6 The slits in the camera case side amp back planes are de signed for heat dissipation by the camera fan To prevent overheating of the camera do not block these slits Do not leave the camera system in direct sunlight to avoid the risk of overheating Electric shock warning Never slide any items through the slits into the camera because of the risk of electric shock if the voltage parts inside are touched Each time the camera is used che
6. The only way to interrupt an image sequence recording in the exposure control mode auto sequence is to use the acq enbl command Status signals are signals generated by the camera for synchronization purposes The exp signal is HIGH during exposure and LOW at all other times The busy signal is active if the camera is recording or when it is switched on Occasionally a false or low busy signal is read This happens when the camera setup is complete and no trigger has been detected meaning that the camera is ready to receive trigger signals for expo sures When the camera system is switched on the busy signal reads HIGH for a short period of time The signals status out pass as 5V TTL signals to a 27 Q output resistor short circuit protection and they are pro vided at the two BNC output sockets see Figure 3 19 User Manual pco camera status 12 2004 Chapter 3 Camera Functions page 24 3 4 3 5 3 6 3 7 Figure 3 19 5V exp Ro 27Q exposure signal BNC output internal 5V Ro 272 busy o busy signal BNC output internal Output signal processing diagram status out Diagnostics Interface Live View On the back panel of the power supply there is a serial data connector socket see Figure 3 17 which is inte grated for diagnostics It is labeled R8232 The PCO service department can get information here regarding the status and settings of the camera system The cus
7. an integer multiple of this basic unit 3 2 2 Operating Modes There are two basic operating modes for the camRAM FIFO buffer Record mode FIFO BufferMode In the buffer or FIFO buffer FIFO first in first out mode the camera records and stores image data while simulta neously transmitting this image data to the computer User Manual pco camera status 12 2004 Chapter 3 Camera Functions page 15 PC gt Figure 3 5 Illustration FIFO buffer mode If the camera reaches the end of the memory segment it starts to fill the memory space from the start which has been released due to image data transmission see Figure 3 5 If the camera catches up with the readout process it automatically slows down the recording rate Stored im ages will not be overwritten before they are transmitted to the computer Record Mode In record mode the camera only records and stores im ages It is only possible to transfer the image data to the computer after the recording is finished However if the Live View function see chapter 3 5 is used it is possible to follow the recorded images with the speed of the inte grated data interface In record mode there are two pos sibilities sequential operation ring bufferoperation 1 Sequential Operation camware sequence camRAM Figure 3 6 Illustration of record mode sequential operation In sequential record operation the image data are con tinuously
8. clicked Sequential exposure control offers six different settings delay time t O with t t a t gt t h t lt t delay time t gt 0 with te t_ t t gt lt t ot lt t t tuciay delay time t exposure time teaa readout time In the case of no delay time tyg 0 images can be re corded immediately one after another However the user must consider whether the exposure time is smaller lar ger or equal to the readout time If the application requires a delay time tge a y gt O for image sequence recording the user must remember that the de lay time is inserted after the readout time teaa aS Op posed to the asynchronous mode where it is inserted be fore the exposure Again the user must consider whether the exposure time is smaller larger or equal to the read out time delay time tge ay O exposure time texp readout time tread time Time lapse illustration of image recording for the described settings The arrow indicates the beginning of the image recording sequence the times are not drawn to scale The optimal conditions for sequential recording resulting in the fastest possible image recording are when the ex posure time tep equals the system inherent readout t eao see Figure 3 11 User Manual pco camera status 12 2004 Chapter 3 Camera Functions page 20 Figure 3 12 Figure 3 13 Figure 3 14 delay time tuetay O exposure time texp gt readout tim
9. included camware appli cation software or by using the appropriate SDK com mands The CCD image sensor in the camera system is thermo electrically cooled Peltier cooler Depending on the im age size the cooler achieves a temperature difference User Manual pco camera status 12 2004 Chapter 3 Camera Functions page 25 versus the ambient temperature This camera specific temperature difference can be found in the camera spe cific data sheet in the appendix of this manual The CCD image sensor temperature and the temperature of the camera electronics can be either observed with the camware software or by using the corresponding SDK commands In addition the CCD image sensor tempera ture is controlled by the system and may be adjusted If it is not possible to reach the set temperature due to ambi ent conditions ambient temperature temperature differ ence the camera system delivers an error message In order to operate the camera without receiving tempera ture error messages it is preferable not to adjust the tem perature cool for maximum possible temperature differ ence AS max 0 0 AS cool ambient max but to keep a reserve of 5 C as an available range which can be used by the control circuit to keep the adjusted temperature Sooo 9 Abma 5 C cool ambient After switching the camera system on it may take up to 10 minutes for the system to reach steady state 3 8 Color Value Dete
10. mode images are continuously recorded and as the memory is filled the oldest image data are overwritten Once the event finishes it is possible to stop the re cording process and the event will reside in the memory as well as a certain amount of time before the event Once recording is finished the user can stop the re cording process and keep it in memory as well as a cer tain time before the event In the following sections single components image memory Live View CCD readout CCD cooling and color display are described in more de tail 3 2 Primary Image Memory camRAM The primary image memory CcamRAM of the camera sys tem is integrated into the camera 3 2 1 Primary Image Memory Structure The image memory is divided into four memory segments that accept images see Figure 3 2 The user determines the size of the segments Information about the delivered camera s image memory size is found in the camera specific data sheet in the ap pendix of this manual Camware application software uses one of the segments for Live View and other display purposes If camware is used only three segments are available for customer specification camRAM S233 IIIF 2 2 2 2 2 Ik a 2 memory segment 1 memory segment 2 222 2222 WET kes LEE kes cae LEP LEP kee memory segment 3 memory segment 4 Figure 3 2 Illustration of the camera s primary image memory camRAM The image memory is divided into four memory seg
11. tomer should ignore this interface The camera s Live View feature provides the opportunity to watch and follow the recording process in real time Of the various memory operating modes presented in chapter 3 3 2 the live view feature is only available in the record mode In the FIFO mode live view is not available as the data transmission line is occupied with the fastest possible transmission of the image data to the computer There is no time available for transmission of the live view images In record mode images are recorded and they are written into the active memory segment depending on the mem ory operation mode s sequential or ring buffer The live view function allows the user to follow the recording process on a monitor For that purpose a copy of the most recent image is sent via the integrated interface to the computer for display at maximum 200 MB s When live view is applied the speed of the image re cording is not compromised because recording has pri ority CCD Pixel Clocks CCD Cooling The CCD camera system can be operated at three differ ent pixel clocks which are specified in the camera spe cific data sheet in the appendix Depending upon the ap plication requirements the image recording can be cap tured more slowly with low noise or at higher speed at th expense of a higher noise figure The readout rate or the pixel clock must be adjusted prior to the exposure either with the
12. written to the memory segment until either the user stops the recording or until the segment is filled see Figure 3 6 full User Manual pco camera status 12 2004 Chapter 3 Camera Functions page 16 Figure 3 7 2 Ring Buffer camware ring buffer camRAM Illustration of record mode ring buffer operation During ring buffer operation the memory segment is also filled up Cyclical writing to the memory segment occurs if the camera reaches the end of the segment when it will overwrite the oldest images see Figure 3 7 3 3 Exposure Control 3 3 1 Single Image and Sequence Modes Generally there can be two image recording operating modes Single image recording also called asynchronous or still operation image sequence recording also called video sequential or synchronous operation For single image recording each image is recorded after the appropriate trigger signal starts the recording For sequential recording the camera determines the fast est possible image uptake rate depending on the adjusted delay and exposure times and the required readout time The trigger can only control the beginning and end of the image sequence As a series of single images could also become a sequence there is a smooth transition between these operating modes It is possible to allow the camera to determine the optimal fastest image rate to the camera Otherwise the optimal sequential image recording is con trol
13. 04 Chapter 6 Service and Maintenance page 35 6 Service and Maintenance 6 1 Service The camera is designed to be maintenance free with no adjustments or inspections needed 6 2 Camera Maintenance Unplug the camera from any power supply before cleaning it Use a soft dry cloth for cleaning the camera Do not use liquid cleaners or sprays 6 2 1 Cleaning the Lens A IT Do not use a dry cloth to clean the lens and never use aggressive liquids or materials The lens is best cleaned with pressurized air or with liquid cleaners such as pure alcohol or with special optical cleaners that are available at high quality photo stores 6 2 2 Cleaning the Camera s Input Window Figure 6 1 The cooled pco camera models have an additional input window in front of the sensor This window is made of coated fused silica glass The non cooled versions of the camera do not have this input window so there is direct contact with the glass cover of the CCD or CMOS sensor itself Camera housing shown without the lens There is direct access to the input window Behind this input window is the visible image sensor cooled version User Manual pco camera status 12 2004 Chapter 6 Service and Maintenance page 36 gt gt a gt gt 5 Every time the input window is cleaned there is the pos sibility of surface damage Do not clean the input window unless it is absolutely necessary Be careful and avoid scratche
14. 3 5 Status Signals s lt gt s sai k kasik iron kulab ak IEEE kada RE UA DAG W E K 23 3 4 Diagnostics Interface s sssssssssssarrrrnrnnn nn nn nn na 24 3 5 LIVES VIEW sosssnanasd annes never ka e ke kl ab kas ssk a d z xa ada e 24 3 6 CCD Pixel CIOCKS ssssssssssananananannnnnnn nn nn na 24 3 7 COD COOUNG snc ice ti ner la aka a selk RR 24 User Manual pco camera status 12 2004 Table of Contents page 4 3 8 4 4 1 4 2 4 3 4 4 5 5 1 5 2 5 3 5 4 5 5 6 6 1 6 2 6 2 1 6 2 2 7A 7 2 7 3 7 4 Color Value Determination 25 DATA INTERFACES 44444 kk kk nn kk kk kk nn nn nn nn nn 30 Interface Structure ssssssesssssrsrsrnnnr nn nn nn 30 Firewire 400 musssssssssnnssanrrnnnnnnnn rr nn nn nn nn nn nn nn kk A 31 Camera Link sososssssssssers reser nr nr nr nr nr nr nr nr nr nn KK nn 32 Gigabit Ethernet sssssssssssssssrrsrrrr nr rr rr rn nn nn nn nn 32 SOFTWARE s55 caxa kalk Ess asder ske seven une a ERE 33 DCO CAMD WAT sug ls lk kk kk kk kk kk kk kK kk kk kk ka kk kk kk kk ka 33 Software Development Kit SDK 33 DEL V PS c dirya awa sawa a ba s ya ka da aa ake aha d dere saw AE K k 33 Third Party Software DriverS 4 ilhkh _A AE EEL E EEE 33 Firmware Update JZZkK kK K khl k khkkkkkk kk kk kk kk nn nn rr nn KA 34 SERVICE AND MAINTENANCE 35 SCKVIC k kilk k kel ral kanada eevee WEN bri RK Ka aa a nin 35 Camer
15. 5 20 or email support pco de 1 6 1 Software Installation from the CD After insertion into the computer if the CD does not run automatically please begin the installation manually by double clicking on the starter exe file Select the corre sponding camera and the camware software 1 6 2 Software Installation via Internet Download Please download the camware from the internet into any computer directory As the files are compressed it is necessary to decompress these files with an appropriate program e g WinZip or the like After decompression start the installation by double clicking on starter exe More detailed information about the camware installation is found in the readme txt file You must have power user or administrator rights for Windows XP to properly install camware After installation please restart reboot your computer The installation software copies all necessary DLL files into the corresponding Windows directories While doing this older versions of these files will be replaced if pre sent All required Windows registration entries will be made automatically To uninstall the camware program select the following Start Settings System Control Software After a successful installation you will find the program file Digital Camera Toolbox in your program directory From there you can start camware Other helpful tools are also installed in the same file 1 6 3 Hardware Driver Installation
16. Example The RGB value calculations for the pixels p 1 1 and p 2 1 p01 p21 11 Pnea 2 Pareen 1 1 p11 p10 p12 11 2 2522 Dg ue 2 Prea 2 1 p21 User Manual pco camera status 12 2004 Chapter 3 Camera Functions page 29 p11 p20 p22 p31 Poreen 2 1 pris p20 pees pst p10 p12 p30 p32 Dg ue 2 1 4 This new color image can now be displayed in the corre sponding RGB Lookup Tables The white balancing func tion can correct any color variation caused by different color filter sensitivities More information can be found on the World Wide Web using keywords Bayer RGB convert or CFA demo saicing User Manual pco camera status 12 2004 Chapter 4 Data Interfaces page 30 4 Data Interfaces The pco camera system is delivered with three interface options Firewire 400 IEEE1394a Camera Link or Gigabit Ethernet To determine which interface is implemented please see the technical datasheet in the appendix of this manual These interfaces transfer images from the camera to the computer as well as send command and control se quences and read status information from the camera In standard applications the interfaces act like a point to point connection from the camera to the PC As the cameras are intelligent and have a self operating software system they can collect and record images without an in terface connection Control commands are sent as
17. Manual pco camera status 12 2004 4 2 Figure 4 2 Firewire 400 Chapter 4 Data Interfaces page 31 camera API itself distinguishes between the different in terfaces and accesses the IEEE1394 driver stack This stack uses an asynchronous serial data channel for the command and status information in both directions and an isochronous channel to transfer the image data from the camera The various channels are connected inside the camera to the dedicated hardware such as Camera Operation Code processor and controller FPGAs pco camera layer structure of commands Firewire400 pco camware pco camera API generic DLL for all interfaces IEEE1394a driver based on driver stack asynchronous isochronous Figure 400MB s 800MB s fiber optical depen pco camera Firewire commands status image data Li pco camera COC processor pco camera FPGA Firewire 400 example of the command structure layer model used with the pco camera systems Firewire400 IEEE 1394a is a serial Bus system with a 400 Mb s bandwidth Up to 63 cameras can be con nected on one bus The maximum guaranteed transfer speed over the isochronous channel is 32 MB s The standard cable length is 1 5 4 5 m Longer cables ranging from 10 20 m are possible within the specification of IEEE 1394a and are available on request The pco camera system is fully compatible with the Firewire so hubs to stretch the distance between the camera and the comput
18. a MainteNanNCe ssssssssrsrsrerrrnrnrnn 35 Cleaning the LENS s ssssssssssrsssssnrrsrrerrrn nn kk kk kk kk kK KK rna 35 Cleaning the Camera s Input Window 35 APPENDIX sssssssnarsnnnasnnnnnnnnanannnn nn nens a nan ak ku ka a 37 Camera Mechanical Dimensions 37 Customer Service sossssssssersesrrrrnnn nr nn nr rn rn nn nens 41 Trouble Shooting sssssssssessrssrrrn er nrrnnn nn nn ek rna 41 Camera DiSpOSal sssssssssesererernrernrn2nn nn 42 User Manual pco camera status 12 2004 1 1 1 1 2 1 3 Introduction Chapter 1 Introduction page 5 The pco camera system includes e a camera with a digital image output data interface to a PC e a separate power supply pco power and e image processing and camera control software cam ware this software has its own online help The camera is available with various image sensors De pending on the sensor selected the camera generates digital black amp white or color images with various spatial resolutions and exposure times More detailed informa tion about your new camera can be found in the camera specific data sheet in the appendix of this manual Target Audience This camera is designed for use by technicians engineers and scientists Signs and Symbols The following signs and symbols are used throughout this manual Disregarding this symbol and the accompanying text warning notices may result in the risk of death
19. a thermo electrical Peltier cooler to reduce the accumulation of dark charges only relevant for long ex posures and to prevent thermally induced changes in the offset of readout images After multiple shift processes in case of the CCD image sensor these charges are analog processed see Figure 3 1 analog and converted into digital signals They are then transferred at very high data rates into the primary image memory of the camera see Figure 3 1 camRAM CCD 160MB s In the memory they are stored as im age data Depending on the selected operating mode see Figure 3 1 pco camera digital control they are stored or transmitted via a data interface to a PC see Figure 3 1 interface The power supply see Figure 3 1 pco power provides the required energy This power supply also has other functions see Figure 3 1 power unit e The power supply has all of the external connections for exposure control see Figure 3 1 trigger unit and e The power supply controls the pre set temperature at the image sensor see Figure 3 1 pco power digital control The structure of the system makes it possible to set the camera into recording mode via a PC disconnect the PC User Manual pco camera status 12 2004 Chapter 3 Camera Functions page 13 and reconnect it later Further the image memory in the camera enables see Figure 3 1 pco camera camRAM extended operating modes e g ring buffer operation In this
20. able e camera PC data cable e power cable for the power supply e CD with user s manual camware application soft ware hardware driver software development kit SDK and demo programs in C 1 5 2 Data Interfaces The cameras are equipped with one of the following data interfaces e IEEE 1394a Firewire with a minimum 400Mb Firewire interface card or better e Camera Link Frame Grabber the pco camera system was successfully tested with the following Camera Link frame grabber microEnable lll Silicon Software www silicon software de Matrox Helios XCL Matrox www matrox com e Ethernet or Gigabit Ethernet 1000baseT For further information please contact the PCO support department under support pco de or have a look to our website www pco de User Manual pco camera status 12 2004 Chapter 1 Introduction page 8 1 6 Installing the camware software IRZ Camware 32 bit Windows application software can con trol every camera parameter or setting Images can be displayed on a monitor and may be downloaded and stored Detailed information about camware can be found by accessing the software s help section The camware software is located on the enclosed CD If you do not have the CD you may download the latest version from our website www pco de at no charge In case of installation problems we will be pleased to as sist you Please contact us by phone 49 0 9441 2005 55 fax 49 0 9441 200
21. able data interface e pco 1600 1600 x 1200pixel with monochrome or color CCD image sensor camRAM various sizes se lectable data interface User Manual pco camera status 12 2004 Chapter 1 Introduction page 7 e pco 2000 2048 x 2048pixel with monochrome or color CCD image sensor camRAM various sizes se lectable data interface e pco 4000 40382 x 2688pixel with monochrome or color CCD image sensor camRAM various sizes se lectable data interface Depending on the model the camera system generates images with 1024 10bit or 16384 14bit gray levels The monochrome images on a display or monitor always use 256 gray levels except special screens and the color presentation with color cameras uses 16 7 million colors 8x8bit IR Usually there are multiple graphics settings available on one graphics card in a computer We recommend using 24 or 32 bit with 16 7 Million colors If the 256 color mode in Windows is set Windows uses 20 colors inter nally Therefore in this operating mode only 236 gray lev els are available for display For this reason only 7bits are taken for monochrome display Some older graphics cards only use 6 bits for monochrome display in 256 color mode resulting in 64 gray levels which can be displayed on the screen 1 5 1 What s in the Box The pco camera system includes the following compo nents e camera without lens e pco power supply e camera power supply connecting c
22. ck the power cable for any damage Never position the cable in a way that it could become a tripping hazard If any of the following conditions apply immediately switch the camera off separate it from the power line and contact our customer support 0600 gt e If the power cable or the power plug seems to be worn or damaged e If liquids have penetrated the device e f after thoroughly reviewing the instruction manual the de vice is still not operating properly e If the camera has been dropped or the casing is damaged e If the device is not operating normally Do not force the lens onto the camera To protect the lens connector thread from damage use minimal force when attaching a lens to the camera gt 1 4 Operating Conditions The camera must be connected to a PC in order to oper ate Minimum system requirements are e Clock speed gt 1 6GHz e RAM gt 256MB for pco 4000 gt 512MB e Windows XP Service Pack 1 or Win2000 Service Pack 4 IR For Linux or MacOS appropriate drivers will be devel oped in the near future If you are interested in these drivers please monitor our website www pco de or con tact us see page 2 e graphics card and 1280 x 1024 pixel resolution dis play e 32 bit graphics card 16 7 million colors 1 5 Camera Models The following camera systems are available e pco 1200 hs 1280 x 1025pixel with monochrome or color CMOS image sensor camRAM various sizes select
23. corresponding record button Other signals cannot influ ence this operating mode In the exp trigger start exposure control mode single image recording is started by the trailing or rising edge of the voltage signal at the BNC input exp trig see Figure 3 17 on page 22 Additionally if it has been initialized the status of the acq enbl signal at the BNC input is checked Therefore both signals are important for image recording In exp trigger ctrl exposure control mode single image recording is controlled by the time length of the BNC in put signal exp trig see Figure 3 17 on page 22 The exposure time is determined by the signal depending on the DIP switch setting to a positive or negative voltage level Additionally if it has been initialized the status of the acq enbl signal at the BNC input is checked There fore both signals are important for image recording Figure 3 8 shows the relationship between the various memory operating modes camRAM modes exposure control trigger modes and the chance to control the camera via external trigger signals external signal op tions camRAM modes trigger modes external signals FIFO buffer recorder sequential recorder ring buffer recorder sequential recorder ring buffer FIFO buffer recorder ring buffer FIFO buffer recorder sequential exp trigger ctrl exp trig recorder ring buffer Relationship between the memo
24. e treaa gt time Time lapse illustration of image recording for the settings described above The arrow indicates the beginning of the image recording sequence the times are not drawn to scale For sequential recording if the exposure time t is longer than the readout time t it determines the frame rate delay time tge ay O exposure time texp lt readout time tread t i tsys_tex i li li n n uu time Time lapse illustration of image recording for the settings described above The arrow indicates the beginning of the image recording sequence the times are not drawn to scale If the exposure time t is shorter than the readout time teaa See Figure 3 13 the camera inserts a system delay time t before the actual exposure time such as t and texp equal the readout time In this case the readout time determines the frame rate delay time tge ay gt O exposure texp readout treag delay taeiay HEEE HERTIN i ELET time Time lapse illustration of image recording for the settings described above The arrow indicates the beginning of the image recording sequence the times are not drawn to scale For applications requiring a delay time the fastest possi ble frame rate for sequential recording is achieved if the exposure time t equals the sum of the readout time teaa and the adjusted delay time tg see Figure 3 14 User Manua
25. ed above and is just as fast The camware application software uses two improved al gorithms to transform pixel values into the RGB color space Algorithm 1 is optimized for color response while algorithm 2 is optimized for greater resolution Algorithm 1 This algorithm is optimized for color response As a result its resolution has been slightly compromised The resulting pixels may be thought of as virtual pixels because they lie between four real pixels see Figure 3 22 As an example in the following section the RGB value of the pixel Pees 1 1 is calculated 9 p21 3 p01 3 p23 p03 1 1 Pnea 16 p11 p22 1 1 ____ Poreen 2 4 9 p12 3 p10 3 p32 p30 Dg ue 7 16 User Manual pco camera status 12 2004 Chapter 3 Camera Functions page 28 Figure 3 22 Figure 3 23 real pixel virtual pixel Section diagram of a CCD sensor with a Bayer pattern and RGB virtual pixel calculations Algorithm 2 The second algorithm is optimized for spatial resolution For every real pixel that already represents one color the two color values that are missing are calculated by the mean values of the neighboring pixels This results in a 3 x 3 matrix with the pixel of interest in the center The matrix is shifted over the image and the RGB color values for each pixel are calculated Section diagram of a CCD sensor with a Bayer pattern and the RGB pixels calculated
26. er work well two hubs with 10 m cables result in a working distance of 30 m Optical repeaters are rec ommended for longer distances These devices are avail able upon request and provide a working distance of sev eral hundred meters The standard connector is the stan dard connector used in pco cameras is a six pin Firewire connector OEM and system integrator information The Firewire hardware OHCI has a standardized soft ware interface but it does not include the implementation of APIs or camera functions like DCAM Detailed informa tion can be found on e http www 1394ta org e http www apple com de firewire e http www 1394la com e http www linux1394 org User Manual pco camera status 12 2004 Chapter 4 Data Interfaces page 32 4 3 4 4 Camera Link e http www firewire 1394 com Camera link is a point to point connection with a 200 1000 Mb s bandwidth The pco cameras use the base configuration 1 cable which gives a transfer speed of 200 Mb s at 66 MHz and 255 Mb s at 85 MHz The clock rate is selectable with camera commands There is no de fined standard software API Updated information can be found at e http www machinevisiononline org public articles in dex cfm cat 129 e http www datatranslation com solution_center_imag ing Camera Link pdf e http www nortechsys com intercon camlinkart shtml Gigabit Ethernet Gi
27. gabit Ethernet is a Peer to Peer architecture If only a camera is connected with a PC and the usual transfer protocol TCP IP is not used then this connection is re duced to point to point The advantage is to use the Gi gabit Ethernet s sophisticated physical transport medium with a 100 Mb s maximum transfer speed The cables can be up to 100m long with simple CATS and even longer with optical units Until now a camera specific software standard did not exist although many proposals from several groups are being discussed Further information can be found at e http www 10gea org e http www pleora net GigE User Manual pco camera status 12 2004 Chapter 5 Software page 33 5 1 5 2 5 3 5 4 Software pco camware A CD with applications software and manuals is included in this package Specific versions and updates are avail able for download at our web site www pco de Camware applications software provides complete con trol of all camera types as well as extensive data re cording possibilities Detailed information for camware is included in the online help or in the attached pdf manual The newest versions are offered on our web sites http www pco de at no charge Software Development Kit SDK Drivers Ts A free software development kit is available to allow pro grammers to easily integrate camera control software into their applications programs A version for Windows XP i
28. he DIP switch in position 3 the user can choose whether the sig nal is HIGH or LOW active which is different depending on the voltage level settings See Figure 3 17 If acq enbl is initialized i e it is not on auto before every ex posure the status of the acq enbl signal is checked since this signal enables or disables the exposure start signals The following figure illustrates how the input signals are processed internally User Manual pco camera status 12 2004 Figure 3 18 3 3 5 Status Signals Chapter 3 Camera Functions page 23 trigger edge 2 ON rising 2 OFF trailing select edge type DIP switch 2 exp trig BNC input exposure trigger internal trigger sensitivity 1 ON TTL level 1 OFF 10 15V select sensitivity DIP switch 1 gt acq enable logic level select logic level DIP itch 3 3 ON HIGH gt 2V or 7V sa 3 OFF LOW lt 1 5V or 6 5V acq enbl BNC input acquire enable internal acq enbl sensitivity 4 ON TTL level 4 OFF 10 15V select sensitivity DIP switch 4 gt Illustration of the signal processing of input signals control in and their external control features The signal processing internal sequence requires that the acq enbl signal precedes the exp trig and subse quently comes before the actual exposure as an invalid acq enbl can prevent an exposure from being started
29. he back panel of the pco power unit there are two signal inputs available BNC sockets User Manual pco camera status 12 2004 Chapter 3 Camera Functions page 22 Figure 3 17 TIL A SLT fH gt 10V Y lr gt 10v camera Diagram of the back plate of the power supply pco power input signal BNC sockets control in exp trig and acq enbl output signal BNC sockets status out exp and busy DIP switch voltage level selection polarity selection and edge selection for input signals connection socket to camera connection socket to diagnostic interface RS232 power plug 90 260 VAC At exp trig exposure trigger the start exposure or control signal has to be supplied This is a dynamic edge triggered signal The input is internally wired with a resis tor of Ri 10kQ versus signal ground The voltage level of the exp trig signal is selected by putting the DIP switch in position 1 TTL level or 10 15V If a positive or negative signal controls the exposure after initialization of the exp trig start operation mode the DIP switch is in position 2 The image acquire control signal is fed in at acq enbl acquire enable This is a static signal level triggered The input is wired internally with a resistor of R 10kQ versus signal ground Position 4 of the DIP switch selects the voltage level of the acq enbl signal TTL level or 10 15V After initialization of the acq enbl with t
30. l pco camera status 12 2004 Chapter 3 Camera Functions page 21 delay time taeiay gt O exposure texp gt readout treaa delay taeiay E BEND c time Figure 3 15 Time lapse illustration of image recording for the settings described above The arrow indicates the beginning of the image recording sequence the times are not drawn to scale If the exposure time tep is larger than the sum of readout time treag and delay time taeiay it determines the maximum frame rate see Figure 3 15 delay time tuetay gt O exposure texp lt readout treaa delay taeiay E BERZ trend BEENI 2X time Figure 3 16 Time lapse illustration of image recording for the settings described above The arrow indicates the beginning of the image recording sequence the times are not drawn to scale If the exposure time ty is smaller than the sum of the readout time t and the delay time ty the frame rate is determined by this sum see Figure 3 16 The camera in serts its own system inherent delay time t preceding the actual exposure 3 3 4 External Exposure Control Signals External signals can influence three of the four available exposure control modes see chapter 3 3 2 These sig nals must be inputted into the BNC sockets control in at the back panel of the power supply See Figure 3 17 The allowable signal types and how they are processed are explained in more detail below On t
31. led with the help of properly adjusted single image trigger signals 3 3 2 Relationship between Memory Mode Exposure Control and Trigger Signals The trigger mode of the camera depends on the memory mode selected as well as the exposure control and the trigger signals For sequential recording the auto sequence exposure control mode should be used To record single images the camera provides the follow ing exposure control modes soft trigger exposure trig ger start and exposure trigger control User Manual pco camera status 12 2004 auto sequence soft trigger exp trigger start exp trigger ctrl Figure 3 8 Chapter 3 Camera Functions page 17 In the auto sequence exposure control mode the cam era determines the fastest possible image uptake rate de pending on the adjusted delay and exposure times and the required readout time After a start command is given the sequential recording is started until a stop command is given If the sequential recording is active the re cording can only be interrupted by a negative external signal acq enbl acquire enable Before each image of a sequence is recorded the camera checks the status of the acq enbl whether or not it is valid and if it has been previously initialized In the soft trigger exposure control mode a single image recording is forced by a software command In the cam ware application software this is done by clicking on the
32. ments memory segment 1 4 which accepts the images for storage The size allocation of each segment is completely user selectable see Figure 3 3 It is also possible to set the size of a segment to zero The format of the images to be stored might differ from segment to segment Within the same segment the image format is fixed meaning that to tal images binned images or ROIs have to be stored in different segments User Manual pco camera status 12 2004 Chapter 3 Camera Functions page 14 camRAM 2222322222 memory segment 1 BB hh Baie memory memory segment 2 segm 3 memory segment 4 Figure 3 3 Illustration of a sample camRam primary image memory segmentation in the camera Various configurations are possible for the four memory segments to record various image formats binning modes or ROIs The image format is fixed within the same segment The image memory segment size is determined by both the number of images it can accept as well as by the smallest possible memory unit a page The size of this page is 1280 pixel for CCD image sensors and 3584 pixel for CMOS image sensors memory segment 1 page Figure 3 4 Illustration of one memory segment e g memory segment 1 In this example he images are stored where the smallest memory unit is a page i e each image has to be an integer multiple of this basic memory unit page Therefore the memory demand for a total image always must be
33. ndix page 39 Camera side view C Mount aska adjustable 0 45mm F Mount User Manual pco camera status 12 2004 Chapter 7 Appendix page 40 Camera bottom view Camera top view User Manual pco camera status 12 2004 Chapter 7 Appendix page 41 7 2 Customer Service If you have a question which is not adequately addressed in this manual please contact PCO or your local dealer addresses on page 2 To speed your request we need the following information e Short description of the problem e Description of your application e Camera settings e Type and version of camera software being used e Camera serial number located on the silver label on the bottom of the camera e Power supply serial number pco power e Operating system PC e Processor type PC e Memory e Graphic card e Graphic card setup At the web site www pco de support there is an informa tion form to fill out and send by email 7 3 Trouble Shooting In case of a damage or malfunction send the camera with the above information to PCO for repair Before sending the camera for repair first contact your local dealer When shipping the camera for repair be certain to care fully pack the camera with proper shipping materials If possible use the original packaging Use the protection cap to protect the camera on the lens thread User Manual pco camera stat
34. pco IMAGINE pco camera User s Manual www pco de This manual covers the following products e CMOS cameras pco 1200 hs e CCD cameras pco 1600 pco 2000 pco 4000 In case of problems or questions not addressed in this manual please contact us at PCO We can be reached by phone fax email or mail telephone 49 0 9441 2005 55 fax 49 0 9441 2005 20 email support pco de mail address PCO AG Donaupark 11 93309 Kelheim Germany The cover photo shows a pco camera camera system The lens is sold separately The compliance declaration for EC standards and rules EC declaration of conformity can be found in the appen dix of this manual Updated December 2004 PCO AG Table of Contents page 3 Table of contents TABLE OF CONTENTS mososssssssssrannnnnnanra nn nn nn nn nn rr nn kk A 3 1 INTRODUCTION M44 kak kk kk kaka kk nn nn nn kk kk nr nn 222 5 1 1 Target Audience sssssssssssssrrrrrnrnnnnn kaka kaka kk kk KA 5 1 2 Signs and SyYymbolS s sssssssssrsssrrssrrrsr rr rr kk kk nn kk 5 1 3 Safety Instructions sssssssesererere renen nere kk 5 1 4 Operating Conditions s sssssssssssssrsrrrrrrnnn nn nn nn 6 1 5 Camera MOdEelS ssssssssssarnrnrnrn rn rn rn rn rn rn nar 6 1 5 1 What s in the BOX s ssosossssssssssssnsennnnnnnnnnnn nn rn nr rn nr nn rn nn nn nn 7 1 5 2 Data Interfaces cc c ccsc cies este nel cak ces nn rr kK RARE cad kk KK IKA 7 1 6 Installing the camware software
35. r each pixel by using the corresponding intensity value for the neighboring pixel within their color filter This 2 x 2 operator is applied pixel wise to the image The instruc tions are to take the available color components without combining them with the neighboring pixel see Figure 3 20 Roo p01 color pixel 0 0 Gy po0 or PO9 p11 Boo p10 CMR pot color pixel 0 1 G poo or P0O P1 Bo p10 Rio p01 color pixel 1 0 G p11 or pO9 p11 B o p10 CC RaP color pixel 1 1 G p11 or oer B p10 This is repeated in a 2 x 2 cluster This method quadru ples the blue and red pixels and doubles the green ones As a result in the processed image the four pixels will have the same RGB value While this method is fast it User Manual pco camera status 12 2004 Chapter 3 Camera Functions page 27 only has a quarter of the real resolution of the image sen sor Figure 3 21 Section illustration of a CCD image sensor covered with color filters where the RGB pixel values should be evaluated Another method is to treat the same color pixels as a sin gle image array and shift the color arrays onto one other For example red blue and green pixels are adjusted to form one image the green pixels are averaged to adjust their number to the others Then the image is magnified by a factor of two using bilinear interpolation This method achieves better visual results than the first method dis cuss
36. rmination In the early 1970s a scientist named Bryce Bayer realized that it was possible to reconstruct color information with a monochrome image if a special color filter array was ap plied to the image sensor CFA color filter array This special color filter array now called a Bayer filter is the basic configuration for all modern color CCD image sen sors The Bayer filter s smallest unit consists of a 4 x 4 pixel cluster Two pixels have a green filter because of the hu man eye s higher sensitivity for green one pixel has a red filter and one pixel has a blue filter see Figure 3 20 Therefore each pixel detects a light value that can be at tributed to a single color Consequently three spatially displaced color images are obtained of which the green image has twice the resolution when compared to the blue or the red image User Manual pco camera status 12 2004 Chapter 3 Camera Functions page 26 Figure 3 20 Section illustration of a CCD image sensor covered with color filters As a result this camera primarily detects gray value im ages if it has color CCD image sensors The applications software converts the images via the position of the color filter into RGB or other color space images For this pur pose a variety of solutions and algorithms exist that use appropriate interpolations to try to compensate for the lower spatial resolution The camera replenishes the missing color information fo
37. ry operation mode exposure control and trigger signals FIFO buffer soft trigger User Manual pco camera status 12 2004 Chapter 3 Camera Functions page 18 3 3 3 Time Lapse Single image recording Figure 3 9 In this chapter the time lapse feature is explained in de tail The following acronyms are used Texe Exposure time for one image adjustable j Readout time for one image from CCD sensor system inherent tdelay Time delay between start signal and exposure adjustable toys Internal time delay in image sequence mode system inherent tia Internal time delay before exposure is started system inherent To record single images each recording is started by its own start or trigger event which is either generated by software trigger mode soft trigger or by trigger signals trigger modes ext trigger start or ext trigger ctrl Two options are discussed delay timet 0 delay timet gt 0 1 Delay time tuelay O me i mm time Time lapse illustration of the image recording for the asynchronous image recording and delay time t 0 mode The arrows indicate the beginning of each recording sequence the times are not drawn to scale The internal time t see Figure 3 begins to elapse after the corresponding start signal which is actually much shorter than displayed in Figure 3 Then the actual expo sure starts for time t After texp the image is read out for
38. s included in the CD ROM For updated versions please visit our website at http www pco de A Twain Driver and a Firewire 400 driver for Windows XP are available for pco cameras integration These drivers are located on the CD The most recent versions can be obtained on our website http www pco de Additional software and drivers not listed here can be obtained on our web site http www pco de Third Party Software Drivers Plug Ins or corresponding drivers are available or planned at no charge for the following image processing and analysis software packages e Image Pro Plus version 3 0 or higher Media Cyber netics e MetaMorph MetaFluor Software Universal Imaging e LabView National Instruments e AxioVision Carl Zeiss e LabView National Instruments e Matlab Mathworks e ImageJ NIH Detailed information about drivers or Plug Ins can be found on our web site www pco de support or by con tacting our sales team User Manual pco camera status 12 2004 Chapter 5 Software page 34 5 5 Firmware Update The pco camera system can easily be firmware updated by the user It is done over the existing interface with no special cables or other equipment needed The update is done via the special programmer software which is in cluded in the firmware update zip file package This soft ware is located on the CD or can be downloaded from our web site User Manual pco camera status 12 20
39. s and damage to the input window surface Do not use a dry cloth to clean the input window Before using specialized optical cleaning liquids first blow away any particles on the surface with pressurized dry air Cans of pressurized air are available at photo and computer stores for cleaning optical devices If additional cleaning is necessary use suitable liquid cleaners Liquid cleaners for optical devices are either pure alcohol or special optical cleaners available in high quality photo stores Never use aggressive cleaning liquids such as gasoline acetone spirits or nitro cleanser These liquids may dam age the input window surface Use a cotton swab dipped in pure alcohol or optical cleaning liquid and wipe only on the glass surface Do not get any cleaning liquid on the metallic parts such as the lens thread because tiny detached particles may scratch the surface Always store the camera with the protective cap or witha lens mounted to avoid dust and dirt on the input window User Manual pco camera status 12 2004 7 Appendix 7 1 Camera Mechanical Dimensions Camera front view C Mount 66 F Mount 66 User Manual pco camera status 12 2004 Chapter 7 Appendix page 37 84 du a M254 M0UNT _ 345 84 da a 345 Chapter 7 Appendix page 38 Camera rear view Firewire IEEE1394 84 Camera Link User Manual pco camera status 12 2004 Chapter 7 Appe
40. status of the camera The dis plays are coded as follows power display e orange flashing light e selftest power supply e green permanent light e normal operating status e red flashing light e error status display e orange flashing light e selftest camera e green permanent light e normal operating status e green orange flashing light e exposure display e red flashing light e error 2 4 Starting Camware To start the camware software program look in the ap propriate computer directory for the following Programs Digital Camera ToolBox More information about camware is available in cam ware s online help User Manual pco camera status 12 2004 Chapter 3 Camera Functions page 12 3 Camera Functions More detailed information on the pco camera system its multiple exposure control options integrated image me mory and various operating modes is contained in the following chapters 3 1 Components and Data Flow Figure 3 1 The pco camera system consists of the camera and the pco power supply and exposure control unit pco camera pco power camRAM power unit digital lt gt digital control control ET interface trigger unit analog PC Structural overview of the pco camera system components Inside the camera photons are converted into charges by the image sensor see Figure 3 1 CCD or CMOS De pending on the type of camera the image sensor is cooled by
41. us 12 2004 Chapter 7 Appendix page 42 7 4 Camera Disposal The camera includes electronic devices which can con tain materials harmful to the environment If the camera is to be discarded please dispose of it in an environmentally responsible manner and use recycling facilities where a vailable User Manual pco camera status 12 2004 Dear Customer We hope this camera will be an always valuable tool for your scientific day in day out work Comments suggestions or any new idea on our system are welcome We are at your disposal at any time also after your buying of this camera Your PCO Team pco Imaging PCO AG Donaupark 11 D 93309 Kelheim fon 49 0 9441 2005 0 fax 49 0 9441 2005 20 eMail info pco de www pco de
42. y is supplied with either a standard C mount or a Nikon F mount adapter For image sensor formats of 1 3 1 2 and 1 we recommend the use of C mount lenses For the 1 1 5 range there are special C mount lenses available but most often F Mount lenses should be used For cameras with a sensor format larger than 1 5 pco 4000 only F mount lenses should be used The distance between the front edge of the C Mount and the CCD sensor is 17 52 mm Change the dis tance of the lens support plate to the Image Sensor 1 7 2 Back Focal Length Adjustment In some cases it may be necessary to change the dis tance of the lens support plate to the image sensor e g if the camera cannot be focussed in the infinite position Use the small Allen wrench included in the camera pack age for this purpose and follow the directions below based on your adaptor type C mount adaptor Loosen the two Allen screws located at the steel insert in the front of the camera case and adjust the knurled insert M50 x 0 5 thread to the correct distance between lens support plate and the image sensor If you want to adjust for the infinite position of the lens the lens must be set to infinite before you begin Then the knurled insert can be adjusted with the connected lens until you see a sharp image with the camware software in recording mode or with Live View running User Manual pco camera status 12 2004 Chapter 1 Introduction page 10
43. ynchronously and status information is sent periodically every 500ms or after each collection of an image A detailed description of the communication between the camera and the PC is lo cated in the software development kit SDK manual which is available free of charge 4 1 Interface Structure Figure 4 1 While it is running on the PC application software can send the camera commands and request status informa tion at any time Image data can also be received and processed The dynamic link library DLL connects the application software with the driver layers see Figure 4 1 pco camera layer structure of commands PC application PC DLL adaptation to interface driver PC driver layer s hardware data transmission pco camera communication port pco camera COC processor pco camera FPGA Command structure layer model used with the pco camera system The commands that are sent to the driver are valid for all pco camera systems and for all interface types The driver converts these commands into hardware related instruc tions to communicate with the various hardware ports such as COC processor Camera Operation Code or the installed FPGA controllers see Figure 4 1 In Figure 4 2 the Firewire400 interface structure is shown in detail From top to bottom The pco camera application software accesses the camera API which represents an independ ent layer from the data interfaces In this example the User

File

Contents

Download Pdf Manuals

Related Search

Related Contents