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Alkeria NECTA Series User Manual

Usb3 line-scan camera
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USB3 line-scan camera
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Summary of Contents for Alkeria NECTA Series

  • Page 1 NECTA series USB3 line-scan camera U S E R G U I D E...
  • Page 2 The information in this document is subject to change without notice. Information, drawings and illus- trations contained herein are the property of Alkeria SRL. No part of this manual may be reproduced or distributed by any means, electronic or mechanical, without the express written consent of Alkeria SRL.
  • Page 3 • Make sure you check the information about NECTA Player and its functions in Chapter 9; • Deeply check our manual and code samples: most of common operations and options available are described there; • Remember that you can always reach our support team through your User Area on www.alkeria.com or emailing support@alkeria.com Warning NEVER try to power the camera through the I/O interface.

  • Page 4: Table Of Contents

    1.4.2 Run Alkeria player ........
  • Page 5 Summary 3.4.3 F-Mount adapter ........3.5 Flange Focal Distance .
  • Page 6 Summary 4.5 Controlling output ports ........4.5.1 Polarity .
  • Page 7 Summary 8.1 Video modes ..........8.1.1 Mode 0 (Normal) .
  • Page 8 8.13 Pattern Generator ......... 118 9 Alkeria player 9.1 Device Connection and Initialization .

  • Page 9: Getting Started

    1. Getting started Getting started 1.1 REQUIREMENTS For getting started with NECTA you will need the material listed below: • A NECTA camera equipped with a lens adapter (Figure 1.1); • A lens compatible with the chosen lens adapter; • An USB 3.2 Gen 1x1 cable (Figure 1.2); •...

  • Page 10: Software Download

    After camera purchasing, our Sales Department will provide you with access to our website’s User Area. In there you can find everything you need to set and use the camera: manuals, guides, tutorials, software and firmware updates. Users Area accounts are personal, and can only be created by Alkeria’s Sales Dept.
  • Page 11 1. Getting started Step 2: Click on “User Area - Support” top-right button (Figure 1.4) Figure 1.4: User Area button Step 3: Once redirected to login form, insert your username and password and click “Log in” (Figure 1.5) Figure 1.5: User Area log in form Step 4: On “Downloads”...
  • Page 12 1. Getting started Step 5: Click on “Download” to download a file (fig. 1.7) Figure 1.7: Example of file listing inside Linux & Windows SDK category Figure 1.8: Example of single file view Step 6: Click on the “Log out” orange button to end your session (Figure 1.8), then install the downloaded executable as administrator.

  • Page 13: Connections

    1. Getting started 1.3 CONNECTIONS Before starting, connect the camera to the PC following these steps: Step 1: Mount the camera on a stable support; Step 2: Mount the lens on the adapter; Step 3: Connect the USB micro-B plug (Figure 1.2b) to the camera;...

  • Page 14: First Start

    NECTA cameras and check the correct camera and software installation. Once installed MaestroUSB3 SDK, you can find the application at the following path: Program Files\Alkeria\USB3\MaestroUSB3\Players Alternatively, you can easily start the Alkeria player by accessing the Windows Start button and look for Alkeria player from the MaestroUSB3 Program folder: Start->All programs->Alkeria->USB3->MaestroUSB3.
  • Page 15 1. Getting started Figure 1.9: Alkeria player main window A subset of the toolbar controls is shown in Table 1.1. Init Initialize the camera to default settings (camera power-up status). Play Start image playback. Stop Stop image playback. Settings Open the settings panel.

  • Page 16: How To Get A Good Image

    To calibrate the camera press NECTA on the toolbar and then click on Calibration to open the wizard. If you want to learn more about calibration, check out tutorials and guides on your website’s User Area. Figure 1.10: Alkeria player Calibration Wizard...

  • Page 17: Introducing Necta Line Scan Cameras

    Introducing NECTA Line Scan Cameras NECTA is Alkeria’s answer to the demand of its customers in industrial and medical field for high speed line scan cameras. Featuring USB 3.2 Gen 1x1 interface, complying with the modern advance in machine vision, NECTA...

  • Page 18: Necta

    2. Introducing NECTA Line Scan Cameras 2.1 NECTA NECTA is a family of ultra-compact line scan cameras with USB 3.2 Gen 1x1 interface. The adoption of new technology Complementary MOS (CMOS) linear sensors and USB 3.2 Gen 1x1 connectivity allows NECTA to reach very high acquisition speed while still using consumer-class interface.
  • Page 19 2. Introducing NECTA Line Scan Cameras Model Name Sensor Resolution (H x W) Chroma NECTA N2K-7 AMS DR2K7 1 x 2048 Mono NECTA N2K2-7 AMS DR2X2K7 2 x 2048 Mono NECTA N2K2-7C AMS DR2X2K7 2 x 2048 Color NECTA N4K-3 AMS DR4K3.5 1 x 4096 Mono...

  • Page 20: Detailed Specifications

    56 mm x 56 mm x 38.3 mm Size (with F-mount) 56 mm x 56 mm x 67.3 mm Conformity CE, RoHS, FCC, IC Operating temperature 0 ÷ 50 °C (referred to housing) Software MaestroUSB3 www.alkeria.com/products/NECTA-series Link Warranty 24 months Table 2.2: NECTA N2K-7 Specifications...
  • Page 21 56 mm x 56 mm x 38.3 mm Size (with F-mount) 56 mm x 56 mm x 67.3 mm Conformity CE, RoHS, FCC, IC Operating temperature 0 ÷ 50 °C (referred to housing) Software MaestroUSB3 www.alkeria.com/products/NECTA-series Link Warranty 24 months Table 2.3: NECTA N2K2-7 / N2K2-7C Specifications...
  • Page 22 56 mm x 56 mm x 38.3 mm Size (with F-mount) 56 mm x 56 mm x 67.3 mm Conformity CE, RoHS, FCC, IC Operating temperature 0 ÷ 50 °C (referred to housing) Software MaestroUSB3 www.alkeria.com/products/NECTA-series Link Warranty 24 months Table 2.4: NECTA N4K-3 Specifications...
  • Page 23 56 mm x 56 mm x 38.3 mm Size (with F-mount) 56 mm x 56 mm x 67.3 mm Conformity CE, RoHS, FCC, IC Operating temperature 0 ÷ 50 °C (referred to housing) Software MaestroUSB3 www.alkeria.com/products/NECTA-series Link Warranty 24 months Table 2.5: NECTA N4K-7 Specifications...
  • Page 24 56 mm x 56 mm x 38.3 mm Size (with F-mount) 56 mm x 56 mm x 67.3 mm Conformity CE, RoHS, FCC, IC Operating temperature 0 ÷ 50 °C (referred to housing) Software MaestroUSB3 www.alkeria.com/products/NECTA-series Link Warranty 24 months Table 2.6: NECTA N4K2-7 / N4K2-7C Specifications...
  • Page 25 56 mm x 56 mm x 38.3 mm Size (with F-mount) 56 mm x 56 mm x 67.3 mm Conformity CE, RoHS, FCC, IC Operating temperature 0 ÷ 50 °C (referred to housing) Software MaestroUSB3 www.alkeria.com/products/NECTA-series Link Warranty 24 months Table 2.7: NECTA N8K-3 Specifications...

  • Page 26: Optional Accessories

    • NIO-x cable for I/O interconnection – 3, 5, 10 m long available (see Section 4.1). 2.4 ORDERING INFORMATIONS Alkeria has various camera series in its product line: each series has several models, with different res- olutions, color modes and accessories.

  • Page 27: Usb 3.2 Gen 1X1 Superspeed Interface

    2. Introducing NECTA Line Scan Cameras 2.5 USB 3.2 GEN 1X1 SUPERSPEED INTERFACE NECTA cameras exploit the USB 3.2 Gen 1x1 standard interface to fulfil the bandwidth requirements of fast image sensors and communicate with PC. In order to maximize usable bandwidth of installed USB 3.2 Gen 1x1 controller, user can choose between isochronous endpoint and bulk endpoint for transmit- ting video stream.

  • Page 28: Usb 3.2 Gen 1X1 Controller Cards

    2. Introducing NECTA Line Scan Cameras 2.5.3 USB 3.2 Gen 1x1 controller cards Since each host controller performs better or with isochronous or bulk endpoints, it is recommended to make extensive testings to determine the best controller-endpoint configuration. This is especially true if you want to reach the maximum speed.

  • Page 29: Software License

    2. Introducing NECTA Line Scan Cameras upon purchase of NECTA cameras. Refer to the software manual available along with MaestroUSB3 SDK for a full description of the development system, the installation procedures, software functions and source code examples. Note All code examples in this document are written in C#. 2.7.1 Software License NECTA customers are granted free use of MaestroUSB3.
  • Page 30 Should any liquid (like water, beverages or chemical substances) flow into the camera, STOP using it IMMEDIATELY and ask your distributor or Alkeria SRL for technical support. Store your NECTA Camera with the lens opening covered to avoid dust contamination.

  • Page 31: Hardware Description

    3. Hardware Description Hardware Description 3.1 SENSORS NECTA line scan cameras employ last-generation linear CMOS sensors manufactured by AMS, featur- ing an ADC module for each pixel which allows very high-speed acquisition. The tables in Section 2.2.1 help identifying the sensor used in each camera model, indicating the resolution and size of the pixel cell; sensors whose size is indicated by ”2x...

  • Page 32: Mechanical Description

    3. Hardware Description Awaiba sensors quantum efficiency 1000 1100 Wavelength [nm] Figure 3.2: Quantum efficiency of NECTA monochrome sensors - Source: AMS Awaiba RGB filter transmission 1000 1100 Wavelength [nm] Figure 3.3: Bayer filter transmission of NECTA color sensors - Source: AMS 3.2 MECHANICAL DESCRIPTION The housing of NECTA cameras is made of black anodized aluminum alloy, using high precision machin- ing.
  • Page 33 3. Hardware Description n.4 holes n.8 holes Power/Status LED I/O connector Hirose HR10-10R-12SA(73) n.2 holes Dimensions in mm A - B - C Reference Datum Figure 3.4: NECTA camera dimensions (without lens adapter)

  • Page 34: Sensor Position

    3. Hardware Description 3.3 SENSOR POSITION Figure 3.5 shows the position and orientation of the sensitive area of the NECTA sensor referred to the main reference plane. The marking in the upper left in the figure (marked as Sensor reference) helps identifying the direction of the sensor and the position of the first pixel of its sensitive area.

  • Page 35: C-Mount Adapter

    3. Hardware Description NAD-C adapter n°4 holes 30,70 1-32 UN 2A C-mount Figure 3.6: NAD-C C-Mount mechanical drawings 3.4.2 C-Mount adapter The NAD-C adapter allows interfacing some NECTA camera models (N2K-7, N2K2-7, N2K2-7C and N4K-3) with standard C-mount lenses. To connect the adapter, simply align it to the holes in front of the camera and tighten the four M4 hex screws supplied with the adapter.

  • Page 36: Maximum Lens Protrusion

    3. Hardware Description Caution Do not contaminate the sensitive area of the camera. Avoid exposing optical parts to dust and dirt during handling operations; always operate in a clean working area, as dry as possible and free from dust. For best results, keep the camera facing downwards during operations.

  • Page 37: Flange Focal Distance

    3. Hardware Description F-mount flange NAD-F adapter Lens insertion reference Lens lock pin 59,70 56,20 Figure 3.8: NAD-F F-Mount mechanical drawings Warning The maximum tightening torque for screws is 2.0 N m. Exceeding the maxi- mum tightening torque may damage the camera. Caution Do not contaminate the sensitive area of the camera! Avoid exposing optical parts to dust and dirt during handling operations;...

  • Page 38: Handling Precautions

    3. Hardware Description Figure 3.9: NECTA camera equipped with C-Mount Figure 3.10: NECTA camera equipped with F-Mount NECTA camera equipped with F-Mount adapter has a nominal flange focal distance FFD of 46.5 mm. 3.6 HANDLING PRECAUTIONS The optical parts of NECTA cameras are assembled in a clean environment and the camera lens mount is factory sealed using a protective film, preserving optical parts from being contaminated by dust.

  • Page 39: Warranty Limitations

    3. Hardware Description Notes Housing temperature during operation 0 °C 50 °C Ambiental humidity during operation 20 % 80 % Relative, non-condensing Storage temperature 15 °C 80 °C Storage humidity 20 % 80 % Relative, non-condensing Table 3.2: Ambiental requirements 3.6.2 Warranty limitations Removing the label, opening or mishandling the camera will void its warranty.

  • Page 40: Monitoring Internal Temperature

    3. Hardware Description • Provide adequate heat dissipation by mounting the camera on a wide thermally conductive sur- face that can act as heatsink and use a fan in order to provide forced air flow over the camera. • Grant enough air circulation between camera and other system components, especially hot ones. •...

  • Page 41: Emi/Esd Precautions: Noise And Electrostatic Discharge

    3. Hardware Description 70°C 80°C 65°C 75°C Figure 3.11: Temperature status transition Example Code 3.2 | Temperature Change Event device.OverTemperatureStatusChanged delegate(object EventArgs String msg String.Format("Status: {0}", device.OverTemperatureStatus); MessageBox.Show(msg); device.OverTemperatureMonitorEnable = true; 3.6.7 EMI/ESD precautions: noise and electrostatic discharge NECTA cameras are typically used in industrial environments, where many devices may generate elec- tromagnetic interference and electrostatic discharge.

  • Page 42: Cleaning Necta Camera

    Improper cleaning procedures may damage camera components. Contact Alkeria SRL if you are not familiar with the procedures described below. Any damage to sensor, filter, protection glass and camera housing occurred during cleaning procedures is not covered by Alkeria SRL warranty.

  • Page 43: Impurities

    The sensor protection glass cannot be accessed anyhow without opening the camera housing. Doing it by yourself will void the camera warranty. If you think your camera sensor needs to be cleaned, contact rma@alkeria.com to arrange the camera return procedure (refer to Section 10.1).

  • Page 44: Interfacing To The World

    4. Interfacing to the world Interfacing To The World NECTA features a robust circular I/O connector (Hirose p/n HR10-10R-12SA (73)) interfacing to exter- nal signals. The I/O connector provides two input lines, two output lines and a programmable I/O line; all lines support both differential and single-ended signaling according to the RS-422, RS-644, LV-TTL/LV- CMOS and 12 V-24 V standards (where available.

  • Page 45: Detecting I/O Power

    4. Interfacing to the world Name Function Bidirectional port, negative input Bidirectional port, positive input Input port, negative input Input port, positive input Ground DC Out DC Output - 300 mA max Output port, negative output Output port, positive output Input port, negative input Input port, positive input Output port, negative output...

  • Page 46: I/O Cable

    4. Interfacing to the world Caution Always check your camera I/O power compatibility before interfacing the camera to other devices. Connecting the camera to incompatible input signals may cause permanent damage to the camera itself. 4.1 I/O CABLE The NECTA I/O connector can host a cable to interface the camera to the world. Standard interface cables can be provided as optional accessories (refer to Section 2.3);...

  • Page 47: Power Selection

    4. Interfacing to the world If you need to build your own I/O cables, please use a good cable featuring a braid whose shielding co- efficient is greater than 85 %, and connect the external braid shielding to the connector body. The max- imum allowed length for the I/O cable is 10 m;...

  • Page 48: Debouncing Module

    4. Interfacing to the world Warning To ensure proper operation of the input circuit, the reference ground related to input signals must be connected to the camera as well. NECTA camera Termination Enable Input Port + 3,3V FPGA Data In Input Port - 125K 8,2K...

  • Page 49: Input Events

    4. Interfacing to the world modules. Warning The debouncing filter adds a delay to the signal chain, starting from the instant when it has actually become stable, as long as the selected sampling time (see Figure 4.6). The debounce time can be set between 0 (debouncing disabled) and 65 535 µs, with a 1 µs granularity.
  • Page 50 4. Interfacing to the world Figure 4.7: Input event generation and readout Warning Event flags are set at each input event; when consecutive input events of the same type (rising or falling) happen between two event flag readouts (event flag overrun), the input event latches the first event only and the following events will be lost.

  • Page 51: Ttl / Lv-Cmos / 12 V

    4. Interfacing to the world Figure 4.9: Connecting an output port to four input ports, terminating the last input port Warning To ensure the electrical signal integrity on the bus, you must connect only the termination resistor (120 Ω) to the last device (on the right in the figure above). If the last device is a NECTA camera, you can simply enable its internal termi- nation via software (see Code 4.16).
  • Page 52 4. Interfacing to the world User Device User GND Output Figure 4.10: Connecting a LV-TTL signal to input port P1+ to the ”+” is therefore detected as logical ”1” when its level is at least 0.5 V higher than ”-” reference sig- nal.

  • Page 53: Output Module Structure

    4. Interfacing to the world NECTA camera Output Enable Output Port + FPGA Data Out Output Port - Camera GND LTC2855 Figure 4.11: NECTA with 5 V tolerant output port internal structure NECTA camera Output Enable Output Port + FPGA Data Out Output Port - Camera GND...
  • Page 54 4. Interfacing to the world 4.3.2.1 RS-422 NECTA output ports natively support differential signaling according to the RS-422 standard. User Device User GND Input- Input+ Figure 4.13: Connecting output port P3 to a RS-422 input Warning To ensure signal integrity on the bus it is highly recommended to use the RS- 422 bus topology and keep all the bus connections to slave devices as short as possible.

  • Page 55: Ttl / Lv-Cmos

    4. Interfacing to the world Warning Connecting NECTA camera outputs to an external RS-644 device inputs WITHOUT using the recommended resistive divider may seriously damage your device. User Device User GND Input- Input+ Figure 4.14: Connecting output port P3 to a RS-644 input 4.3.2.3 LV-TTL / LV-CMOS User Device User GND...

  • Page 56: To 24 V Output

    4. Interfacing to the world 4.3.2.4 5 to 24 V Output User Device User GND Input+ 24 Vdc Figure 4.16: Connecting output port P3+ to a 24 V input NECTA with 24 V tolerant I/O interface can drive also 5 to 24 V inputs using the connections shown in Figure 4.16: the ‘0’...

  • Page 57: Using Input Signals

    4. Interfacing to the world Warning Input signals are usually processed by the debouncing module (see Section 4.3.1.1), which avoids false acquisitions when the input signals may contain glitches. However, the debouncing module obviously limits the input signal bandwidth: when an input signal is changing very fast, properly setting the related debouncing module, or even disabling it, may be necessary to avoid losing events.

  • Page 58: Encoder Hysteresis

    4. Interfacing to the world 4.4.1.1 Encoder hysteresis The encoder module uses a threshold mechanism to ignore temporary direction reversals due to vibra- tions and mechanical plays. The figures above show the operation of the encoder module, respectively in the cases of constant rotational speed (Figure 4.18) and input jitter due to mechanical vibrations (Fig- ure 4.19).

  • Page 59: Configuring The Encoder Module

    4. Interfacing to the world Figure 4.20: Ticks generated when ignore direction is enabled Figure 4.21: Ticks generated when ignore direction is disabled 4.4.1.3 Configuring the encoder module The following code sets the input ports 1 and 2 as the phase (A) and quadrature (B) encoder inputs. The encoder module is programmed to generate a trigger only when rotating in the positive direction.

  • Page 60: Frequency Multiplier (Phase Locked Loop (Pll))

    4. Interfacing to the world Example Code 4.4 | Encoder position read uint position = device.Encoder.CurrentPosition; // Read counter current value device.Encoder.Reset(); // Reset value to 0 position = device.Encoder.CurrentPosition; // Now position is 0 Note When the encoder position is reset, the targets of all trigger modules are au- tomatically reset too and restart counting from 0 (see Chapter 6).

  • Page 61: Trigger Manager

    4. Interfacing to the world The maximum allowed input jitter, expressed as the maximum absolute variation of the input period, is: (4.3) · M while the maximum absolute jitter of the trigger output is not greater than 21 ns. Note Jitter in frequency input signals or encoder rotational affects the output trig- ger, resulting in erratical acquisition cadence.

  • Page 62: Controlling Output Ports

    4. Interfacing to the world 4.5 CONTROLLING OUTPUT PORTS NECTA outputs can be directly controlled by software or reflect the state of internally generated sig- nals; the latter allows to synchronize lighting systems and/or external capture devices with NECTA ac- quisition.

  • Page 63: Open Collector

    4. Interfacing to the world Note The Invert property affects output signals only. It has no effect on input sig- nal decoding. 4.5.2 Open collector The high voltage output mode can be directly set by your application. The following code sets port 4 as open-collector: Example Code 4.9 | Drive 24 V input signals (device.PIOPorts[4].OpenCollectorModeAvailable)

  • Page 64: Strobe

    4. Interfacing to the world Example Code 4.11 | Exposure as P3 source device.PIOPorts[3].Source = OutputSource.Exposure; The exposure signal can be used to synchronize multiple NECTA devices, so that the acquisition in progress signal of the master camera can be routed as a capture trigger for slave cameras. This method is simple and effective, but it it still affected by an intrinsic delay due to I/O switching time, debouncing filters etc;...

  • Page 65: Trigger

    4. Interfacing to the world Note The strobe signal is not a generalization of the exposure signal described in 4.5.4.1, but actually a different signal with its own use: both signals originate from the line start event trigger, so they can have different delays with respect to it.

  • Page 66: Input And Output Ports Usage Examples

    4. Interfacing to the world 4.5.6 Input and output ports usage examples The following code configures NECTA port 0 (bidirectional) as an input, sets 10 µs as debounce time and enables the internal differential termination: Example Code 4.16 | P0 configuration as input device.PIOPorts[0].Direction = IODirection.Input;...
  • Page 67 4. Interfacing to the world Example Code 4.18 | Serial interface output configuration device.PIOPorts[0].Source = OutputSource.UARTTx; // Uart Tx on Port 0 device.PIOPorts[0].Direction = IODirection.Output; // Port 0 output direction device.UART.BaudRate = 38400; // 38400 bps byte[] byte[16]; // Data to send device.UART.Send(b);...

  • Page 68: System Setup

    5. System Setup System Setup 5.1 USB SETUP NECTA is controlled and powered through the USB connector. When the camera is connected to the PC through one USB 3.2 Gen 1x1 hub, you must be sure that the hub directly connected to the camera uses a suitable power supply: using poor quality power supplies may degrade the performance of the camera or damage it.

  • Page 69: Recommended Usb Interface

    EMI/RFI performance. 5.1.2 Recommended USB interface To get maximum performances out of Alkeria cameras, it is essential to choose the right USB3 host con- troller, focusing on it’s maximum throughput, since the controller is responsible for the actual available bandwidth.

  • Page 70: Status Led

    USB plugged and enumerated ORANGE Camera acquiring BLINKING Generic error (contact support@alkeria.com ) Generic error (contact support@alkeria.com ) Table 5.1: Status LED behaviour Different behaviours of the status LED may indicate that camera is malfunctioning. 5.3 WHEN ONE NECTA IS NOT ENOUGH...

  • Page 71: Trigger

    6. Trigger Trigger NECTA captures a predetermined number of lines specified by the ImageSizeY parameter of the ROI (see Section 8.3) under the control of configurable events called “triggers”. The lines acquired are grouped together in a frame and sent to the PC via the USB 3.2 Gen 1x1 bus. The modules generating trigger events are examined below.

  • Page 72: Acquisition Start Trigger

    6. Trigger External Trigger is generated on the detection of an input event. The trigger module can be activated either by the rising edge or by the high level; the input logic can also be reversed in order to detect the falling edge or the low level. Software Trigger is generated through the SoftwareTrigger software method.

  • Page 73: End-Of-Exposure Trigger

    6. Trigger When the module is disabled , lines are continuously acquired and the time between lines is controlled by the LinePeriod property. 6.5 END-OF-EXPOSURE TRIGGER The end-of-exposure trigger (ExposureEndTrigger) event terminates the exposure of a line. The only available trigger source for this module is External. When the module is disabled , the duration of the exposure is controlled by the Shutter control value (see Section 8.10.8).

  • Page 74: Encoder Delay

    6. Trigger Note The delay set through TriggerDelay forces LinePeriod to increment. Please check if resulting LinePeriod is still suitable for the application. 6.6.1 Encoder delay Acquisition-start trigger and frame-start trigger can also delay the signaling of the trigger event for an amount of encoder steps, set through the module’s EncoderDelay property.

  • Page 75: Trigger Configuration Example

    6. Trigger The third trigger signal is properly received and accepted as the previous exposure is already complete. LineStartTrigger LineStartTriggerReady Exposure Trigger Delay Shutter Trigger Delay Errors Figure 6.2: Exposure timings 6.7 TRIGGER CONFIGURATION EXAMPLE 6.7.1 External trigger frame acquisition The following example assumes that you want to acquire a frame composed by 5 lines every time a rising edge on input port 1 is detected.

  • Page 76: Signal-Driven Exposure Time

    6. Trigger 6.7.2 Signal-driven exposure time The following example shows how to acquire a line every time a rising edge on input port 1 is detected. The exposure will end when a falling edge is detected on the same port. Line start trigger ready signal is routed to output port 3, while ExposureEndTriggerReady signal is routed to output port 4.
  • Page 77 6. Trigger are connected to ports 1 and 2. Since the tape speed is not constant, to prevent warping of the acquired image, the line exposure start must be synchronized to the encoder. Moreover, the application requests acquiring a line every 4/3 step. Example Code 6.5 | Encoder synchronization // Setup acquisition trigger: // Set debounce time to 100 us...

  • Page 78: The Processing Chain

    7. The processing chain The processing chain The image processing is performed on-camera, both by the sensor and the embedded Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), saving computational power on your PC and leaving it available for the application. Please refer to Section 8.10 for more information about camera controls such as white balance, digital gain, etc.

  • Page 79: Chunk Data

    7. The processing chain SENSOR Black level CDS Gain Analog Gain PRE-PROCESSING Calibration Horizontal ROI composer Binning Light meter IMAGE PROCESSING Digital gain Brightness Contrast LUTs MONO 8 MONO 16 Figure 7.1: Monochrome camera processing chain diagram Example Code 7.1 | Set LMR starting from x = 256, y = 384, and 512 x 800 pixels wide device.SetLightMeterROI(256, 384, 512, 800);...

  • Page 80: Line Number (Line Related)

    7. The processing chain SENSOR Black level CDS Gain Analog Gain PRE-PROCESSING Calibration Horizontal ROI composer Light meter IMAGE PROCESSING White balance Digital gain Demosaicing Color correction LUTs Figure 7.2: Color camera processing chain diagram. Brightness, Contrast, Saturation and Hue are enclosed in the Color Correction a line-start triggers are present, values such as FrameTimestamp and FrameEncoderPosition, are acquired only at the first line-start trigger, which can be temporally and spatially distant from the frame-...

  • Page 81: Frame Number

    7. The processing chain Note Dual-line BW sensors (and color sensors when in Mode 1) expose simultane- ously the two lines every line-start trigger event (when line delay is disabled). Thus, LineNumber increments once every two lines. 7.2.2 Frame Number The FrameNumber field is a progressive 16-bit unsigned integer.

  • Page 82: Input Status

    7. The processing chain The following example shows how to enable the LineEncoderPosition32 chunk data field (the same procedure can be done for FrameEncoderPosition32): Example Code 7.6 | Enable encoder position chunk data device.EnableChunkData = true; device.EnableChunkDataField(ChunkDataField.LineEncoderPosition32); A 16-bit unsigned version of the encoder position can be retrieved enabling LineEncoderPosition16 instead of LineEncoderPosition32.

  • Page 83: Flush

    7. The processing chain 7.3 FLUSH When the acquisition is interrupted before a whole set of lines has been acquired, you can still use the flush operation to retrieve a “partial” frame, in which the missing lines are replaced by dummy lines. Dummy lines are black in monochrome modes and green in color ones.

  • Page 84: Capturing Images

    8. Capturing Images Capturing Images 8.1 VIDEO MODES Despite being a linear camera, NECTA provides images (frames) consisting of multiple consecutive lines. A frame is made of a programmable number of lines; both line length and line offset (the number of pixels to skip from the first effective pixel of the sensor) are programmable and specify the Region-Of- Interest (ROI).

  • Page 85: Mode 2 (Subsampling - Color Models Only)

    8. Capturing Images be used to make calculations starting from the bare raw data coming from the sensor. Fixed Pattern Noise (FPN) calibration remains active; its contribution can be made neutral (e.g. to evaluate a different FPN calibration) using the methods described in Section 8.2. 8.1.3 Mode 2 (Subsampling –...

  • Page 86: Calibration

    8. Capturing Images ′ (8.6) Note When switching between these two binning modes, Luma property doesn’t change. Luma value is calculated in pre-processing module, while subsampling is performed later in the image processing chain (see Chapter 7). 8.2 CALIBRATION NECTA camera is able to automatically correct non-uniformities introduced by image sensor, lens and lighting system;...

  • Page 87: Black Level Offset

    8. Capturing Images Warning Calibration is performed with camera controls set by the user. To avoid image corruption due to FPN, is mandatory to save and reload calibration and user configuration simultaneously as explained in Section 8.11. For further information, please refer to MaestroUSB3 manual and application examples. 8.2.1 Black Level Offset The Black level is the common offset exhibited by all the pixels of the image sensor while not illumi- nated.

  • Page 88: Restoring Necta Calibration

    8. Capturing Images Warning The reference image for evaluating the PRNU correction must not contain sat- urated pixels. This may introduce artifacts due to an incorrect evaluation of calibration parameters. The camera evaluates the reference compensation level within the current LMR, possibly smaller than the current ROI;...

  • Page 89: Region Of Interest

    8. Capturing Images Example Code 8.2 | Empty calibration recall (device.Calibration.InitAvailable) device.Calibration.Init(); 8.3 REGION OF INTEREST If you don’t need to acquire the whole sensor image, you can get just part of it setting a Region-Of- Interest (ROI). This may save the time required to transfer the unnecessary parts of the image possibly increasing the resulting frame rate.

  • Page 90: Binning (Monochrome Models Only)

    8. Capturing Images Example Code 8.3 | ROI configuring example // Ensures that ROI start position plus size does not exceed max sensor area device.ImageStartX = 0; // Set ROI size device.ImageSizeX = Math.Min(device.MaxImageSizeX, 1536); // Set ROI starting position device.ImageStartX = 16;...

  • Page 91: Sum-Type Binning

    8. Capturing Images Similarly, the vertical binning mode combines the values of adjacent pixels on the same column (see Fig- ure 8.4 and Figure 8.7), and the vertical size of the acquired image is then reduced by a factor related to the chosen binning factor.

  • Page 92: Average-Type Binning

    8. Capturing Images Example Code 8.4 | Sum-Type combined binning configuration (device.BinningAvailable && device.BinningModeAvailable) (device.GetAvailableBinningModes().Contains(BinningMode.Sum)) // Set sum-type binning. device.BinningMode = BinningMode.Sum; // Get an array of available horizontal binning values. byte[] horizontalBinnings = device.GetAvailableHorizontalBinnings(); // Check whether 2x horizontal binning value exists in the array or not. (Array.IndexOf(horizontalBinnings, 2) != -1) device.HorizontalBinning = 2;...
  • Page 93 8. Capturing Images Figure 8.7: Monochrome Average-type vertical binning Figure 8.8: Monochrome Average-type combined binning Example Code 8.6 | Average-Type horizontal binning configuration (device.BinningAvailable) (device.BinningModeAvailable) // Set sum-type binning. device.BinningMode = BinningMode.Sum; // Get an array of available horizontal binning values. byte[] horizontalBinnings = device.GetAvailableHorizontalBinnings();...

  • Page 94: Pixel Format

    8. Capturing Images Note When enabling horizontal binning, ImageStartX and ImageSizeX val- Vertical binning mode influences ImageSizeY and ues will be halved. UnitImageSizeY instead. Note For two-lines monochrome sensors only: when acquiring a moving target, en- abling the LineDelay control (see Section 5.7) together with vertical binning may be recommended.

  • Page 95: Adc Resolution

    8. Capturing Images The RAW8 and RAW16 formats allow receiving raw data from the sensor, bypassing the processing chain; their representation is the same as MONO8 and MONO16 formats. Note When using RAW formats from color NECTA cameras, the camera output is a bayer filtered image (see Figure 3.1).

  • Page 96: Line Period

    8. Capturing Images Note The sensor’s analog gain slightly depends on the selected ADC resolution; the same Gain value may therefore generate slightly different gain levels when operating at different ADC resolution. You should set the operating ADC reso- lution before choosing the Gain level required by the application. Example Code 8.8 | Set ADC resolution to 10 bit device.ADCResolution = 10;...

  • Page 97: High Resolution Line Period

    8. Capturing Images Note When the minimum line period is recomputed due to parameter changes (e.g. the packet size), the current line period is automatically reset to the minimum line period. See Section 8.9.7 for further details. In general, the minimum value for the line period is determined by four factors: •...

  • Page 98: Color Cameras

    8. Capturing Images 8.8.1 Color cameras Using the line delay control improves color reconstruction of the target along the scanning direction. As indicated in Section 3.1.2, NECTA color sensors feature two adjacent lines sensitive to color compo- nents according to the Bayer filter; for a proper color reconstruction, the delay between two consecu- tive exposures should equal the time for the target projection onto the sensor to move from one row to the adjacent one.

  • Page 99: Monochrome Cameras

    8. Capturing Images Note Using the line delay control requires setting the target motion direction (For- ward or Reverse) according to the acquisition system layout (see Figure 8.10). Example Code 8.11 | Setup line delay // Turn LineDelay mechanism on (default statcamera is disabled) device.LineDelay.Enabled = true;...

  • Page 100: Frame Rate And Bandwidth

    8. Capturing Images For more details about line delay control settings refer to Section 8.8.1. Note Monochrome cameras can follow the target motion direction (Forward or Re- verse) according to the acquisition system layout (see Figure 8.10) without en- abling line delay. 8.9 FRAME RATE AND BANDWIDTH Acquired frames are sent to the host computer through the USB 3.2 Gen 1x1 connection.

  • Page 101: Bandwidth Limit For Bulk Endpoint

    8. Capturing Images USB Packet size Burst size Number of bursts Bytes per micro-frame Bandwidth 1 KiB × 3 × 1 3 KiB 24 000 KiB/s 1 KiB × 6 × 1 6 KiB 48 000 KiB/s 1 KiB × 8 ×...

  • Page 102: Packet Size For Isochronous Endpoint

    8. Capturing Images 8.9.4 Packet size for isochronous endpoint The packet size parameter controls the maximum amount of data the device can send during a micro- frame. Not all values are permitted: the boundaries for the allowed packet size are adjusted by the cam- era according to the operating conditions;...

  • Page 103: Calculating The Required Bandwidth

    8. Capturing Images Warning PacketSize property can be set only when camera is not acquiring. Note PacketSize property has unit as specified in PacketSizeUnitInfo unit info. 8.9.4.1 Calculating the required bandwidth Whenever an operating parameter of the camera is set, NECTA automatically calculates the upper and lower (optimum) PacketSize limits, optimizing camera performance.

  • Page 104: Packet Size For Bulk Endpoint

    8. Capturing Images where W is the overall size of the sensor (number of pixels in a row) and f is 100 MHz. SEN SOR In other words, the above formula states that the number of bytes sent per micro-frame is the size in bytes of each frame multiplied by the image rate and divided by 8000 (number of micro-frames per sec- ond).

  • Page 105: Maximizing Frame Rate

    8. Capturing Images line period unaffected, as long as the old value is still inside the range of the allowed rates. Otherwise, if the property is set to false, the line period will always be minimized. Example Code 8.14 | Enable the PreserveRates functionality device.PreserveRates = true;...

  • Page 106: Brightness

    8. Capturing Images Note Brightness, Contrast, Saturation, Hue, WhiteBalance, Gamma, DigitalGain, UserLut, controls have no effect when using a RAW color coding 8.10.1 Brightness The Brightness control modifies the lightness of the acquired image. Example Code 8.15 | Set the brightness level device.Brightness = 64;...

  • Page 107: Color Correction Matrix (Color Models Only)

    8. Capturing Images Example Code 8.16 | Set the contrast level device.Contrast = 144; (a) Contrast 64 (b) Contrast 128 (neutral) (c) Contrast 192 Figure 8.12: Example of Contrast control effect. 8.10.3 Color correction matrix (color models only) Each RGB pixel can be modified using the Color Correction Matrix. ...

  • Page 108: Hue (Color Models Only)

    8. Capturing Images Note When color correction matrix is enabled, Brightness, Contrast, Saturation and Hue controls become disabled. There is no interaction between matrix coef- ficients and the actual values of the controls above: changing one of CCM or CCO coefficients does not change any control value and viceversa. Example Code 8.17 | Set the color correction matrix coefficients (device.ColorCorrectionMatrixAvailable) float[,]...

  • Page 109: Saturation (Color Models Only)

    8. Capturing Images (a) Hue 0 (0 deg, neutral) (b) Hue 64 (90 deg) (c) Hue 192 (270 deg) (d) Hue 128 (180 deg) Figure 8.13: Example of Hue control effect. 8.10.5 Saturation (color models only) The Saturation control modifies the color saturation of the acquired image. Example Code 8.19 | Set the saturation level device.Saturation = 140;...

  • Page 110: White Balance (Color Models Only)

    8. Capturing Images (a) Saturation 64 (b) Saturation 128 (neutral) (c) Saturation 192 Figure 8.14: Example of Saturation control effect. 8.10.6 White Balance (color models only) The WhiteBalance controls the relative mixture of primary colors (R, G and B); they allow to sepa- rately change the relationship between the Red/Green and Blue/Green image components to correct the colors resulting from the illuminating light and reset the actual white color to a neutral white.
  • Page 111 8. Capturing Images The γ exponent can be selected in a range from 0.40 to 4.00 with a granularity of 0.01. Gamma correction γ = 0,45 γ = 0,56 γ = 0,7 γ = 0,8 γ = 1,0 γ = 1,2 γ...

  • Page 112: Shutter

    8. Capturing Images Note In user application a good approach is setting Gamma value when the camera is not acquiring, since during the Gamma loading operation NECTA could ig- nore external triggers and/or lose frames. (a) Gamma 0.7 (b) Gamma 1 (neutral) (c) Gamma 1.3 Figure 8.16: Example of Gamma control effect.

  • Page 113: High Resolution Line Period

    8. Capturing Images 8.10.9 High resolution line period High-Resolution Line period is a read-only property which shows the actual value of line period that is configured into the sensor. When the exposure time approach to expected line period (or become longer), line period needs to be incremented by the given amount of time the sensor requires to perform the acquisition.

  • Page 114: Cds Gain

    8. Capturing Images 8.10.11 CDS Gain NECTA sensors have a software-controlled integrated preamplifier which amplifies the signal acquired from active pixels by a factor of about 4; when the analog gain is not enough to ensure good lightness of the acquired image, it may be convenient to use it. (a) CDS Gain 0 (b) CDS Gain 1 Figure 8.18: Example of CDS Gain control effect.

  • Page 115: User Look-Up Table (Lut)S

    8. Capturing Images Example Code 8.26 | Set digital gain level // Set digital gain to 1536/1024 (gain step = 1/1024) uint maxDigitalGain = device.GetFeatureMax(Feature.DigitalGain); device.DigitalGain = Math.Min(1536, maxDigitalGain); (a) Digital Gain 700 (b) Digital Gain 1024 (neutral) (c) Digital Gain 1300 Figure 8.19: Example of Digital Gain control effect.

  • Page 116: Luma

    8. Capturing Images To apply a user LUT, you must save it first into the camera; the following example stores a LUT into the camera and selects it: Example Code 8.27 | Store lut into the camera float[] float[device.UserLut.LutLenght]; // Create a linear sample LUT for (int = 0;...

  • Page 117: Flip And Rotate

    8. Capturing Images Example Code 8.29 | Read the TimeStamp value ushort currentTime = device.TimeStamp; 8.10.16 Flip and Rotate The Flip control allows flipping the image horizontally, vertically and diagonally. Example Code 8.30 | Flip the image diagonally device.Flip = FlipMode.Diagonal; The Rotate control rotates the image counterclockwise along the orthogonal axis across its center;...

  • Page 118: Export And Import Xml

    8. Capturing Images 8.11.1 Export and import XML NECTA cameras allow user to export and import camera configuration and calibration to an XML file. It can be useful to share camera status during remote assistance session or to configure multiple cameras with the same set of parameters.

  • Page 119: Configuration Example

    8. Capturing Images Example Code 8.39 | Save and restore calibration from camera memory device.Calibration.Save(3); // Save calibration data into camera memory device.Calibration.Load(3); // Load calibration data from camera memory Example Code 8.40 | Erase calibration from camera memory device.Calibration.Erase(2); // Erase calibration data from camera memory Warning Calibration is performed with camera controls set by the user.
  • Page 120 8. Capturing Images Warning Enabling or disabling the pattern generator during acquisition may lead to a frame loss.

  • Page 121: Alkeria Player

    SDK, you can find the application at the following path: Program Files\Alkeria\USB3\MaestroUSB3\Players Alternatively, you can easily start the camera viewer by accessing the Windows Start button and look for Alkeria player from the MaestroUSB3 Program folder: Start->All programs->Alkeria->USB3->MaestroUSB3. Figure 9.1: Alkeria player main window 9.1 DEVICE CONNECTION AND INITIALIZATION...

  • Page 122: Toolbar Buttons

    Section 3.6.6. Display Frames Open Display Frames panel. Launch the Look-Up Table editor. Table 9.1: Alkeria player buttons 9.3 SETTINGS PANEL 9.3.1 Features The features tab, shown in Figure 9.2, allows adjusting all camera controls, such as: •...

  • Page 123: Video Settings

    9. Alkeria player • Contrast: modulates the ratio between the darkest points on the image and the lightest ones; Luma and Temperature features have a “Read” button on the right which updates the value from the camera. Gamma control can be turned on and off (LUT Index control will be activated when Gamma control is turned off).

  • Page 124: Trigger

    9. Alkeria player Figure 9.3: Video settings tab 9.3.3 Trigger The Trigger panel (Figure 9.4) allows to setup the Trigger Manager module. Various events can be trig- gered, either via software or external sources (I/O): • Acquisition start; • Frame start;...

  • Page 125: Advanced Features

    9. Alkeria player Figure 9.4: Trigger tab showing trigger modules 9.3.4 Advanced features The advanced feature tab (Figure 9.5) contains additional options to control the USB channel. Changing these values may prevent the camera from working correctly. The Bandwidth Limit control allows you to increase the upper bandwidth limit used by USB 3.2 Gen 1x1 connection.

  • Page 126: Save Sequence Panel

    9. Alkeria player Figure 9.5: Advanced settings tab 9.4 SAVE SEQUENCE PANEL The Save Sequence Panel allows to save on the hard drive a sequence of frames captured by the camera, with specific parameters (Figure 9.6). Figure 9.6: Save Sequence panel The Duration entry allows to specify the sequence length either in number of frames or in seconds.

  • Page 127: Display Frames Panel

    9. Alkeria player Note High Queue Length values may be incompatible with some hardware configu- rations. 9.5 DISPLAY FRAMES PANEL When clicking on the “Display Frames” button on the Player toolbar, a panel will open. This panel allow the user to set the maximum frame-rate to be displayed on the screen. It’s possible to disable rendering on main UI by un-checking the “Display”...

  • Page 128: Saving And Exporting Configuration

    9. Alkeria player 9.6.1 Saving and Exporting Configuration The Config menu allows to save and load camera configuration to and from the camera internal flash memory. Configuration can be exported and imported to and from xml files as well. See Section 8.11 for further information.

  • Page 129: Lut Editor

    9. Alkeria player scribed in Section 8.2. User can find a detailed guide for calibration procedure by pressing Help button. Figure 9.10: Calibration window 9.6.4 LUT Editor A LUT is a function that you can apply to each frame color channel, digitally modifying the camera color response.
  • Page 130 9. Alkeria player Figure 9.11: LUT editor GUI...

  • Page 131: Warranty

    At discretion of the Alkeria SRL technical service, faulty device may be either repaired or replaced with another one with same characteristics.

  • Page 132: Firmware Update

    11. Firmware Update Firmware Update Alkeria SRL development team is constantly working to add new features to the NECTA family. When applying for MaestroUSB3 free delivery, NECTA customers may be included in an SDK and firmware update notification mailing list. Subscribed users will be notified about new firmware versions available for their devices and will be able to update them, if interested.

  • Page 133: Emc Certification And Compliance

    12. EMC certification and compliance EMC certification and compliance 12.1 CE CONFORMITY NECTA cameras described in this manual comply with the requirements of the EC EMC Directive 2014/30/EU of February 26, 2014. Testing standards: • CEI EN 55032:2015 - CISPR32:2015: Electromagnetic compatibility of multimedia equipment - Emission requirements.

  • Page 134: Fcc Conformity - Class A (Usa)

    In no event shall Alkeria SRL be liable to the purchaser for any indirect, special or consequential damages or lost profits arising out of or relating to Alkeria SRL ’s products, or the performance or a breach thereof, even if Alkeria SRL has been advised of the possibility thereof. Alkeria SRL ’s liability, if any, to the purchaser or to the customer of the purchaser shall in no event exceed the total amounts paid to Alkeria SRL by the purchaser for a defective product.

  • Page 135: Information For Users

    All Alkeria SRL cameras have been manufactured after the 31st of August 2005. This symbol on Alkeria SRL product or on its packaging means that it should not be disposed of with your other household waste. It is your responsibility to dispose of your waste equipment separately from the municipal waste stream.

  • Page 136: List Of Acronyms

    List of Acronyms List of Acronyms CMOS Complementary MOS Analog to Digital Converter Phase Locked Loop Light Meter ROI Region Of Interest Look-Up Table DSNU Dark Signal Non-Uniformity PRNU Photo Response Non-Uniformity Fixed Pattern Noise Flat-Field Correction Overall System Gain FPGA Field-Programmable Gate Array Region-Of-Interest...

  • Page 137: Example Code

    Example Code Example Code 3.1 Temperature Monitoring ........3.2 Temperature Change Event .
  • Page 138 Example Code 7.7 Enable input status chunk data captured at frame-start trigger event ... . 7.8 Configure chunk data, capture a frame and display the relevant data ... . 7.9 Configure external input to perform a flush operation .
  • Page 139 Example Code 8.41 Set camera’s main parameters and enable live acquisition ....118 8.42 Enable pattern generator ........118...
  • Page 140 Via Giuntini 25, int. 36 56021 Cascina (PI) - ITALY www.alkeria.com...

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